 |
| Knife Edge |
 |
| Moosie and thunderstorm. |
 |
| Fellow hiker named Latonka. We met him at the Salida hostel. He had just finished the AT and was hiking parts of the CT and CDT. Here he is camped below the window and the pyramid. |
 |
| Moosie and I rejoin the Colorado Trail after hiking north on the CDT from Cumbres Pass and finish hiking south toward Durango on the CT. |
 |
| Arborglyph from what appears to be 1921. |
The Weminuche Wilderness is often whispered in reverent tones amongst hikers who have been there. This was probably my favorite section of the hike as well. Moosie and I payed a price to experience it though, as tough weather persisted. We hitched out of Pagosa Springs after a great resupply stop, and arrived back at Wolf Creek Pass around 1:00 on the 9th of August. Sure enough, rain was falling the moment we were dropped off, but thankfully alternated between some intense blue bird skies that afternoon. I think that summed up the rest of the week. Some glorious blue bird hours, and more running from storms.
I began to feel more connected to the hike during this section, and the mystery of life in the mountains. Once again, we rarely saw other hikers throughout the day, maybe one or two a day. On one particular mountaintop, Moosie and I were having a conversation when a black bear tried to sneak past us on a treeless pass about 50 feet from us. I had my back turned, and if Moosie hadn't said "Bear!!!" with her arm outstretched and finger pointing behind me, I never would have seen the thing. By the time I turned around the bear was hauling ass a hundred feet below, running full speed back down the mountain.
Moosie and I also spent a somewhat uneasy night at our highest campsite of the trip just above 12,000 feet and just below the ridge line. We simply could not find camping to save our lives that particular evening, and ended up picking the high altitude spot after sunset. With the weather so volatile, all we could do was hope for the best. After a month in the mountains, I couldn't keep my eyes off the clouds. Every dark cloud that rolled in, my anxiety expected the worst case scenario. Thankfully, it was a rainless night, other than a brief five minute rain shower around 11:00 that night. A shrieking coyote serenaded the night. Also saw a strange ufo object off in the distance that night. The star blinked brightly, then would appear slightly lower in the sky, and flash again, with an irregular pulse. If I had to guess, I would think it was a piece of space junk, possibly rotating and reflecting light from the sun. It definitely was strange though.
The trail also took us over the infamous knife edge. I definitely did not know what to expect, only heard it was treacherous during my CDT 2013 hike after the snow fell. Intel from this area was one of the main reasons Captain and I decided to do the Creede alternative in 2013. Back then 2 fellow hikers took four hours to traverse the trail on and near the knife edge with ice axes and crampons, and declared the "San Juans officially closed" for the season. Captain and I took that advice to heart. This time, Moosie and I were hiking through the area in ideal, sunny, summertime conditions. In fact, We hiked over and through the knife edge without me even realizing we had done it. I guess I was expecting something far worse than what it turned out to be.
After hiking through the Weminuche, Moosie and I also eventually met back up with the Colorado Trail and the crowds on August 15, 2017. This also was the start of a 4,000 foot descent, past some old mining ruins and sketchy water sources. Scenery was absolutely stunning though. This also marked the point where the forest once again began to look healthy again, after days of hiking among dead beetle killed trees. This also marked the beginning of the end of the hike. Moosie and I would hitch into the town of Silverton from Molas Pass for our last resupply stop. From Molas Pass, we would have about 83 more miles to Durango, the end of the Colorado Trail...
