Winter Park to Grand Lake.
Days 69 to 70.
Miles 1345 to 1372.
In this area, the CDT crosses through the Indian Peaks Wilderness, then descends to lower elevations. The trail follows along the edge of several large lakes: Monarch Lake, Lake Granby, Shadow Mountain Lake, and finally, Grand Lake. The town of Grand Lake is located next to its namesake body of water, on the border of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Day 69
I took full advantage of the blackout curtains in my hotel room at the Viking Lodge in Winter Park this morning and slept in. Around 9 am, when I finally rose and opened my curtains, I found it was raining outside. That’s new. It has been remarkably dry since Wolf Creek Pass. And before Wolf Creek Pass, most of the precipitation I saw was frozen.
After a final cup of coffee and mailing a postcard, I set out into the rain. I relished the opportunity to pop open the umbrella I’ve been carrying, but haven’t used since New Mexico.
It is about 10 miles to get back to the “official” CDT. Rather than expend time and mental energy planning a route back to the trail, I let the Gaia App figure it out for me. I clicked on my hotel, clicked on the nearest trail junction with the CDT, and let Gaia figure out the shortest route for me to walk. I blindly set out with no knowledge of what types of places Gaia might route me through.
It turned out that the way Gaia routed me was quite nice. It took me up into a neighborhood on the edge of Winter Park, full of what I can only assume are million-dollar second homes. Most appeared to be deserted presently, as their owners presumably only visit in the winter when the nearby ski area is open. I got onto neighborhood paths winding between the empty houses and through little Aspen groves and meadows. Eventually, I climbed up onto mountain bike trails on the hills behind the neighborhood.
Looking at my route on the Gaia App, I noticed the mountain bike trails were a very indirect path to get back to the CDT. The trails jutted out in a huge horseshoe shape. Perhaps I could find a shortcut. Sure enough, I spotted a place where a road almost touched the mountain bike trails – but not quite, so Gaia didn’t route me this way. If I just cut a short distance cross-country over to the road, then reconnected to the trails on the other side of the horseshoe, I could save myself a mile or two of walking and get back to the CDT sooner!
I veered off the bike trail and through a marshy forest filled with tall grasses. The rain drops clinging to each blade of grass seeped into my clothes and shoes. Soon, I was soaked from the waist down.
After stumbling across a little creek, I finally reached a dirt road. I walked down the road. I came to a gate, and as I walked out through the gate, I found the opposite side of it was marked with a big “No Trespassing” sign. Whoops. I guess not all the roads in Gaia are public roads.
Eventually, I reconnected to the CDT. Here, the route of the CDT overlaps with another trail, called the “High Lonesome Trail”. I think this is the perfect name for the CDT in Colorado. Trekking across this state has been both a high and lonesome experience, marked by altitude-related struggles and feeling isolated.
Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks the CDT is lonesome. Along the trail today, someone or several someones had written their thoughts in sharpie on many of the trail markers. Some of these graffiti noted the people or places that the anonymous writer was missing.
In the evening, I descended to the edge of Lake Granby. Here, it’s unclear whether dispersed camping is legal. I opted to pay to stay in the paid campground next to the lake.
As I get ready for bed, the sound of nearby screaming children and RV generators is blessedly drowned out by the loud pitter-pattering of raindrops hitting the crinkly DCF fabric of my tarp.
Day 70
I slept until the sun hit my wet tarp and turned it into a sauna. I only had 13 miles to hike to the town of Grand Lake, and somehow I managed to make those miles take most of the day. The terrain was especially easy – mostly following the lakeshore of Lake Granby and Shadow Mountain Lake.
It was a beautiful, clear day to take in the views of the lake. Recently, the sky has been hazy and the air quality is poor from wildfire smoke. Most of this smoke is blowing into Colorado from Utah’s wildfires. However, it seems that yesterday’s rain knocked the smoke out of the air.
I reached Grand Lake, the town, in the mid-afternoon. I opted to spend the night in town. The trail beyond the town goes through Rocky Mountain National Park, so there is no legal dispersed camping for 10 miles. I knew I didn’t have another 10 miles in me today. I felt zapped.
Grand Lake has a community center where they let hikers hang out, use the kitchenette and toilets, and camp in the grass out back. They even had some loaner bikes. I borrowed to ride to the grocery store. It was exhilarating to move so fast, and honestly pretty nice not to have to walk.
I bought too much food. While shopping, I forgot that my food bag was still basically full from my resupply in Frisco – I still haven’t had much of an appetite. Consequently, my food selections are getting weirder and weirder. Current staples are uncrustable PBJs and instant mashed potatoes.
I pitched my tarp behind the community center. But I didn’t fall asleep for a while. As soon as I lay down, rain started spitting and the wind began to blow. Hard. A notification on my phone warned of a severe thunderstorm with 70 mph wind gusts. I stayed awake bracing myself for the moment a powerful gust ripped my tarp stakes out of the loose, gravelly soil of the community center’s yard.
But my tarp held up. Eventually, the wind eased, and a steady pitter-patter of light rain set in, lulling me to sleep.
Adventures with Val 
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