I made my wooden cookie at the Butterfly House in the morning. Mine will be on the wall with all other hikers who came to the House. 

It was past noon by the time I hit the trail. Slowly and steadily, I made it to a pass and saw a new world waiting for me to walk. Passes are one of my most favorite features of mountains. I say goodbye to what I have been through and say hello to a new chapter of the journey. In front of me, I saw a frozen lake and Hancock Lake that were surrounded by the mountains. From the pass I descended all the way to Hancock Lake. Wildflowers were in full bloom. They were all facing the sun, receiving the energy, thriving and being alive. Waterfalls were everywhere. It was so stunning and I kept stopping and looking around and seeing the beauty of the land and water. 

Since Lake City, traveling has been easy without snow. It was fine until I hit the northeast facing slope. I first dealt with it by walking through it. Once it became more consistent and I slowed down quite a bit, I looked at the map and the land, and decided to cross-country on the west side of a creek that was snow free until it merged with the CDT. 

Snow helps me read and connect with the land better. The land speaks to me and invites me to be creative and adventurous. Following the CDT is easy, and I also love finding my own path. 

The next morning was so pleasant. The northeast facing slopes had a lot of snow and the trail was going through quite a bit of snow so instead, I took my own pass that followed lower elevation in the valley. It came with a gift of seeing three elk, foraging in the bright morning light. I enjoy watching them, especially when they run with their strong four legs through the willows no problem, meanwhile, with my short two legs, I struggled to get through the willows.

I went over four passes, going up and down so many times. I kept saying goodbye to the place where I travel and greeting the new landscape. The last one was the most challenging pass since it had the most snow to get to it. It was getting steep near the pass and I was struggling to get through the snow. I took a moment to look around, and there was a nice wetland in the valley with a small pond, and I saw two moose, a mom and a little one, walking right into the pond. It was incredible. They’re gracefully enjoying their time, being just themselves. I thought they knew I was there but we were far apart from each other so they didn’t show any sign of alert. 

At the top of the pass, I saw a Ptarmigan so close. It was the toughest pass for the day and I thought that Ptarmigan congratulated me for making that last pass. The descent was snow free and so much fun to drop in! Then, I went up again along the Continental Divide a couple of times and came out to Cottonwood Pass where it crosses a highway. I kept going until I could be in the woods. It was late but so worth it to be tucked inside of the trees with quietness.

The next day, I took my time in the morning since I hiked until late the night before. I woke up with morning calls from American Robins. I walked out to the meadows and I was greeted by the sun. I thought of another beautiful day! 

The trail went downhills and there were still patches of snow to work with. As I kept going down, even in the trees, there was no more snow. I was cruising down and I made it to Texas Creek. It’s been very warm so the water level was pretty high, but I was able to cross the creek no problem. Since the trail was in the woods, I didn’t see mountains until right before crossing the creek. When I saw the mountains, I got excited about going up a pass. The trail followed the creek and I thought it would be a perfect habitat for moose. I kept thinking about the mom and the calf moose I saw the day before. They looked so peaceful just being in their element living their life and I thought I am too. 

I spent all morning descending down to a valley. Then I started climbing steep hills to a pass called Lake Ann Pass. Many passes I came over didn’t have names but this one did. It was over 2,500 feet of steep climbing to the pass. Luckily, there were only three snow patches on the way up so I was grateful. When I made it to the pass, I looked on the other side and there was a snow wall. I looked around and decided to walk on the ridge line to a less steep snow wall and I committed to slide down the snow. That was very exciting! I saw Lake Ann with ice on it below me. Since there was so much snow and I couldn’t see the trail, I picked my own route and made it down to the lake. From there, I picked up the CDT again. 

From there I made another huge descent into a valley following along the South Fork Clear Creek. The massive mountains surrounded the valley. I kept walking until it became a steep climb to Hope Pass.

I began the next morning, climbing Hope Pass, a 2,500 feet climb in about 2 miles and it was the most steep pass I climbed so far. I was inching my way up and I saw wildflowers  everywhere. I felt encouraged by the beauty of the flowers. They made me smile. I saw columbine, one of my favorite flowers in the mountains, as well as Alpine Blue Bells that were blooming. When I was getting water, I enjoyed eating the baby leaf of blue bells. Once the trail made it into the valley, it opened up and gave me a view of where I came from. These mountains were lit by morning sunlight. Listening to the bird songs, being greeted by so many different kinds of wildflowers made this climb very pleasant. I couldn’t see Hope Pass until the very end.

I finally made it to the pass. Maybe because of the name Hope Pass, I saw Tibetan flags hanging on a trail marker. Looking back, I could see the entire valley where I came from. Looking ahead, I could see Twin Lakes. There was no snow at the top of the pass. On the north slope, there were only two small patches of snow and mostly the trail was clear of snow. I was surprised and delighted. I dropped in and descended down into the other side of the valley passing the lake and then I saw a trail runner coming up the hill. It’s over 11,000 feet. I thought Colorado trail runners have amazing cardio and stamina to run at these high elevations. I was impressed. As I got closer to the runner, I realized that she was an Asian woman! Rachel, the runner, and I both acknowledged that it’s so rare to see Asian women in the mountains. This was a very special encounter for both of us. We took a photo and I said goodbye and I danced down the mountain following the creek. I could tell my body was lighter and my spirit was uplifted by just meeting another Asian woman on the trail, who took time to connect with me. 

At this point, I’ve been on the trail for 40 days. My body learned how to be in the flow with the mountains. It  was a long descent from Hope pass to Twin Lakes, and I felt such a freedom in my body and being one with nature through my movement. It is amazing to feel that freedom to move without any hesitation or thoughts, and I can just be in my body 100%. I resonate with what Yo-Yo Ma, the incredible cellist, said about playing J.S. Bach Cello Suite No.1, which was the very first piece of music he learned as a four-year-old. 

“Everything we have in life is about patterns, the same or different. We are constantly oscillating between the same and different….. And what I discovered, and what made it so beautiful for me is that, whereas it was hard to start, but if I thought of an image of water, of a brook or a river, and if I thought that the piece started before I began, and I just joined the water, you know what it is about a river? It’s never the same river, but you always call it the same river, but the water is never the same. So if I think of a water element, here’s what it ends up sounding like…… You actually get to code infinite variety, right? In a world where we can measure everything, or we think we can measure everything, how wonderful it is that you could have the poetry of music, or poetry, or music that actually makes you think you are touching infinity…… And I’m 68. That means I’ve been trying to get this right for 64 years.”

From Fresh Air: A Yo-Yo Ma Thanksgiving, Nov 28, 2024

I feel the same infinity when I am hiking and flowing like the water, especially when I am actually following a creek or river. I first walked when I was a year old. I thought about how to master walking in the mountains and practiced many thousands of miles. It doesn’t always happen but when it does, I also think of the water element – the effortless, smooth flow that brings freedom. Sometimes, I play Yo-Yo Ma’s songs in the back of my mind endlessly.

I made it to the lakes and saw the change from an Alpine environment to a mixed forest with Aspen and sage brush. The cottonwood seeds were flying in the air. The lake was around 9,500 feet and I could feel my lungs being happier to get more oxygen as I hiked around the lake. 

I spent my morning walking around the lake and started seeing a lot of hikers. Some people recognized the CDT tag on my backpack and they treated me like a celebrity! 

Once the trail left the lakes and re-entered the mountains, it became quiet again in the forest. In the early evening I entered Mt. Massive Wilderness and when I made it to the trail junction that leads to the Mt. Massive, I saw a lot of people camping. 

I kept going and finally decided to stop around 7:30 pm. I realized that I hiked 30.3 miles that day. I didn’t think hiking 30 was possible in Colorado but I had a flow like water and it just happened. 

Next day, I made it to Tennessee Pass then to Leadville. I hiked mostly in the monotone woods. I saw Mt. Massive through the trees in the morning light but never saw the entire mountain until later when I made it to a small pass. 

When I made it to Tennessee Pass, I began hitch hiking to Leadville. Lilla, my friend from NatureBridge, helped me connect with her friend Amos and I was excited to rest at his home in Leadville. Soon, a car pulled over. Dan and Gayle, whose son is a thru-hiker, gave me a ride to Leadville and took me to Amos’s house. 

I took a bath, ate fresh food and Amos gave me a luxurious camping mattress to sleep on. We hang out on the couch, chatting and connecting in the evening. Simple things like this make a huge difference. I feel relaxed and tired. 

Tomorrow, I will head out again, rested and ready. I wouldn’t feel the same way if I didn’t have friends and trail angels. I am grateful for the connections.

Appreciation:

Tiffany, who gave me a ride from Monarch Pass, for going out of her way to reach out to me and offering support to help me. Tiffany didn’t even know what trail angel was! You didn’t even know what trail angel was and now you are truly an amazing trail angel. Dan, Liz and Shelly, for giving me a ride to cross the dam at Twin Lakes. I had a weird feeling about walking over the dam and you stopped and asked me if I wanted a ride. You were the first people on my journey who offered me a ride without me putting my thumb up. Dan, if you’re reading this, please text me! I want to give you my itinerary of Wyoming and I would love to meet up and reconnect with you in Yellowstone! That would motivate me to hike through Wyoming and would be amazing to be in your calm and kind presence again. Dan and Gayle, for giving me a ride from Tennessee Pass and taking me to Amos’s home. Lilla, my former NatureBridge colleague and a friend, for introducing me to Amos at High Mountain Institute in Leadville where I was able to stay for a night to recover and connect with Amos. Amos, thank you so much for offering me a time and a space to clean, relax and re-organize for the next leg of my journey. Last but not least, Carrie, my friend from NatureBridge, for being an incredible trial angel in multiple places in Colorado. Thank you so much for bringing my resupply first at Pagosa Springs then to Leadville. I’m looking forward to seeing you one last time at Winter Park, and I cannot thank you enough for your generosity and kindness along my journey.