Endless P Summer

Breckinridge, CO

Day 57     6/25     10 miles

Last night Cheese and Jabba drove down from Denver and met me and Queen B in Leadville. We ate tons of Chinese food before leaving town then headed towards the south trailhead of Mt Elbert to camp. We started on the trail going up Elbert at 7:30 and made a beeline for the summit. The 4 of us are all in good shape and pretty much crushed it straight to the top. When we reached the summit we had a spectacular and unexpected encounter. In February Queen B, Prickly Pear and I met up in the Adirondacks to snowshoe up Mt. Marcy. There we met SoyBoy(AT late 90’s) and he was just beginning his quest to ski the high point of each state. Since then we haven’t had any communication and didn’t connect on social media. I don’t even remember if we told him we’d be hiking the CDT. Anyway QB and I had taken the day off from the trail today to climb the high point of CO and of all people SoyBoy was at the summit just putting his skis on when we got up there. I couldn’t believe it, I recognized him right away and he remembered us too. QB and I had even mentioned him earlier in the day because someone told us they saw a guy carrying skis but neither of us thought it would be him. He had flown in from Maryland just the other day to climb and ski Mt. Elbert for his 5th high point. Unusual coincidences seem to happen to me quite often but this one is kind of mind blowing, I can’t even fathom what the chances are of this encounter. If you want to follow SoyBoy on his journey check out his insta @skithehighpoints. After he skied down the 4 of us spent about 45 minutes on the summit with a ton of other hikers on an absolutely beautiful day. The descent went smoothly and we went into Leadville and pounded pizzas and subs. QB and I had originally planned to get back on trail today but a little nudge to hike Colorado’s second highest peak, Mt Massive, got us going in a different direction. Cheese drove the 4 of us out to the trailhead and we then walked a mile or so to camp with plans of a sunrise summit of Massive. At the trailhead though we got quite a show. The road there goes right through the parking lot and then through a river. Not a little creek, a legit river. As we were packing our stuff for the hike, some nitwit comes bombing towards the river in his old Ford Explorer and we all went running right after him because this was obviously a recipe for disaster. And it was. He was safe and unharmed and everything but the truck was dead in the water and probably won’t be passing inspection anytime soon. Cheese, QB, me, JabbaQB, SoyBoy, and mepose down on the summit with Lotus and Hermes, a couple former PCT thru hikers on a summer long road tripBeen there dude, sorry we didn’t have the means to pull you out 

Day 58     6/26     14 miles 

Cheese, Jabba, Queen B and I were all camped at the end of a gulch at the bottom of a steep trail to the top of Mt Massive. The plan was to wake up at 3 and start hiking shortly thereafter in order to be on top for the 5:40 am sunrise. I couldn’t sleep a wink. I’ve dealt with insomnia my whole life, especially when I have to get up early for something exciting, but I usually sleep pretty well on trail. No big deal, I’d sleep later. At 3am we all began stirring and by 3:20 we started up the steep trail to the top. For awhile it was mostly rocky switchbacks but eventually we lost the trail across a snowfield(even with headlamps) and just continued up to the ridge scrambling carefully on snow and loose rock. There wasn’t much time to screw around so we barely stopped until we got to a spur up on the ridge just minutes before the sun came up. There were incredible views in all directions; huge snow capped mountains and a blanket of undercast clouds most likely full of Care Bears. We carried on along the ridge until we got to the summit and hung out there for about an hour. Nobody else decided to make it up for sunrise so it was just the 4 of us on top of the lower 48’s 3rd highest peak. The descent was much easier than I anticipated because we were able to pick up the trail in the light and sooner than later we were back at Cheese’s truck driving to town.  Queen B and I got dropped off in Twin Lakes and after eating some cheeseburgers got back on trail where we had left off a couple days before. I needed a nap in the worst way so soon after getting back into the woods I found a spot and crashed out for awhile. Around 5:30 I started making moves and picked up about a half dozen miles before crashing out again for the night. QB watching the sun come upPretty solid crew to climb up Colorado’s 2 tallest peaks with mountain beast

Day 59     6/27     31 miles 

Today was rather productive. Nothing too spectacular happened but it just felt like a really solid day of hiking after a full night sleep. For most of the morning the trail cut through a forest with a few good climbs and drops. There was the rare trail magic at the Timberline trailhead parking lot and it was totally appreciated and unexpected. Somebody named Steve left a cooler full of ice cold cokes and gatorades and m&m’s and stuff. Thanks Steve! While we were sipping on these sodas we met Ryder who was camping nearby with her kids. She thru hiked the AT 25 years ago when she was 20 and is considering hiking a long trail again. I really enjoy talking with former thru hikers. They’re the real deal, I can’t imagine doing this without a smart phone. Shortly after lunch the trail passed an alpine lake and I couldn’t resist jumping in for a refreshing dip. The rest of the day the trail went up and down through forests but every once in awhile it opened up and there were huge mountainous views right before my eyes. It was a good day for crushing miles. In the evening we found a campsite beside a meadow with howling coyotes and called it a night. Nothing beats the real thing!colder than it looks

Day 60     6/28     29 miles

Once we got going this morning we proceeded to crush the trail all day. It was no picnic. Early on we passed the creepiest set of abandoned bunkers or cells or something with strange graffiti all over them, and then somebody came by and cleverly corrected the graffiti. Probably good shelter in a storm but I guarantee they’re haunted. I really wish I knew what they were used for, I could probably just google it. After the bunkers we passed this waterfall that I showered in last year but the flow rate was a little heavy today. We then blasted up the beefy Kokomo Pass, followed a ridge over to Searle Pass and dropped down to Copper Mountain Resort where we grabbed some cheeseburgers for a late lunch. I skied here in January and it was cool to walk across the ski trails and under the lifts. The waiter said we must be pretty hungry since we looked like we’d been living in the woods for a week. Thanks buddy! More like 2 months so I guess that’s a compliment. After lunch we had another heavy duty climb as we walked for miles up to the top of 10 Mile Range. We dropped over the top of the range, where Breckinridge Ski area is, and walked a few snowy and scenic miles before finding a place to camp. Cops are Evel Knievel?showered here last year

Day 61    6/29     6 miles so far

I’m sitting in front of the supermarket in Breckinridge right now figuring out my resupply for the next few days and hoping to get back on trail in a few hours. Today has gone pretty well so far. We walked a nice easy 6 miles and caught the free bus into town. We met Drew at the bus stop, a boatbuilder and carpenter, who moved out here to climb mountains and snowboard down them. He offered to let us take showers at his house and that sounded pretty good after 5 or 6 days without one. Crushed breakfast after the shower and now taking care of some errands while in town. I’ll fill you in on the rest of the day in my next post. Feel free to follow me on Insta for more pictures and maybe even a video @endlesspsummer

This lady just looked at me and then I overheard her say to her man, “This place has a lot of homeless.”

-Endless

PS All My Love!!! 

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 Posted on June 29, 2017 by

 colorado, Hiking, Thru hiking, travel

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Leadville, CO

Day 51     6/19     10 miles 

So everything went pretty smooth yesterday. The pilot landed in Denver We caught up with Cheese, and some of his friends for lunch including Grundlehammer who I first met on the PCT in ’15. Queen B and I then walked all over downtown Denver, watched some break dancers while earing a bunch of noodles. Nomad met us at a Mexican restaurant later on for more food and we were also joined by legendary hiker Jabba aka @therealhikingviking of instagram fame. We spent the night at Nomad’s sweet apartment on the 18th floor of a high rise looking over Union Station. Cheese is joining us for a couple sections so this morning we met up with him and proceeded to return to the trail. With him driving, the 3 of us headed to Leadville where he dropped his truck, then we started hitching the 100+ miles south to the trail. Hope gave us a ride for about 40 miles to Nathrop and then Joy scooped us up for about a half hour ride into Salida. Seb was driving a big rig, which I never ever get rides in, but he picked us up and took us down to Saguache(I spelled it wrong the other day). We waited for an awful long time but finally got picked up by Joanie and rode in the back of her pickup back to Coachetopa creek. We got back on trail around 4:30 and seriously not 10 minutes later saw this huge black bear in a valley. A great bear sighting, close enough so we got a good view and far enough where we didn’t scare the beast off too quickly. We got 10 miles in and set up for the night. Looking down from Nomad’s placesweet ride in a big rig! grear big bear 

Day 52     6/20     27 miles 

Great day of hiking on the good ol’ Continental Divide National Scenic Trail today! Not too much out of the ordinary just an all around bang up day on the trail. It was nice hiking with Cheese and hearing all that he’s been up to since we first hiked together in Southern California. A Wisconsin native, Cheese relocated to Denver last summer and has had lots of adventures since. Since we got back on trail the mosquitoes have been out in full force. None of us are carrying any bug spray so the last 2 nights we had campfires. Including today and yesterday I can count on 1 hand the amount of times I’ve had campfires while thru hiking and they’ve all been to smoke out the bugs. Thankfully we have Queen B around, a former Girl Scout, she’s a pro at building fires. We found a nice little spot next to a stream to camp and with the smoke the bugs didn’t bother us too much. Good thing QB was a Girl Scout

Day 53     6/21     17 miles 

Today we had ourselves a nice modified town day. We used the in and out strategy that is helpful for not only saving a few bucks by not staying in town, but it’s much more productive to get back on trail in the evening. Town can be like a vortex making it hard to leave, even if you have every intention of getting back on trail first thing in the morning you still have to get breakfast. Right away this morning we hiked a nice quick 9 miles to Monarch Pass and ate some ice cream at the store there. Then Jerry, a local hiker, gave the 3 of us a ride into the town of Salida. We made a beeline for some cheeseburgers, then walked over to the supermarket to resupply. From there we got a hitch in the back of a pickup to the Salida Hot Springs Aquatic Center for a shower and a nice soak. Salida has a little shuttle bus that just bops around all over the place and the driver scooped us up and brought us a few miles to the edge of town. We were about to start hitching back to the pass from there but we saw a Thai restaurant across the street and decided we couldn’t just pass that up. After dinner we got a ride back to the trail by a couple of scout leaders who generously went a good distance out of their way to get us where we were going. It was about 5:30 when we started walking again and got in a strong 8 miles before sunset. It was some really nice miles too, high up on a ridgeline we enjoyed the summer solstice with views of granite mountains, alpine lakes, and pink skies. We found a sweet spot below a ridge and near a lake and called it a night.  Salida, COQB and Cheese hitching to SalidaPerfect evening for the summer solstice

Day 54     6/22     25 miles 

Cheese hiked in with us and we camped together last night and he then turned back to Monarch Pass this morning while QB and I carried on. It was great hiking with him these last few days and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing our buddy again before we’re out of Colorado. Today was awesome. The hiking was a little difficult at times but we were constantly rewarded with amazing views. I think we went up and over 4 passes including Chalk Creek Pass and Tincup Pass(the other 2 either didn’t have names or I never learned them). In between the passes was a fair amount of snow travel that slowed us down but nothing too exhausting. From Monarch Pass to Twin Lakes, hikers have the option of going through the West or East Collegiate mountains(I think these are just mountains named after colleges). We did the West route last year on the Colorado Trail and knew that it was quite magestic, so we chose the same route again. The Mirror Lake alternate was a 20 odd mile trail off of the West route that we also opted for just to shake things up a bit. Tonight we’re camping at the empty Mirror Lake CG about 6 miles into the alternate. I think we missed the trail somewhere and just waded through the edge of Mirror Lake

Day 55     6/23     27 miles 

Today was borderline exceptional. We left Mirror Lake CG and climbed up onto a ridge for awhile before following the trail up and down through pine forests before descending into a valley containing the Texas Lakes. We broke for lunch at one of the lakes and immediately jumped in. Swimming/bathing in a natural body of icy cold water on a hot day when I’m sweating and filthy is probably my absolute favorite thing to do. After lunch we came across a couple of moose chilling out in a meadow about 20 yards away, the bull was giving us the stink eye. I’ve got some decent footage. The trail followed along this meadow for awhile and then started to climb up towards Lake Ann Pass. I don’t know if it was the afternoon coffee I was drinking or the extra pack of ramen I had last night but I caught a wild hair and absolutely crushed it up the steep switchbacks of the pass. Queen B must have had the eye of the tiger herself because she was right on my heels. Upon reaching the top I resisted every urge to let out a primal, blood curdling scream for fear of causing an avalanche because the north side of the pass was all snow and heavily corniced. Getting down would be a challenge; there was tons of snow and only one very steep path of footprints down. It was gnarly. One of the more precarious situations I’ve been in. Queen B wanted to lead the charge and I wasn’t putting up an argument. The sight was incredible though. I remember how impressive it looked last August and this year the snow gave the landscape a whole new paint job. Sooner than later we made our way down and were whoop whooping through a few more miles of snow until we found a spot near a creek to camp. A primo lunch spota great big moosewe hiked down a super steep path to get around these beefy cornices

Day 56     6/24     19 miles 

This morning after breaking camp we followed the trail as it pleasantly rolled through a valley in the middle of the Collegiate Wilderness. Mountains everywhere; it was magical. Eventually we started climbing up Hope Pass, and this thing was no joke! Super steep and went on for miles but couldn’t slow me down any. There were lots of people out; day hikers and trail runners. I think I saw more day hikers today then in all of New Mexico, real talk. Most of the runners we saw were training for the Leadville 100, a true endurance race that takes some serious grit. Maybe someday but for now I’m too busy hiking. The north side of Hope Pass was much tamer than Lake Ann and after awhile we ended up on a road walk into the tiny town of Twin Lakes. Not before jumping into a freezing cold river of snowmelt(it definitely helps to get a layer of grime off before hitch hiking). After eating a couple burgers at a food truck with a pair of section hikers, we hitched over to Leadville. This town is pretty rad. An old mining town it also has the highest elevation of any town in the U.S.(with some caveat or something). We resupplied at the supermarket and are showering and currently doing laundry at the Colorado Trail House. This hostel is great and the owners Rick and Bec are super friendly towards thru hikers. Cheese and Jabba are driving down tonight and the plan is for them to pick us up and we’ll go for a little field trip to climb a mountain tomorrow. Check back next week for details and follow me on insta for more pictures and maybe even a wild animal video @endlesspsummerQB crushing it up Hope Pass

-Endless

PS All My Love!!!

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 Posted on June 25, 2017 by

 Hiking, Thru hiking, travel

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Creede, CO

Day 38     6/6/17     11 miles

Another great day on trail. Queen B and I ate a rather substantial breakfast in town and did a few last minute errands before what could potentially be a 6 day stretch in the mountains. We got back on trail at Wolf Creek Pass and it’s only something like 85 miles to Silverton, but super difficult, snowy, mountainous miles. In the last section I didn’t anticipate it being such a slow pace through the mountains and didn’t have enough food so I brought enough for 6 days through this stretch. I think I’ll be alright, but my pack is wicked heavy. We hitched back up from Pagosa to the Pass and got a ride from Yianna, a former Olympic kayaker. Once we got back on trail we seemed to be right in the middle of the herd. We met like 8 or 9 other hikers today which is so rare for the CDT but pretty great because we haven’t seen many people this whole trail. The terrain was nice today, snow covered scenic mountains all day, or half a day since that’s pretty much all we did. We’re camping in this killer spot up over 12,000 feet looking over a whole range of mountains with 6 others tonight; Spirit, Bones, Lunchbox, Dos Egg Rolls, Prophet and Pei Mei who I first met on the PCT in ’15. I also hiked with Garbelly and Critter earlier today, I met Garbelly in Northern California on the PCT in ’15. I only talked to him briefly then because he was in the middle of back to back 45’s or something crazy like that. It’s cool to run into somebody in the middle of nowhere that I already know because I met them somewhere else in the middle of nowhere. Happens to me all the time. This is by far the most people I’ve seen together on trail all season. It’s good to go through such a difficult section with a crowd though, safety in numbers or something like that. So many hikers on trail So many hikers at camp

Day 39     6/7     19 miles 

Even at such a high elevation and on rocky uneven ground, I slept so good last night. I don’t want to jinx it but I’ve been getting great nights of sleep for the last month now.  Right away this morning Queen B and I bombed up a pass and then the trail was quite pleasant for awhile. For the first few miles we walked over ridges where the snow hadn’t accumulated or had blown away and it was very relaxing. This wouldn’t last. Around 10:30 we got to this steep mountain with lots of snow. There looked to be about 3-4 options to go over or around it and along with the 6 others we camped with last night we all went like 4 different ways. QB, Lunchbox, and I contoured along the side of the mountain for awhile and when we found a good spot, climbed straight up toward the rocky summit. This involved about a 100 yard hand over hand scramble through the snow. It wasn’t easy, but it seemed to me like the best option because every other way looked like I would have to cross over a beefy cornice. The guys that took the other routes all made it through and seemed happy with their decisions. I wore microspikes for pretty much the rest of the day because we walked through lots of snow and had a few sections where we had to contour around these gigantic snow bowls. All day we leap frogged with the guys we camped with last night and when they stopped to camp up on a saddle, Queen B and I pressed on for a few more miles. We crossed through another huge bowl and climbed up towards a burn area where we found some flat dry ground with some pines nearby. Hoping for another sleepy night. 

Day 40     6/8     Est 20 miles 

Well the CDT got the best of me today. The first half dozen miles were really nice, we walked along snow covered ridges and through a couple large bowls. Around 11 am we climbed steeply up to the beginning of the ‘Knife’s Edge.’ Once on the other side of it the trail contoured along a super steep slope that went down about 800 feet to a sheer cliff. I estimated a 60 plus degree angle but who knows. The weather was warm and the sun had been beating on the snow for a few hours now making it extra soft. Queen B and I took about an hour up there trying to figure out if it was safe enough to cross or if there was another way around this obstacle.  She was more game to try it than I was but after I took a few steps onto the snow I decided the risk wasn’t worth the reward and I made the call to figure something else out. Hikers that came before us made it across safely and I sure hope everyone behind us does too but today was not my day. It would have been nice and we probably would have been ok, but there was a small chance that one of us could slip or the snow could give out and I wasn’t willing to take that chance. I hated making that call. We then followed up a tough decision with a bad one. At first we thought maybe we could take a take a trail waaaayyyy around the obstacle but that wasn’t the case. The other day we were able to follow a river to a valley that eventually turned into a road that brought us to a town. Stubbornly we assumed we could do that again and our maps made it look plausible. We dropped steeply from the Divide to a creek that we followed down to a larger river that we walked alongside for miles. There was a trail there but eventually we got cliffed out. The river was raging and even if we could have got across it, there were steep unpassable cliffs on either side. We tried to consider all our options and figured our safest bet was to return up to the Divide and then backtrack 20+ miles to the Creede cutoff route and then another 24 miles into the town of Creede. We had to cut our losses and this was another agonizing decision. There’s a chance we may have been able to go up and around a peak and possibly find another trail that could get us out. Right now we’ve got enough food to get us to Creede if we simply backtrack but if we take a chance on a trail and it doesn’t pan out, we would only be compounding mistakes and might really get ourselves into trouble. So we walked back the way we came and found a spot to camp about half mile from where we left the trail for the creek. I’m not happy with the way things went today but I know they could be worse. I know for a fact tomorrow won’t be easy and all of today’s extracurricular activity cost us lots of time. Even with all that, I don’t regret my decision to not cross the Knife’s Edge. I thought the trail became too dangerous and I’d have been doing an injustice to all the people who tell me to ‘be safe out there.’ I don’t want to fall off any cliffs and I would most definitely regret dying. QB walking across a gigantic bowlwalking across a ridge in the morning The dastardly knife’s edge, it was scarier than this picture portrays. I swear! 
Day 41     6/9     16 miles 

Today was humbling. The consequences of yesterday’s decision to turn around will last a few days. All day long we backtracked miles we’ve already covered and they seemed more difficult and snowier than before. There was truth to this, because it was warmer today the snow was softer and that made it harder to walk through whereas a couple days ago we could more easily skim across the surface. It was still a really good day. I wasn’t thrilled to be retreating but I soon realized my only choice was to enjoy myself, I was out here walking over and around incredible mountains all day long and living in the woods like a dirty wild animal. And it was a beautiful day. In the evening we found a spot to camp in a wide open valley saving a big climb for the morning. We’re at 12,000 feet, there’s huge mountains in every direction, the sun just set and the almost full moon appeared above a peak. The plan is to backtrack about 5 more miles south on the official CDT and turn left onto the Creede cutoff and continue north on a lower route through the San Juans. 

Day 42     6/10     23 miles 

Today was productive. We started off climbing a couple miles until we were just below the rocky summit of a 12,800 foot mountain. It was harrowing getting around this thing 3 days ago but now the wind was absolutely ripping and QB and I were having trouble keeping our balance as we walked the ridge up to the peak. We dropped down a little and took cover beside a rock until the wind died down some. When we felt the time was right we followed the trail around the back of the peak across loose rock and contoured across a sheet of ice at a steep angle. It was scary. After we got across the back of this mountain we took a lower but much longer route than the other day to contour across the snowy bowl on the frontside of it. Once we had that behind us the rest of the trail until the Creede cutoff was open ridgeline and very nice. Dropping off the CDT to the Creede route was no picnic. The first few miles were steep downhill and had lots of obstacles; downed trees from a burn and beetlekill and 3 or 4 fast moving creeks we had to cross. Eventually though the trail got really nice. After lunch we cruised for about 15 mostly uphill but pleasant miles until we found a good spot on the edge of a meadow to camp. 

Day 43     6/11     10 miles

This morning we walked an easy 10 miles downhill and got into the town of Creede, CO. Immediately stuffed my face with a couple chili covered cheeseburgers and plate of French fries. QB and I are taking the rest of the day off for some much needed rest and also to regroup and come up with a plan for the near future. We planned on being in Silverton right now and halfway around the high route but things change. The course of the rest of my life has now been forever altered. Just kidding, but seriously. During the last few days I spent a good amount of time going over in my head the decision to turn back at the Knife’s Edge. I’m not crazy about redoing the miles and I regret having followed a river to a dead end but if I had to do it over I still wouldn’t go across. I’m not sure exactly of my next move but besides eating a bunch of food and doing town chores, I’ll probably be carrying on north to Canada from here. Stay tuned for more updates and feel free to follow me on insta for more pictures @endlesspsummer

-Endless                                                              P.S. All My Love!!! 

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 Posted on June 11, 2017 by

 Hiking, Thru hiking, travel

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Pagosa Springs, CO

Day 33     6/1/17     16 miles 

We stayed last night in Chama and this morning parted ways with Speed. He’s already hiked this section of Colorado and is heading home to Denver before he gets back on the trail later this summer. I learned more from Speed in the last couple hundred miles about the outdoors than Queen B and I will learn from each other the rest of the trail. Thanks for coming out Speed, see you in Denver. After eating the most delicious breakfast burrito of my life from the Boxcar restaurant in Chama, Queen B and I got a ride from Cecil back up to the trail-the first car that drove by. Shortly after we got back on trail we realized; it’s on now. The San Juans are no joke. We quickly climbed up to a ridge and walked through lots and lots of snow. All around us on the ridge were threatening thunderheads but luckily we made it through unscathed. Today we got up over 12,000 feet and that’s already higher than any part of the trail in New Mexico. I wore my microspikes for most of the day and for the first time I broke out my ice ax and carried it in my hand. Before today I had my snowshoes and ice ax strapped to my back but finally ended up using all my weapons. For the most part the snow was crispy and we could stay on top of it but in the afternoon it turned into a mashed potato consistency and I was postholing every other step, for this I wore my snowshoes. We dropped down between two ridges and found a rather stellar campsite near a frozen snow covered lake. There were hardly any patches of earth showing anywhere but we ended finding a really nice cozy flat section of ground to sleep for the night. Hoping to stay relatively warm. 

On a side note; yesterday in Chama I saw a a dog riding on top of a pickup truck. This was a big f350 or something going about 40 pulling a big work trailer. The dog looked like a full size yellow lab standing up facing forward like a statue. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was so weird. 

Day 34     6/2     17 miles 

Not all 17 mile days are created equal. Gave it hell today but it wasn’t easy, lots of snow travel made the trail very slow going. We got an early start on the day, in order to try to move quickly over the crispy snow in our microspikes. I put on my cold wet socks and shoes and pretty much every other article of clothing I was carrying, Queen B decided to face the day in running shorts and a long sleeve shirt. She believes in the philosophy, “Be bold, start cold.” Most of the day we spent snowshoeing, which is fun but super slow. After a few hours my feet felt like blocks of ice, then I remembered I had a couple empty plastic tortilla bags I was carrying for this very reason. I put the bags over my socks and it provided another layer, warming my feet up to a comfortable temperature. I swear I learned this trick from a Beastie Boys song. All day we had wide open, incredible, snowy, mountain views. We switched back to spikes in the afternoon and crossed a rather sketchy mountain pass up over 12,000 feet. There were t-storms in the distance but we only got about a half hours worth of rain and were rewarded with a rainbow. Around 6:30 we found a spot to camp in a valley after the pass and below another one. Had we continued until dark we’d have been up high on a ridge with the thunderstorms with little chance of finding decent camping for miles. That’s just bad thru hiking. Today was tough, one of the harder, more memorable, and slow moving days of my hiking career, but it was still awesome. 

Day 35     6/3     17 miles estimated 

I woke up pretty cold but warmed up quickly as I climbed the first mountain pass while the snow was still pretty crunchy. We continued along a ridge for awhile and then slowly dropped down a very steep slope. This was like walking down White Heat if White Heat was steeper and a lot longer(all you Sunday River skiers will get the reference). There actually had been at least a pair of skiers there previously and had carved some nice figure 8’s into the side of the mountain. We climbed again and then contoured along a mountain for awhile. As the sun rose in the sky the snow became slushy and slippery. This went on for awhile, at around 9:30 we only had about 3.5 miles for the day. At this rate we were only looking at about a 13-14 mile day and it would take at least an extra day and a half to get to town. I had started to ration food yesterday when I realized how long it was taking us. On this steep stuff, every step has to be precise and takes total concentration. Besides being physically demanding, it’s mentally exhausting. With all that being said we realized it would be borderline reckless to carry on and we should start considering alternatives. There was a valley way below us with a river and looking at our maps we saw that it eventually led out to the tiny town of Platoro, CO. From Platoro we can pick up another trail that will lead us to the Creede route through the San Juans if that’s what we choose to do. Once we got down to this river, we followed it for awhile and eventually it converged with two other forks and they all drained into the Platoro Resevoir. Finally we got down to this tiny town that has an old rustic lodge, cafe, and minimal amount of food for sale but enough for a minor resupply. They’ve also  got airstream trailers for rent so that’s where I’ll be calling it a night. Look closely and you can see the figure 8’s

Day 36     6/4     26 miles

Platoro was quite the little town, look it up on a map or on Wikipedia or something. There really isn’t too much there but it’s cool. It used to be a mining town but now there’s just a couple of restaurants and lodges that rent out little cabins or Airstreams to hikers, bikers and travelers. We met the two guys that spent the first winter in town in the last 40 years or something crazy. Ernie and Paul, they own Platoro Valley Lodge and Cabins. Next time I’m in town I’ll stay there, seemed like a much better deal, they look out for the hikers and it’s the only place in town with even a hint of wifi. This morning we pigged out at the Golden Nugget Cafe for breakfast and then started walking a long dirt road up to Elwood Pass. For a few miles there was a fair amount of snow on the ground until we got over the Pass and descended for the rest of the day. It was a pleasant road walk and nice to stretch the legs after a lot of difficult hiking lately. In the evening we found a nice campsite in the woods next to the road and around 60 degrees should’ve done comfortable sleeping. Looking down at Platoro 

Day 37     6/5     14 miles 

This morning we walked about a half dozen miles of dirt road before getting to a highway and walking about 8 to South Fork, CO. From South Fork, QB and I hitched over to Pagosa Springs and met up with our friend Lost’N’Found. It was a great day, ate tons of town food, came up with a plan for the next section and bought tons of food for it. I feel like I was light on food for the last section so I probably over did it this time. Better off with more food though, but it sure is heavy. Lost drove us around all day and is putting us up for the evening. We spent the night relaxing in some hot springs here, place is awesome. Tomorrow morning the plan is to hitch up to Wolf Creek Pass, get back on trail there and try to take the high route on to Silverton. Things could change though, stay tuned. And follow me on insta if you want to see more pictures @endlesspsummer 

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 Posted on June 6, 2017 by

 Hiking, Thru hiking, travel

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Chama, NM

Day 28     5/27     23 miles 

Ghost Ranch was pretty cool. The place had AYCE (all you can eat) meals 3x a day and the food was good, I ate more than my share. Besides Speed, Queen B and myself there were a handful of other hikers there including Moses and Operator. These two are both from California and also ultrarunners, they are really the only other hikers that seem to be going about the same speed as us. We all stuck around for the buffet style breakfast this morning and then headed out around 8:30 with super heavy packs. It felt like I was carrying a piano. A grand piano. There’s supposedly a bunch of snow in this section so I walked out of Ghost Ranch with snowshoes, microspikes and an ice ax. Plus, since I plan on going a little slower due to the snow, I’ve got 5+ days worth of food. Once we got back on trail we climbed steeply through a red rock box canyon. I had the eye of the tiger for a little while and was crushing the uphill, even with all that weight on my back, but was stopped in my tracks suddenly by a big scary beige and black snake crossing the trail. Queen B said it was not that scary but I disagree. The trail climbed pretty much the rest of the day and around sunset we found a place to camp in an aspen grove on the side of the trail. Queen B posing, Speed crushingSnake!!!I counted well over a million dandelions

Day 29     5/28     19 miles 

As I was falling asleep last night it seemed pretty warm, unusually warm, but I woke up around 4:30 and was super cold. The temperature must have plummeted at some point during the night. I got going nice and early and until the sun showed up the temps were pretty low. I saw lots of animals this morning; including a good sized cinnamon colored black bear that I must have spooked because it was running in the opposite direction, lots of elk even one with a tiny calf and I saw a tiny deer fawn. The hiking today wasn’t the easiest though. Early in the day we came across lots of blow downs, I think there was a mudslide or something through this section recently. Around 9 am we got up over 10,500 feet and had to walk through snow for a few hours. We all wore our microspikes for the first time and this greatly improved my traction but I still managed to posthole a few times. This isn’t the most pleasant experience, especially while wearing running shorts. The trail eventually brought us down to a valley with the mighty Rio Vallecitos running through it. With a dangerous crossing ahead of us we decided to put it off until morning. There was good camping in the nice flat meadow next to the river and since we quit a little earlier than usual the rest of the afternoon and evening was spent relaxing. Speed and QB traversing a snow fieldI love this trailDon’t fall in! 

Day 30     5/29     24 miles

Great day out here! Started off crossing the mighty Rio Vallecitos on an icy log. I felt like Dana with his slick shoes in Goonies. Right as I got close to the other end, I slipped pretty good and almost went in but managed to catch myself on a branch. That was close! The rest of the day was uneventful but just all around awesome. We climbed up through a pine forest and then walked for miles through a huge open meadow or a mountain park. The last few miles brought us through an aspen grove and then down to a meadow containing the Rio San Antonio. This was quite the picturesque place to camp, I felt like I was inside an REI commercial. Queen B carefully mapping out her steps across the mighty Vallecitos Lots of elk in this meadow, just not in this picturewalking through an aspen grovethis REI ad actually came out of a magazine 

Day 31     5/30     19 miles 

1 month on trail, and what a month it was!! This was also our last full day hiking in New Mexico as tomorrow we should be crossing into the Centennial State (Colorado). First of all, I love New Mexico! It’s a beautiful state and the trail has been awesome through here, very different landscapes throughout and anything but repetetive. What stood out the most to me was how few people have been out enjoying the outdoors in the Land of Enchantment. Anyway today was a good day although maybe a little tougher than usual. I woke up to frost all over my tent, probably because I was next to a river and in a low lying meadow, also my tent was out in the open. Rookie mistake. Oddly though, only a couple hours after waking up with frost on my tent, I found an alpine lake to swim in. It was exhilarating. As luck would have it during this last section, the trail passed by these primitive campgrounds with pit toilets everyday around 9am. Let’s just say I haven’t dug any cat holes lately.  I guess sometimes it’s better to be lucky then good. Alright enough of that personal nonsense. Today we walked through a good amount of snow and the navigating wasn’t simple but the scenery was incredible as usual. We stopped a little early at a nice dry spot because if we carried on any further we’d be sleeping in the snow. QB trying to keep her feet dryswam/bathed here this morning Speed cruising through a snowfieldCDT is so radthe beefy San Juans in the distance, the snow capped ones, not those little peaks in the foreground

Day 32     5/31     10 miles 

Shortly after breaking camp this morning we found ourselves putting our microspikes on and walking through miles of snow. After a few hours we crossed from New Mexico into Colorado finishing our 1st state. This was a big deal and a major milestone on the hike. I love New Mexico. The scenery has been beautiful and diverse, the people are friendly, and overall I think the place is underrated. I spent a week in NM a few years ago and I really liked it then but after walking through it over the past month I’ve grown quite fond of the place and felt a really strong pull to the state. Maybe someday I’ll buy some land out here with access to some nice trails and possibly a hot spring and put a trailer or a shipping container on it to live in. Maybe not. Until then keep reading this blog and I’ll probably tell you about falling in love with Colorado again. Right now I’m relaxing in the town of Chama, NM. We got to Cumbres Pass, CO shortly after crossing the border and hitched left to the closest town that happened to bring us back into New Mexico. As always feel free to follow me on insta for more pictures. @endlesspsummer

-Endless

PS All My Love!!!Me, Speed and QB at the NM/CO borderone last New Mexican sunrise Looking north into Colorado

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 Posted on May 31, 2017 by

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Ghost Ranch, NM 

Day 25     5/24     19 miles

Yesterday afternoon Speed’s friend Brian came and picked us up in Cuba and he and his wife Jan put the 3 of us up at their house about an hour outside of town. Brian and Jan were great, they both retired young and spend their time having adventures, mountain biking, rafting, and raising a 1 year old golden retriever named Scout, all while living in a dugout house on a beautiful piece of property in a canyon outside Jemez Pueblo. Getting to their house we drove through San Ysidro village and past Jemez Pueblo, both places have been inhabited for hundreds of years. The 6 of us(including Scout) went to dinner in nearby Jemez Springs and I ate some authentic Northern New Mexican food. I slept in their camper van that acts as an extra bedroom and this morning Jan cooked us a substantial and delicious breakfast of French toast, sausage, and scrambled eggs with cheese and green chili. After breakfast Brian drove us back to Cuba and we got on trail around 10 am. The trail climbed out of Cuba and before long we were up over 10,500 feet. We walked over snow and through ankle deep icy cold water that was a result of recent snow melt. We then descended for awhile and climbed over and around countless blowdowns(trees that fell onto the trail) begore finding a suitable campsite. Brian and Jan’s awesome dugout houseScout! In the San Pedro peaks QB practicing walking in the snow Queen B and Speed splashing around

Day 26     5/25     25 miles

It was a windy night and it sounded cold outside my tent but it was surprisingly warmer than I expected as I faced the day this morning. The trail was quite pleasant as it dropped in elevation a couple thousand feet through a spruce forest and then climbed for awhile with views of red, yellow and orange rock walls. Eventually it opened up into a gigantic valley with sandstone walls all around, it was awesome. In the evening we crossed the mighty Rio Chama, a tributary of the Rio Grande and also the largest water source we’ve come across. This river was ripping and way higher than usual according to the locals. After the river the trail splits with an option to go east towards Ghost Ranch, so we headed in that direction for a few miles before finding a place to tent next to the Rio Chama. I love New Mexico in the morningSpeed powering up a steep climb I can never remember eitherhuge sandstone cliff walls crossing the mighty Rio Chama(on a bridge)

Day 27     5/26     9 miles

Last night I thought I was in the direct path of a tornado. I mean I didn’t really think that but since I’ve never been in the direct path of a tornado before I wasn’t quite sure that I wasn’t. All of a sudden, as I was resting peacefully in my tent, it got wicked windy for a few minutes and even collapsed my tent, but that might have been due to my shoddy tent pitching skills. The wind only lasted a few minutes then subsided but it did come back with a vengeance a couple hours later just to wake me up again. Eventually I made it through the night and walked the 9 miles to Ghost Ranch this morning. I know what you’re thinking and the answer is; I don’t know if this place is haunted or not but it probably is. It’s a resort with people visiting from all over and famous for being the home of the artist Georgia O’Keefe as well as the setting for many movies. I think Ghost Ranch is a bit of a milestone on the trail, not unlike Kennedy Meadows on the PCT. North of here the trail gets into the Southern San Juan mountains and lots of snow, higher elevations, and variable conditions. What I’m saying is; after Ghost Ranch the trail gets tougher. There will be lots of decisions to be made in the next couple of weeks. In a perfect world I would like to continue right along with the CDT but it’s possible I’ll have to audible and switch it up for safety’s sake, especially since it’s a higher than average snow year. I just picked up a few things that I mailed myself ahead of time including snowshoes, microspikes, and an ice ax, so I’ll be a little more prepared for the upcoming challenges but I still might have to seek alternatives. One thing we can possibly do is take the Creede cutoff and that would put us at lower elevations, this would be continuous footsteps north but we would be going around some pretty dope mountains that I want to see. Many people do this thing where they flip up to Wyoming and do a stretch of the trail up there while they wait for the snow to melt and then come back to the San Juans later on. Another option is to flip all the way up to the Canadian border and start hiking south until we get back to where we jumped off trail. The option I’m most interested in, if it doesn’t make sense to plow right through, is to hitch over to Southern Utah or Northern Arizona and do a little exploring for a couple weeks. Stay tuned and I’ll let you know where I end up. And like always feel free to find me on insta for more pictures @endlesspsummer.

-Endless

PS All My Love!!! At Ghost RanchQB and Speed walking over a suspension bridgethe mighty Rio Chama near our camp last night

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 Posted on May 26, 2017 by

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Grants, NM  

Day 16     5/15     23 miles

I spent most of the day yesterday and last night at the Toaster House in Pie Town. This place is a really cool old house that Nita, a local trail angel, owns and lets hikers and bikers and travelers spend the night at. It was weird that after barely seeing any hikers for a week on the trail, there was about a dozen others staying at the Toaster House. I ate twice at the Pie Cafe yesterday and this morning I stuffed my face with a delicious breakfast burrito before leaving town at the Gatherin’ Place with Queen B, Silver, Trooper and Quiksilver. Queen B and I then headed out and walked along a dirt road into the desert. Shortly after leaving town we took a right onto the Cebolla alternate to head towards the El Malpais National Monument. About 15 miles out we stopped and had lunch and refilled our water at the Thomas Ranch. John and Enzy Thomas are an older couple that let hikers come by to fill up on water and while there they entertain us with the stories of their life. Tonight we’re cowboy camping under a juniper tree right on the edge of a huge open range. Also camping here are a bunch of fellow PCT ’15 alums including Catwater, an Alaskan snowboarder, as well the Ravens, a family of 4 that thru hikes together. 

Day 17     5/16     27 miles

I woke to a chilly morning with a rather spectacular sunrise on the horizon and the sound of coyotes howling in the distance. The trail followed a dirt road along the open range for about 7 or 8 miles until climbing up through Armijo canyon and then back down through Sand Canyon into another huge open range. There were menacing clouds all around us but we managed to outrun (or outwalk) any type of storm. Plus Queen B is like a millimeter taller than me so I wasn’t too worried if it did start to thunder and lightning. We reached the road and out of harm’s way and there we filled up our water bottles at a cow tank. There was plenty of algae in the water and one of my bottles looked like it was full of Ecto Cooler circa 1990. After a few miles of road walking (the highway kind) we reached El Malpais National Monument and ascended up the rim trail. The rim trail was pretty awesome. Lots of great views of some massive lava fields and eventually we got to a rocky outcropping that overlooks La Ventana Arch. This is where we stopped for the night, eating our dinner at the ledge and camping a little further back in the trees. It was quite an incredible day. La Ventana Arch from our dinner ledgeQueen B hiking along the rim trailsurrounded by thunderheads

Day 18     5/17     25 miles

There was no rush to crawl out of my tent this morning since it was pretty cold so I got a later than normal start and didn’t begin walking until 6:45. I guess it was pretty windy up on the rim but I didn’t notice because I put to use some ear plugs that I found and slept soundly. Right away we walked or rock hopped down a steep drainage to the base of the magnificent La Ventana Arch. From there we followed the highway for a few miles before taking the Acoma-Zuni trail that travels across 8 miles of lava fields. Ancient Puebloan people set up cairned trails across these lava fields that still exist today to connect neighboring pueblos by trail. The lava fields were made up of hardened black molten rock with huge caves and crevices all over the place, it was a good place to be paying attention to where I was walking. We then turned onto the Bonita-Zuni alternate for about 15 miles before finding a campsite tucked in some woods at the base of a canyon wall. QB crossing the lava fields windmill producing some high quality H2Oview from our campsite

Day 19     5/18     10 miles

Last night was cold, maybe the coldest night yet. It had rained and sleeted through the night and the top of the canyon was covered in white once I faced the day. I followed a dirt road for about 10 miles as I walked towards Grants, NM and a few cars passed me covered in snow. It warmed up a little as the morning went on but not by much, it’s supposed to be unseasonably cold tonight so a good one to be inside. Queen B and I checked out the New Mexico mining museum in Grants and then ate some authentic New Mexican cuisine at El Cafecito. This place was legit! The sopapillas with honey are my new favorite food. Our friend Speed is meeting us here in town tomorrow and joining us for a section, so we’ll be spending the rest of the day relaxing and doing town chores; eating, bathing, eating, laundry, eating, resupplying, and eating. Walking out of Zuni Canyon this morning this could be me but I don’t have a motorcycle enjoying sopapillas and honey

Until next time,

Endless

PS All my love!!!

PPS Feel free to follow me on insta @endlesspsummer

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 Posted on May 18, 2017 by

 Hiking, travel

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Pie Town, NM

Day 8     5/7     22 miles

Sunday morning I treated myself by sleeping in until 7 in the loft of the A Space gallery in Silver City. Before leaving town I stuffed my face at Vicki’s Eatery for breakfast then relaxed for a little bit at Javalina’s (it’s a coffee shop, get it?). Queen B and I walked out of town around 10 through a residential neighborhood before getting back up into the Gila wilderness. After a few miles we took a left and started on the Gila River alternate route that will link back up with the CDT further North along the trail. We met up with Trooper, a hiker from Pittsburgh, at a little creek in the late afternoon and walked with him for about the next 5 miles or so. The three of us camped on some flat rocks near Hell’s Canyon spring. Ironic that it is called Hell’s Canyon because due west of us we watched the sun drop into some clouds along the horizon depicting what looked to me like the stereotypical version of heaven. The version of heaven depicted on prayer cards given out at funerals. If such a place exists, this just might be it.

Day 9     5/8     25 miles

Early the next morning Queen B and I walked about a dozen miles before the Trail reached the Gila River at the bottom of a canyon. The alternate follows the river as it serpentines through a beautiful red rock canyon for miles. In all we will end up crossing the river something like 200 times. Queen B said she would keep track but lost count after 4, I didn’t even try. It’s slow going with all the river crossings but it’s been incredible. We walked for the rest of the day crossing the river countless times and dropping our packs to jump in for a swim whenever we felt like it. In the evening we found a nice soft sandy beach to camp on that even came with hot springs! There was a small waterfall into a hot pool with a muddy bottom surrounded by vegetation. 

Day 10     5/9     15 miles

Tuesday I had no reason to jump out of bed too early because I was picking up a resupply box at Doc Campbell’s outpost and it didn’t open until 10. We did a few miles of river crossings in the morning before the trail reaches a bridge. That road skirts along the canyon for awhile and eventually to Doc’s store. A nice little pit stop. I ate some food, did a little maintenance and picked up a box of junk food I mailed myself a couple weeks earlier. We carried on with every intention of checking out the Gila Cliff Dwellings but the sky threatened T-storms and since it was 5 miles of road walking out of the way, and not guaranteed to be letting people in because of the potential for weather, we decided to skip it. The trail then drops back into a canyon containing the middle fork of the Gila. We found a hot spring right away with super hot water and laid in it for awhile looking up at the huge canyon walls. This day was awesome! The red, yellow and orange canyon walls were quite the sight. We continued to cross the river over and over while craning our necks to look at the walls and spires that were everywhere. The day ended with another stellar campsite just up a short path from yet another hot spring. This one a little cooler but cleaner and clearer and perfect for a good soak after a long day of walking. I swear hot springs are good for the soul. The Gila is an amazing place, borderline magical. It should be considered a national treasure. And there’s nobody here! 2 nights in a row we got a campsite with our own private hot spring, it’s unbelievable.

Day 11     5/10     24 miles

Wednesday I spent another full day walking along the Gila and we’re camped just at the edge of the wilderness boundary. This place is on my short list for favorite places ever visited, and we’ve had it practically all to ourselves. Today was the coldest it’s been so far, so less swimming in the river but we still had to cross it like a million times. And I’ve had wet feet constantly for the last 3 days so my toenails will probably grow extra long this week. Queen B got stuck pretty good in quicksand today, less than an hour after we were talking about how every kid grows up with a built in fear of quicksand. What are the chances? She lived though, but apparently she was in it pretty deep, up to her thighs and had to rescue herself a la Indiana Jones(not sure if this even happened in the movies, I never saw them). With all the river crossings it’s tough to move quickly through this section but that’s fine with me. The Gila River has been thoroughly enjoyable and I can’t believe how well kept a secret it is, I actually feel a little guilty broadcasting this. 

Day 12     5/11     30 miles

It was freezing this morning when I woke up. I know this because my shoes, socks and gaiters were frozen stiff. I had no choice but to put them on anyway and start walking. Eventually they thawed out once I started walking. The trail crossed the icy river about half dozen more times as we climbed up to Snow Lake. Right as we got up to the lake we saw a herd of about 30 elk also out for a walk this morning. There’s a national forest campground at the lake and I learned from a camper there that the temperature got down to the 20’s last night. Luckily, it warmed up considerable as the day went on. The trail climbs up through another  canyon and then travels over vast rolling plains(think Dances With Wolves) for about 5 miles before joining a forest road for awhile. On the forest road I met Johnny from Germany, the first thru hiker I’ve seen in days besides QB. I walked with him for a couple hours and he planted some ideas in my head like riding a bike all around the Mediterranean and hiking the Dream Path from Munich to Venice. Today was a good day, nothing spectacular, but it was enjoyable and a good day to crush big miles as we ended up going over 30 for just the second time of the hike. Best hot spring ever!!!

Day 13     5/12     30 miles

Last night I dreamt of scrambled eggs smothered in cheese. What a weird thing to dream about, that’s not even part of my regular diet. My appetite had started to increase the last couple days but I guess that makes it official; if I’m dreaming about food then my hiker hunger has most definitely kicked in. It was another cold one last night, not frozen socks in the morning cold, but still cold. Probably because we were camped pretty high, up above 8500 feet. The trail climbed up over 9000 feet this morning and for the first time I saw snow on the ground. We rejoined the official CDT from the Gila River alternate just a mile into the day and of course I went the wrong way for half a mile before noticing and had to bush whack up a steep hill to get back on track. The rest of the day went smoothly, lots of single track through pine forest climbing and dropping over and over while eventually dropping down to just below 8000 feet where we are camped near a cow pond 35 miles south of Pie Town. Walking up out of the canyon

Day 14     5/13     26 miles

Another cold morning but a really nice relaxing day. Today was mostly a dirt road walk through pine forest but included some nice climbs. We topped out around 9600 feet on Mangas mountain that even had a working, staffed fire lookout tower. I checked that out of course and spotted a wildfire in the distance. Not about to pose a threat to my hike though. The forest service worker Mike, has a pretty cool job, probably on par with being a lighthouse keeper. 

Day 15     5/14     9 miles

Pie Town! My first shower in 11 days, my record’s 12 but I’ve gotta strike while the irons hot, or when my pits are smelly, or when there’s a shower available. Like today. Pie Town is this tiny little town in New Mexico with a couple of restaurants that serve pie of course and home of the Toaster House, a really cool little hostel for us hikers with toasters all over the place. It’s been 5 days and 130 miles since I’ve had any kind of civilization and now I’m about to enjoy the fruits of my labor and relax for the rest of the day. Feel free to follow me on insta for more pictures of this adventure @endlesspsummerthe Toaster House

-Endless

PS All My Love!!!

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 Posted on May 14, 2017 by

 Hiking, Thru hiking, travel, Uncategorized

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