“I don’t work on Friday so we can take you to Stoney Pass,” said Ben. I said, “It’s a long drive from Paonia. Are you sure?” I was planning to hitchhike back to the pass. Ben thought it would be a good outing for his kids to hike the CDT with me for a little bit and play in the snow. 

We left at 7 am and drove to Silverton. On the way, Ben pointed out fresh snow on the mountain slopes. It must have been from this week’s storms. Once we made it to Silverton, we took an unpaved mountain road all the way to the Stoney Pass. It’s been almost a week since I was at the pass. I saw more snow on the ground than last week. “Sorry, Miho. You got more snow!,” said Ben. I braced myself for more snow traveling. 

Ben and his kids hiked with me for about half an hour or so then I said goodbye and started to climb the hills towards a pass since the slope had a good amount of vegetation without snow and that was more a direct approach to catch the CDT. 

Once I made it to the pass, I could see what’s ahead of me better. The landscape has changed. I saw more rolling hills and exposed terrain. Climbing up to the Continental Divide ridge line was also easier compared to what I have done before Stoney Pass. I also found relatively fresh snow shoes prints on the snow. It was nice to follow the track for a while but eventually I took my own path along the ridge line to avoid snow. 

For the last hour of hiking, I rejoined the trail since it was going through on the south-facing slope. There were no more snowshoe tracks. I guessed it was from a weekend hiker and not a CDT hiker. I made it to the bottom of the drainage and decided to camp. There were no trees. Then around 8 pm, I saw lightning followed by a thunderstorm. It hailed a couple of times enough to cover the grounds. I went to sleep with the hope that I would sleep in the trees the next day so I wouldn’t be too exposed in case the weather turned. 

The next day was a beautiful, calm and sunny day! I actually hiked the majority of my day without spending too much time negotiating with snow! I felt most normal since May 18 when I left Cumbres Pass. 

When I left my camp in the morning, I wanted to avoid snow so I stayed on the south side of the slope and climbed up on the ridge. The morning sun greeted me and I saw a deer on the horizon grazing then looked over me. I knew It would be a great day. 

Once I went over a pass at 12,925 feet, the trail took me to the south-facing slope along the Lost Trail Creek. The trail was clear of snow and I saw many wildflowers blooming. Elk and deer were grazing in the valley. It was lively and warm. I haven’t had that kind of day for a long time!

For the rest of the day, I was able to hike mostly without snow. When I made it to a high point at 13,271 feet at mile 948.8, I saw mountains ahead of me, noticing that almost all the snow was gone! I looked at where I came from. Massive snow-capped mountains! That moment I knew I made it through the crux of the CDT. From here, there wouldn’t be anything that would come close to what I have been through. From Cumbres Pass at mile 780 to mile 943 was the most challenging hiking I’ve done as a thru-hiker. As I left the high point, I saw many elk grazing and I thanked them for being there with me. I cruised the trail and I was able to put 17 miles, which was something that I wasn’t able to do since May 18. I hope I can pick up some miles moving forward. I descended the last big north-facing snow field into trees, and hiked until I found a spot tucked into the trees at the edge of a meadow. The evening sun was warm and I didn’t see any snow on the ground or near me. It was peaceful, listening to the evening calls of American Robins in the woods. I felt well protected in the trees.

This morning, I left my camp at 5:55 am. Waking up without any snow around me and a bit warmer temperature helped me get ready faster than previous days. My least favorite thing on the trail so far is to defrost my socks, put them on and wet shoes in the morning. I always tell myself that once it’s done, it’s not bad at all. Still, it’s not something I look forward to doing in the freezing mornings. But this morning, it wasn’t actually bad at all. A few degrees warmer makes a big difference. The sun greeted me right when I entered a meadow. I felt warmth on my face immediately. I saluted the sun as usual, sending my prayers to the entire world. I stood there soaking up the morning sunshine. I saw flowers in the meadow glowing with the light, facing the sun doing the same. Even though it was not as cold as high up in the mountains, I was still above 11,000 feet and everything was frozen. The frost on the plants reflected the sunlight and the whole world turned into a crystal. These moments remind me of how stunning our planet is and how grateful I am to be able to witness the beauty.

I started hiking, following the trail, realizing that there was no snow! I reminded myself to not take it for granted. As I re-entered the forest, I saw lots of moose scat, then I saw an elk running from the trail into the woods. What a beautiful morning and how easy it is to just hike without thinking about navigating and negotiating for snow.

Soon, the trail merged with a dirt road. Once I was out of the forest, it was just open grassland with no snow. By 7:30 am, I was warm and shed off down to my sunshirt. This is the first day since I left Pagosa Springs that I was just down to one layer in the early morning. I felt light, my body was relaxed, my posture was upright, tall, and I enjoyed hiking without obstacles. Sometimes I stopped and looked towards the south where I came from. I kept my eyes on the high snow-capped San Juan Mountains. I said out loud, “San Juaaaaan!!” The terrain that I walked today was something that I couldn’t even imagine when I was hiking back there yesterday. This morning, I saw one snow patch, and I easily walked around it. Although I enjoyed hiking without snow, and at the same time, I already miss my epic adventures back in San Juan Mountains and Weminuche Wilderness. I’m sure that more challenging paths are ahead of me, especially once I hit northern Colorado. I know there is one 14,000-foot peak the trail would go over. I am new to the Colorado mountains and this is unknown territory. I’m excited and looking forward to whatever that unfolds in front of me.

I made it to Spring Creek Pass by late morning. Aspen trees had lime color leaves that danced with the wind and entertained my eyes. I stood on the side of the road for a bit. I didn’t hear any cars so I decided to wash my hands in the creek running right next to the road. Right then, I heard a car so I jumped back to the side of the road and put my thumb up. Hayden and Tori with their daughter Scarlett and a baby stopped for me and gave me a ride to Lake City. I didn’t see many cars passing by so I was nervous about hitching a ride. I was lucky to get a ride with them. Hayden mentioned that there were about a dozen hikers at Creed yesterday. I enjoyed the conversation, especially when Scarlett asked me about my favorite place to hike. Without hesitation, I said, “Yosemite.” I mentioned the Armstrong Scholars Program, a multi-day wilderness adventure program for young women in Yosemite wilderness, to Scarlett and her face lit up. As a former educator, I know how important it is to introduce something to a student. In my experience, I recall many life-changing moments often happening when someone mentioned something I never knew before. If Scarlett goes to the program in a few years, it could be a life changing experience for her. Who knows!

I asked Hayden to drop me off at the Trail Hiker Center right next to the church. The church maintains this place for hikers during the hiking season. Inside the center, there are chairs and tables, a bathroom, hiker boxes, free beverages like coffee and tea, wifi, a computer (I’m using it to write this blog post!), resupply items like first aid kit, and a piano! When I entered the center, nobody was there. So I walked over to the church. It was Sunday and lots of people were socializing after the service. The entire room of people shouted, “A hiker!!” I was stunned and felt an overwhelming welcome. They asked me what I needed and Jason, the pastor, told me I could stay at the RV camp area next to the river. “It’s cheap and comes with a shower and laundry.” I was sold.   Apparently, I am the second CDT thru-hiker coming through Lake City this year. I knew I was early and there weren’t many people ahead of me. I signed my name in the hiker guest book and went to the RV camp site. When I was about to enter the office, I saw a familiar face! It was Rudy, the Canadian hiker I met on the trail at Ghost Ranch. Soon, we learned that we were in front and behind of each other and the only people who had hiked the 118-mile official CDT route in San Juan Mountains. No words were needed. I understood what he has gone through. He did the same. He had snowshoes and that was what I was following here and there. “I can’t believe you postholed the entire way. Without snowshoes, I would’ve been out,” said Rudy. I took his words as a compliment. 

Tomorrow, I will pick up my resupply at the post office and head back out to the trail. Rudy said he needed a few days of break so I will be ahead of him. We may meet again. Or not. That’s how it goes as thru-hikers. We meet when we do. And say good-bye as if we never see each other again. No promise. We just go. One thing that comforts me is that we all have the same destiny: Canada. I imagine us as a school of fish that are swimming sometimes close to each other, sometimes far from each other. But we are looking, walking, crawling on the snow, singing, etc. in the same directions. Even though sometimes, it seems like I’m the only person in the wilderness, I know thru-hikers are out there somewhere, having similar experiences that words cannot fully explain. 

I like that.