Colorado Trail Days 12-15: Buena Vista to Salida
Hi from more than halfway down the CT! We are back in our trusty Salida hotel (shout out to the SureStay by Best Western!) for a quick town stopover before we head out again! We hiked 16 miles into town today so it hasn’t felt like a day off, but we got showers, resupplied good, and are now ready for our 100-mile section into Lake City.
Two zeroes!
I’ve actually spent more of this section in town than hiking! We took 2 days off when we got to Buena Vista and had a double zero. This was actually the first time I’ve ever taken so much time off in the middle of a thru hike—the most I ever did on the AT was a Nero and a zero. Honestly, I think I could have done without the second day. It was nice being able to sleep in on Saturday morning and then lounge around in bed watching TV on my phone, but by midday I was kind of wishing that I could have been back on trail making progress towards Durango again. I will say though, I think my body appreciated the time off.
To give a sense of what non-hiking time on a long hike looks like, and to establish just how lazy long-distance hikers can be, here is a fairly comprehensive list of my double-zero activities:
- Showering
- Doing laundry
- Resupplying food at Walmart
- Eating a lunch of chips and salsa and a mixed vegetable plate (purchased from Walmart) on the floor of the hotel room while watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
- Eating multiple bowls of fruit loops from the hotel’s continental breakfast
- Eating nachos and fajitas, on the floor of the hotel room while watching Harry Potter
- Eating Vietnamese food, once again on the floor of the hotel room, while watching Say Yes to the Dress
- Drinking smoothies
- Walking around the cute downtown of Salida and thrift store shopping (I found a hoodie with an apple on it, how fitting!!)
- Watching 5 hours of Say Yes to the Dress in a row
- Calling family and friends
- Hardly ever leaving bed
A trail angel returns!!!
Those who read my Appalachian Trail blog are well-aquatinted with Fresh Ground, the next level Trail angel who fed me for days at a time on multiple occasions along the AT. He made me and my trail family veggie burgers and French fries, brought us fresh fruit, provided shade during storms, and even threw me a birthday party. When I started the CT, I moderated my expectations and thought that I would not have any such Trail magic this time around. But the morning we headed out and back to the trail, I woke up to a text from Fresh Ground telling me he was in Colorado for the next day or so and asking me where I was. When I told him Welcome and I were hiking the trail, he quickly volunteered to feed us. So at the end of our hike today, we reached the trailhead and saw Fresh Ground with his full set up! He fed us more burgers and grilled cheeses than we could comfortably eat, and gave us stories of his time feeding on the trail since we submitted Katahdin.
The time with Fresh Ground was special not only because I got my best trail meal yet. It made me so happy because sitting in the camp chair drinking Kool Aid and looking at all the stickers that plastered the van’s outside and the signatures inside brought me back to some of my favorite memories on the AT—relaxing with groups of other hikers all beyond happy to have a warm meal and a chance to relax. Thanks so much Fresh Ground for providing such a space.
Finding shelter
This trail has given me such an appreciation for my tent—not having the option to sleep in the shelter like I did on the AT has made me love my cozy little oasis, especially since the afternoon thunderstorms have gotten more regular and my tent has been the only place to stay dry. But, interestingly, it hasn’t been the only shelter I’ve seen. Last night, we camped near this interesting wooden teepee! I would love to know who created the structure and for what purposes, but at the very least it was a fun place to sit after dinner!
Coming up next…
We’re meeting Erin tomorrow and heading to the San Juans. I can’t wait to explore a new mountain range and head up to higher elevation!