The Colorado Trail, Day 24. Friday, August 22, 2025.

We tented at the parking lot at Spring Creek Pass on Hwy 149. We had originally planned to get here this morning, but we went farther yesterday than we had expected.

The plan was that when we reached Hwy 149, we would take a shuttle bus at 11:30 a.m. to Lake City, 30 kilometers (about 18.6 miles) to the north, to resupply.
We waited to get up until the sun was high enough to warm up our tent. We ate breakfast at a table and benches just a little ways away. While we were sitting there, a hiker came over. He had «cowboy camped,» which means he spent the night on the ground without a tent, up on Snow Mesa. It had been humid with a lot of condensation, and his sleeping bag got soaking wet, and he was freezing cold. He was drying his sleeping bag now before continuing his hike.

There wasn’t much traffic on the highway, but we thought we’d try our luck after we’d eaten. It was 9:00 a.m., and it would still be 2.5 hours until the shuttle bus would arrive.

Double Check arrived just as we were walking out to the road. He was also going to hitchhike and stood a little ways away from us. There was very little traffic on the highway, but after barely 10 minutes, a car stopped. It was a pickup with a trailer carrying a UTV. The driver offered us a ride for all three of us if we were willing to sit in the open bed of the truck.

We loaded our packs into the bed and then climbed in ourselves, settling down with our backs to the cab. Then we drove towards Lake City on a winding highway.
The driver was going to Lake San Cristobal, 5 kilometers (about 3.1 miles) before Lake City. He dropped us off at the intersection.

A camper van immediately came by, and Double Check was quick with his thumb. Sure enough, it stopped and took us all the way into the small town of Lake City. There, the driver took us to the Lake City Trail Hiker Center, which is run by the Presbyterian Church.

There were about 25 hikers there, waiting for the shuttle bus that would drive them back to the trail at 11:00 a.m. It was a really big group—a «bubble.» That’s what you call it when a lot of hikers suddenly gather on a day’s stage. We met several people we had met before, including Mother Goose.

The atmosphere at the Hiker Center was great, and we were served coffee, drinks, and a little something to eat. We exchanged information with the other hikers, and several were very anxious about the next few days because bad weather with thunderstorms and rain was in the forecast. That’s the last thing you want on the next stages.

We decided to stay at the Hangout Hostel for two nights to see what the weather would do. We had been looking forward to the next stages, which would mostly be above the treeline with the highest point at over 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) above sea level. It’s not a good place to be in a thunderstorm. We also want to see the views from the sections above the treeline.

The Hangout Hostel was a nice hostel. We shared a room with a German couple in their early 60s. Eventually, more familiar faces arrived, including Pinky.
There were some small rain showers during the afternoon, but no thunderstorms. Tomorrow, we’ll make a decision about when we’ll go back on the trail.