On the summer solstice day, I spent the morning organizing the resupply, fixing my gear, and taking care of other important logistics. Amos dropped me off at the trailhead around noon, and I thanked him for all the support he gave me. With his help, my time at Leadville became special and restful.

I started hiking and noticed that I was sleepy! My body could have used a day of rest doing nothing, but instead, I climbed Mt. Massive! The terrain had no snow and didn’t have a lot of elevation gain until going towards the Kokomo Pass. I looked at the map and saw that it would be above the tree line for the next 7 miles, and I didn’t want to set my camp above the tree line. I decided to take it easy and made my camp earlier than usual.

This stretch between Leadville and Winter Park has exposed ridgelines for hiking. This would be the crux of Northern Colorado, going over Gray’s Peak summit at 14,254 feet. The weather forecast predicted that it would be stable for the first two days, and then, potential thunderstorms in the afternoon starting the following week, I put as many miles as I could to reach Gray’s Peak in the morning of the third day to avoid potential thunderstorms.

The next day, I woke up feeling rested with good energy. I made it to Kokomo Pass and saw the morning light shining on the snow slopes. From there to the next pass, I hiked mostly off-trail, avoiding as much snow as I could. When I reached the pass, I saw two hikers, one hiking the Colorado Trail southbound and another one hiking the CDT northbound. For the rest of the day, I saw other thru-hikers: some were going south on the Colorado Trail, some were going north on the CDT. I hadn’t seen this many hikers until that day, so I was a bit surprised to see them.

The trail took me down to a ski resort near Interstate 70. After this big descent, there was another huge climb up to 12,500 feet. The wildflowers were in full bloom, and sometimes the wind carried the fragrance in the air. Every time I smelled flowers, I closed my eyes and I inhaled the scent as much as I could. Being surrounded by wildflowers, I felt flying up and down the mountains, and the day went by so quickly. 

The next day, I walked through the trees in the early morning, and I saw a couple of mountain bikers go up the hill. I was impressed by how they could climb up the steep hills on the bike. One of the bikers came down and, as he passed me, he said, “By the way, you’re crushing it!” I told him that he was, too! I appreciated the compliment. 

Walking through the woods, I enjoyed smelling the wild white pea flowers and listening to the American robin and the Nuthatch. I got enough water to make the next 10 miles and then start climbing toward the ridge. I felt strong. My hiking legs are built and my feet are getting tougher. 

Once I went up on he ridge, leaving the forest behind, it was all ridgeline walking. I could see the mountains near and far, and wildflowers were blooming everywhere, painting the hills with purple, white, yellow, pink, red, and blue.  Sunflowers were facing the sun, receiving the sun’s energy. 

I saw two tall peaks ahead of me. I thought they must be Gray Peak and Torres Peak. These are the last two 14ers along the CDT in Colorado that I have a chance to summit. As I got closer to these peaks, I studied the route to reach the summits. Looking from the south, the ridge was rugged and clear of snow, and the saddle between two peaks had snow but seemed approachable and doable. I pushed myself to hike until the evening to position myself on the summit alternative route called Argentine Spine, which approaches Gray’s Peak more directly than the original CDT, for the summit for the next morning. It was a long day being exposed to the sun and wind on the ridge with lots of ups and downs repeated throughout all afternoon and evening. I usually avoid camping on the ridge, but for the special occasion like this one, I set my camp on the saddle downslope of the wind, and I prayed for good weather and tried to sleep through the wind.

The next day, I woke up early and went outside the tent, and was surprised to be surrounded by the thick fog!! I started hiking in the dark, and it was foggy and windy. I didn’t like it. Even after the sunrise, I couldn’t see anything more than 200 feet away. I kept walking and praying for the fog to lift on the special day that I would climb 14ers. 

The wind was becoming more intense. I braced myself and kept going, going over one peak and descending to a saddle one at a time. When I made it to a junction where the Argentine Spine and the CDT merge, I could see the blue sky above me. The fog kept coming in and out, then I saw the two peaks! I was so happy to see them, and I was very thankful for the weather. 

As I was hopping on a ridge, I saw one mountain goat jump on the snow cliff and disappear into the gully. I thought, Wow, I would die if I did that. How incredible it is to be able to move around the snow in the mountains like that! The CDT follows the continental divide ridge line to the summit. I finally reached the summit, and I was surprised to see many day hikers! From there, I went down the saddle, dropped my backpack, then danced up the hills to Torres Peak. There’s something special about the 14ers – the view from the top makes me feel that I am on top of the world. The words cannot describe the grandness. I can’t take a picture of it. I can’t even take the memory of it. I have to experience it. I inhaled the view and experience as much as I could, then started descending the mountains.

Once the trail took me to the day hikers’ parking lot, it became a forest road to I-70. From there, the trail followed the interstate on a paved path for hikers and bikers for 4 miles. The forest road and the paved pathway were my least favorite part, especially after the awesome summits, because road walking is hard on my feet, and I kept hearing cars. I tried to hike as fast as I could, crossing the interstate underpass, and I entered Arapahoe National Forest. As soon as I started hiking the trail, I saw beautiful Columbine blooming, and wiped off bad memories of interstate traffic and the road walking. The forest was so green, full of water and flowers.

The next day, I began my morning, climbing toward a 13,500-foot peak. It was steep, so I tried to keep my pace, slow and steady. Whenever I looked up, the flowers were all facing the sun and toward me, and gave me a big smile. There was still quite a bit of snow on this side of the hills. When I made it to the peak, I could see snow-capped mountains to the southwest, and the Gray’s Peak area was in the clouds. 

For the rest of the day, all the way to Berthoud Pass, I cruised on the ridge line. Compared to the day before, the elevation gain and loss were milder. It’s fun to see the. clear line between the south side of the ridge, clear of snow, and the north side of the ridge with snow. 

In the late morning, the clouds seemed to get heavier, and it hailed a little bit, but I kept going. I made it to Berthoud Pass in mid-afternoon and hitched a ride with Henry and his son to Golden, where my friend Carrie lives. She took me to a store and I got fresh food. Before she went to work out at the gym, she left me with fresh clothes and lit the candle in the bathroom so I could relax in the bath. After hiking such an intense and exciting section, I submerged my body into the hot water and lay flat for a while, taking deep breaths and trying to find words to describe my feelings. The best word to describe is…..

I’m so content!

Appreciation:

Amos for hosting me in Leadville and taking me back to the trailhead. Henry for giving me a ride from Berthoud Pass to Golden. Carrie, my consistent trail angel for Colorado, for everything from hosting me in Golden to getting me resupplies at Pagosa Springs, Leadville, and Golden to driving me back to Berthoud Pass near Winter Park. I’m so blessed to have a friend like you who is there for to support me.