Had a pretty good night last night – nice campsite and right near the Fisher River. I let myself sleep in and broke camp slowly, drying out my tent pad and things like that that I don’t normally do. I didn’t start hiking until 10 a.m.! But I don’t have many miles left, so why not enjoy?
The first 6 or so miles (9.7 km) were in a sunny valley cut by a burbling creek – or maybe, at times, the Fisher River. The trail was pretty easy. Unfortunately, there were a lot of burned trees. Probably wildfires.
Goodbye Fisher Creek
Sometime in early afternoon, I crossed a river (got my feet wet) and started the last 2.5 miles (00 km) of the Creede Cutoff. I knew from comments in FarOut that there were some blow-downs here that made it tough to find the trail. I’ve navigated this before – not fun – and budgeted extra time.
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Well, this was pretty bad. The blowdowns were substantial and frequent, and every time I found the trail I promptly lost it again. I fell numerous times, and cried out and cursed just as frequently. Every time, my voice echoed into the valley. I was out here alone.
Avoiding Danger
Around 5:30 p.m. I had about a half-mile (1 km) to rejoin the official CDT. But the trail climbed several more miles, topping out at 12,000 feet 
(3,658 m), and some science teachers had left a warning in the app about NOT camping at the peak, where there were lots of flat spots.
These teachers had measured wind speeds up there, and they were often 70 to 120 mph (113 – 193 kph)!! So despite a dwindling water supply (I’d planned to camp near a creek), I decided to play it safe. I found a not-great-but-passable campsite and am tucking in for the night. Trying to save my water, too. I hate that!
Snowshoe
Today’s Miles: 7.5 (12.1 km)
CDT Miles to Date: 620.3 (998.3 km)
CDT Miles to Go: 2,479.7 (3,990.7 km)
