Day 94 – The Colorado Trail

I slept surprisingly well on that giant gray marshmallow of an air mattress at Zach’s apartment. The mattress was a balky partner though. I got up once to go to the bathroom and was rejected by the mattress when I got back into bed. If you didn’t get your center of gravity over the middle of the bed quickly, it recoiled from you, becoming an 18-inch Slip-and-Slide. My first weak attempt left me sitting on the floor. I launched myself onto the mattress in subsequent attempts and successfully stuck there.

Zach was a perfect host although he probably wondered why has bathroom towel was so wet. I had a little shower malfunction and nearly flooded the whole apartment! For his trouble, I gave him my socks and my nifty train shirt. He said he loved the pattern. What a kid!

Preparations

I jettison all unnecessary stuff I have accumulated in my week of civilization. I Uber (is that a verb?) to the REI store and pick up some more rope and a map of the Colorado Trail. The lack of camp site designations on this trail in Guthook irks me. The solution is obviously to get more maps. I frantically search for caffeine and find it. Then another Uber to the Watertown Canyon Park where the CT trailhead awaits.

I eat lunch at the park. It is leftovers from my train food. Then I head off to the trailhead.

Local wisdom

The park employee is emptying the trash bins. I ask about bears. She says the bears have so much natural food right now that they are not bothering people. I like this.

An older man is cavorting in front of the trail sign. I ask him what’s going on. He just finished his thru-hike of the Colorado Trail. I congratulate him and ask him if he saw any bears. No, in fact he lives here and has never seen a bear in his life. He still says to hang your food. I will, and I am heartened. He takes my picture.

Road walking

The trail starts as a multi-use road. Hikers, bikers and trucks share the wide level grade. The trail follows the South Platte River up to the dam that holds Denver’s water supply.

There are a lot of people fishing along the road. Then I see what looks like a herd of goats coming my way. They are bighorn sheep! Look at how small they are! These are all ewes and young ones. The rams with their enormous round horns will join the herd soon. They are still at higher elevations. They might be watching us now.

Rain?!

The forecast shows that rain is possible this afternoon. The clouds are building. I have been told that these afternoon showers come and go. I hope so. I really don’t have the stomach for to much more rain on the trail. I want the CT to be nice to me.

It starts raining. I put on my rain pants to keep my shorts dry. It seems to hot to put on my rain jacket. The rain gets worse. It was a mistake not to wear my jacket. My shirt is soaked and the rain is seeping under my pants.

The road ended after 6 miles. I get water from the river before entering the real trail. I want to “dry camp” another four miles ahead. I think there is a camp spot there, but who knows? The maps do not indicate where campsites are. You have to sort of guess based on location and the topography. I realize that I forgot to download the topo maps for Guthook. Ugh.

The rain gets worse. I plow on looking for camping and a break in the weather. I find both. I take off my wet clothes and put on dry ones. Using my new stove for the first time is tricky. I accidentally dump over the boiled water, but the second time goes smoother. I have mango rice for dinners. It is delicious. I hang my food bag and get into bed under the tarp. There is a chance of rain tonight.

The rain has spoiled my introduction to this trail. I hope the weather clears tomorrow and the hiking is better. I have seen a few hikers, but I want to know more about who hikes this trail. My feet are finally warming. The rain has stopped for now and I hope I sleep well tonight. After all the places I have slept recently, the trail is almost like coming home.

• September 3
• Starting CT marker: 0
• Ending CT marker: 10
• CT miles hiked today: 10
• Total CT miles hiked: 10
• Total miles hiked: 1252
• Animals: bighorn sheep herd