Unlike my normal hiking routine, I didn’t head to Monarch Pass the day after I arrived in Colorado. Instead, I gave myself an extra day in Salida to acclimate (a little) to the altitude. I stayed at the Salida Hostel on the edge of town.
I arrived Sunday night, after flying to Denver, taking a nice Bustang bus to Salida, then a taxi to the hostel.
On my free day, I logged about 13 miles (20.9 km) running errands. I needed fuel for my stove, a few toiletries I’d forgotten, some fruit, etc. I also headed into town for lunch and dinner. (Yes, I spoiled myself.)
Heading Out from Salida
I’d found a great trail angel, Tom, who shuttled me to the pass with a friend visiting from St. Louis. The day was sunny and cool and I got on the trail around 9 a.m.
The path immediately climbed steeply uphill for a few miles. Baptism by fire! My pack was too heavy, of course, so my pace was quite slow. But once on the ridge, the views were incredible.
The trail was quite crowded, as it’s open to hikers, mountain bikers and, in some places, dirt bikes. That was actually a little comforting. If something happened to me, someone would be able to quickly help.
Water Is Everywhere
For the first time on the CDT, I had no water worries and only had to 
carry two liters. I knew there was piped spring water around mile 9 (14.5 km), and two liters was plenty to get me there. Once I filled up at the pipe, I only had a few more miles to go to my camping spot.
I felt guilty stopping at 4 p.m.; normally I hike until 5-6 p.m. But with my arthritic right knee starting to be painful, coupled with the elevation (+11,000 ft. / +3,353 m.), I wanted to be smart. It wasn’t really a hard decision, though, as the trail unspooled downhill to Marshall Pass, then pitched steeply upward. I was so tired and very happy to stop.
A Few Things to Note
Once past Marshall Pass, the traffic evaporated. One hiker passed me and that was it. But the Monarch to Marshall route is about 10 miles (16.1 km), which is a great day hike or out-and-back.
Most of the terrain today was reasonably nice packed dirt. But it was quite rocky in some places, which is always difficult. This is the end of 
monsoon season, when daily showers are the norm. There were a few sprinkles, but they came after I was in my tent, so no big deal.
This portion of the CDT shares trail with the Colorado Trail, which appears to be more popular in this spot than the CDT. A lot of people at the hostel were doing the Colorado Trail.
Rest of the Week
I’m a little nervous about my itinerary. I booked a cabin for two nights in Lake City this next Sunday and Monday. But to get there on Sunday night, I need to do a 22-mile day that day (00 km). I don’t think I can hit that mileage without some road walks, and there aren’t any. Maybe I can tack on an extra mile the next few days so I have fewer miles on Sunday, but I don’t know if I’ll have the energy to do that.
Oh, well – can’t worry about that now.
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Snowshoe
Today’s Miles: 12.6 (20.3 km)
CDT Miles to Date: 491.3 (790.7 km)
CDT Miles to Go: 2,608.7 (4,198.3 km)
