Collegiate West: Day 2

The chattering alarm of a pine squirrel rouses me from my slumber. I guess this little creature is not happy to discover that the tent that materialized in its shady forest the evening before is still here. It is no longer dark, but the sun has not yet made it into this stand of conifers. I move and feel some soreness from yesterday’s hike.  I begin my morning routine – firing up my little alcohol stove to heat water while I begin to break down camp - stuffing the sleeping bag, rolling up the ground pad, dismantling  the tent… all of this interspersed with some yoga poses to continue stretching out these sore muscles. Fueled by a breakfast of oatmeal, walnuts and a little dried fruit, I am on my way.

Hmmm, many of these plants are tinged with white? Is that frost? I reach down and confirm that the thermometer was down below freezing here last night. To think that it was around 100F in Pueblo yesterday. I'm glad I am here and not there. I work my way up the Clear Creek drainage towards Lake Ann Pass and keep exclaiming to myself what a perfect morning it is. The sky must be bluer than it has ever been, with not a cloud in the sky. Gazing at a series of rugged peaks that I am heading towards, known as the Three Apostles, it seems as if I can see every fold and crack and feel their rocky texture, the air is so clear.

Just as I break out of the trees, I meet a fellow heading down the trail. “Bobcat” is hiking the entire Continental Divide Trail, from the Mexican border in New Mexico to the Canadian border in Montana. As we part and I continue south while he heads north towards Wyoming and beyond, I look back and note the small pack on his back. I know I’ve reduced my backpacking weight at least ten pounds lighter than the old days, now down to around 30 pounds, which includes the weight of a few days of food. But, looking at Bobcat’s pack, I think I could do better.  With that thought in mind, me and my 30 pound pack head towards Lake Ann Pass, about 1000’ elevation gain in the next mile. “Just what could I do without that is now in my pack?” I ask myself as I slowly make my way to the pass.

The beauty of landscape, accentuated by the clarity of the air, just keeps blowing me away. I reach a snowfield and gingerly work my way across some slippery snow. I am glad I have these trekking poles. A couple more switchbacks, another stretch of snow, and I am at the pass – 12, 588’ according to the trail guide. The views from the top continue to blow me away. To the west is a huge valley, Taylor Park, with its reservoir and expansiveness. Looking back from where I came from is the rich turquoise water of Lake Ann. I wonder how that little lake got its name. I linger for a long while on the pass as the skies show no sign of a storm any time soon.

I begin the many switchbacks down off the pass and begin to feel some serious heat from some serious sunshine. I enter the trees and decide I need another break, but the mosquitoes are relentless. Never being a fan of Deet, my citronella-based bug juice works ok, but just ok. The skeeters keep me moving down the trail. Wishing for some cloud cover, I leave the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness and spend several miles hiking some hot, rocky, dusty trails that are also used by motorcycles (although I meet none of them today). I begin looking for a camp and find a nice spot above a creek, but the mosquitoes are miserable, so I keep going. Finally making it to the valley floor, I am pleased that a fairly consistent breeze is keeping the skeeters manageable. Tent up, dinner done, food bag hung, I am ready for some down time.

I pull out some reading material and stumble upon these thoughts from someone I’ve never heard of, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: “There are many pathways in this life and it doesn’t matter which one you take, for they all have a common destination, and that is the grave. But some paths give you energy and some take it away.” This certainly is a thought-provoking quote to come across while out here on this pathway. The part about the grave has lots to do with why I am out here - life is flying by, it seems, and I want what life I have left to be full of being in wild places, just like this one. 
As for the part about pathways either giving or taking away energy? Well, after hiking nearly 30 miles in two days, feeling so wiped out right now, it begs the question – is this 90-mile trek giving me energy or taking it away? I believe that, considering how far I’ve hiked, passes I’ve traversed, all this mountainous terrain I’ve moved up and down and over and through, it required quite a large amount of energy to do this hike. And the act of setting out on it is what created the energy to actually do it. 
Sure, I’m tired now, but this does not mean that this pathway took my energy away. This tiredness is short-lived, it is fleeting, but the energy that this trek is creating, and will continue to create, is huge. I am pooped as I sit here and write these words, but I can still sense all the energy inside of me that will remain. If it could be quantified, the amount of energy that I spend to do this hike - yesterday's, today's and all the rest of the miles - pales in comparison to the energy I get, and will get, and others will get through my efforts, from doing it. So, I believe that this Collegiate West Backpack for Nature Education is definitely an energy-producing pathway that I am on. That being said, it is time for a good night's sleep - I've got more energy-producing miles tomorrow. Good night!

Six Days / Seventy Seven Miles on the Trail

On Saturday, a little before noon, I turned a corner of the trail and the busyness of Monarch Pass opened up before me. After spending the last six days mostly alone with Nature's peace and quiet in some of Colorado's most remote high country, it was a bit overwhelming - numerous parked vehicles, many with trailers loaded with camping equipment, motorcycles, ATVs, and/or bicycles; tourists taking pictures; folks heading up to and down from the tramway entrance; bicyclists - both mountain bikers gearing up for the Monarch Crest trail, or road bikers about to take on the exhilarating ride down the pass; cars and trucks and RVs heading both east and west on Highway 50...the place was humming!

But my journey was nearing its end, and so I proceeded down the trail and added one more addition - my somewhat trail weary self - to a hectic Monarch Pass. I should add that also down there was my wife Helene, about to cross the highway and head up the trail to meet me. Meeting up with Helene, just like it was numerous times when she met me at the end of segments of the original Colorado Trail hike a few years ago, was a most welcome reunion.

I had started the day early and about nine up-and-down miles from the pass. My intent on this day, and every day of this relatively short trek, was to get my miles in before the afternoon storms with their very real threat of lightning started building. While enjoying some fresh watermelon that Helene just bought at the Salida Farmer's Market, I noticed that the clouds that had been growing as the morning grew older were beginning to look a bit more serious. My original plan was to continue on beyond Monarch Pass 4.9 more miles to the trail intersection with the main Colorado Trail, where the Collegiate West Trail officially ends. But, considering what the sky was going to deliver for the afternoon, I decided that those final 4.9 miles would be a hike for another day.

So, with 77.4 amazing miles of the 80-mile Collegiate West Backpack hiked over those six days (which, I now know, is actually 83.8 miles, plus another ten or so to access the beginning and end points, but those are just details), there still remains 4.9 more miles before I have officially completed the trek. I am looking at my calendar and will come up with a day when I will head back up to Monarch Pass and complete this Backpack for Nature Education.

Meanwhile, I've been going through the many photos I took along the trail (I've included a few with this post - you can see more at my Facebook Page, Dave Van Manen, which I'll be adding to). As much as I know that Colorado is a beautiful state, these miles - all of them new to me - reminded me once again of just how beautiful it is. Over the next few weeks, I'll be doing some more posts highlighting some of my experiences while out on the trail.

And please remember that this effort of mine, as much as it was filled with gorgeous scenery and lots of wild Nature, I was out there primarily to raise funds so young people can continue to experience the gifts of spending time in Nature through MPEC's education programs. Please consider donating to this cause if you haven't already done so - simply click here and choose Ranger Dave's Backpack for Nature Education as the category. Thanks so much!

Leaving Early Monday Morning for Collegiate West!

OK, now I am getting excited. I received word today that, except for a few minor snowfields, the Collegiate West Trail is relatively snow-free. So, the plan is an early Monday morning drive to the start of the trail, which is near Twin Lakes, and I'll be on my way. The actual start and end points of the Collegiate West trail are not at road intersections but at trail intersections with the main Colorado Trail, so I'll be hiking another ten miles or so to get to and then leave the Collegiate West Trail. What's another ten miles, I'm thinking!

The first 35 miles have some healthy climbs over Hope Pass and Lake Ann Pass, both over 12,500', with about 8500' of altitude gain, so I'll be huffing it right off the bat. But I am psyched. I've been getting my gear together, making a list and checking it twice. Once I'm out there, if I forgot something, I'll have to do without. That's actually one of the things I love about backpacking - I take only what I need, I carry it all on my back, and then I'm on my own. If I don't have something, I use my head and figure out how to get by. Truly a back-to-basics kind of experience. Helene reminded me to look at this video that I made at the end of Segment 27 - yes, I'm excited.

Another 23 miles brings me close to the CT's halfway point!

Section 13, 22.8 miles from North Cottonwood Creek to the Mt. Princeton Hot Spring area, was pleasantly hiked yesterday. I had some company on this section...friend and MPEC supporter Jacqui Brooks came all the way from her home in Spain (Jacqui is from Wales in the U.K.) to hike the first 9 miles, the section's biggest climb right out of the initial trailhead (where Helene dropped us off). Jacqui is doing lots of other things while here on holiday, but this may have been one of the highlights of her trip. My lovely wife Helene, friend and MPEC supporter Barbara Jackson and her friend Jerry (plus his two little dogs) hiked a few miles from the Avalanche TH to the Cottonwood Lake Road, where I enjoyed a light and tasty lunch before taking on the remaining 14 miles solo (I sang Carol King's Home Again, JT's There Something in the Way She Moves, and the Everly Bros.' All I have to Do is Dream along these quick miles). Barbara and Jerry whipped up a delicious and most welcome post-hike dinner in their camper at Cottonwood Hot Springs (thank you!), where Helene and I (and Jacqui) tented Friday and Saturday evening...the hot water before and after the hike was divine. This brings me to 232 miles, just a few miles short of the CT's halfway point (my goal for 2010)...which I hope to hike soon. What a great weekend in Colorado's high country!