Colorado Trail Day 30. Thursday, August 28, 2025
I fell asleep two hours before sunset yesterday and slept all the way until 4:30 AM. At that point, it was time to write the day’s log. It usually takes an hour, including preparing the photos.
I was done by 5:30 AM. That’s when we’ve typically been getting up. Sunrise is happening later and later, and today it was at 6:38 AM. For once, Inger was awake, but we stayed in our sleeping bags until 6 AM before getting ready to get up. The darkness was just starting to fade. Today we had yogurt with our muesli. We usually have it the first morning after we’ve been in a town.
Karen and Fred passed us while we were getting ready to pack up the tent. At 6:50 AM, we were ready to start hiking. The sun had just barely managed to climb over the mountains to the east.
It was a clear and beautiful morning, and the temperature was 3°C (37°F). The tent was pitched under some fir trees, so we were spared from dew and condensation.
The beautiful morning light is great for hiking in even if the sun isn’t warm, but the colors become extra vibrant.
After a few kilometers (a couple of miles), we passed Karen and Fred. For the first few hours of the morning, we alternated between hiking in sunny and shady spots. We loved the beautiful mountains we hiked by yesterday, and the same types of mountains defined today’s stage as well.
Some mountains had enormous scree fields; thankfully, the trail went around them. We also saw the same color spectrum today that we saw yesterday.
Today marks exactly three years since I reached the northern terminus of the PCT. The mountain formations we are now hiking in remind me of the ones I hiked in during the last part of the PCT in northern Washington, on the border with Canada.
The last 8 km (5 miles) of today’s hike followed the top of a north-south running ridge. Along the ridge, we had a fantastic view. For the last part of today’s hike, we were in a 23 km (14 miles) section where there is no water to be found. I filled up a good 4 liters from the last creek, 13 km (8 miles) before we set up camp.
Our campsite is located under some fir trees on the narrow ridge, and we have an excellent view to the east. A few chipmunks are scurrying back and forth on the log we sat on while eating dinner. I hope they leave our food bag alone tonight.
Today we had a pleasant reunion with young Pika-Pika from Denver, who was drying her tent in the sun after a night of condensation. We have met her several times before on the CT, most recently on the stage before Lake City when she was hiking with her mother. It’s always nice to meet hikers we haven’t seen in a while. We also met at the last water source today.
There was a good deal of hiking below the tree line today, but the forest wasn’t dense and had many open areas that offered great views. It was a very beautiful and varied day on the CT.
Today’s hike was 30.5 km (19 miles) and 950 meters (3,117 feet) of elevation gain. We are camping at 3,300 meters (10,827 feet) above sea level.