New Trails, New Firsts, and a Few Stinky Hikers
Original plans were to be in Pueblo, Colorado, by August 1. Pueblo is the location where our friends (fellow distance hikers) were going to be waiting for Curmudgeon. August 1 was to be the start of the three 75-year-old hikers to begin a 5-6 week adventure together. They texted us on July 22, a week earlier than expected, that they were in Pueblo and ready to get on the trail whenever we could get there.
Cheyenne Moose Lodge
We left Flathead Lake, Montana, and headed east. Along the route, we found another Moose Lodge in Cheyenne, WY. We got there late afternoon and sat with the locals at the bar. There were seven members sitting at the bar watching TV. They come in every day around 4:30 to have a beer and watch the 5 o’clock show, The Price Is Right. They sit and shout what they think the price is along with the contestants on the show that is a rerun from the ’70s. Wow, I forgot how cheap things were back then! Tim got into it and played along. It was pretty funny.
It was Frontier Days in Cheyenne. Next morning, after we got on the road, I saw a FB post that our friends Phil and Cheryl Spahr were in Cheyenne for a Blake Shelton concert. They were actually staying in a hotel two miles from the Moose Lodge. We already had 30 miles behind us, so didn’t get to see them.
It was 1,076 miles to Pueblo, where Ron and his wife, Pat, were camping at their nephew's. They are storing their camper there until they complete the 385-mile hike. We arrived late afternoon on July 24 and picked them up.
Alpaca Farm Harvest Host
When I had made reservations for a few days at a campground, the 24th was completely booked, so I just reserved the 26th, 27th, and 28th. After some research, I found a Harvest Host that had an opening at their alpaca farm. It was only 20 miles from the campground I had reserved for the next three days. It worked out perfectly!
We arrived at the campground on Saturday about three hours before check-in, so we spent that time lounging in the sun at the beach until 1 p.m. When we went to the office to check in, I was told there was no reservation. I found my email confirmation and showed it to the ranger with a proud smile on my face because I was right and he was wrong...or so I thought! I screwed up and made it for August 25 to the 27th! It was Saturday, and there were no sites available until Sunday, and there was only one then!! I was so embarrassed!
I made calls to other campgrounds around the area, and they were all full for the weekend! So I booked the only available site for Sunday. Fortunately, we had been invited to our cousins' for dinner Saturday night. Kathy Rooney Wilhelm and husband Mike had already planned hosting a small Rooney family dinner that night for visiting cousins. Nancy Urbanski Johnston, a cousin from Hilton Head, was staying with Patti Rooney, and they were going to be there. Mike and Kathy were so gracious, letting us crash there for the night. A million thanks to them for food, libations, and bedrooms for the hikers and me!
Tim, Kathy and Nancy
Kathy, Mike, Patti and Nancy
The next day, we headed to the Chatfield State Park campground and stayed just one night. Before we checked in, we drove to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. It was incredible. A concert at Red Rocks is now on my bucket list!
After a good night's sleep, we loaded up, and I drove them six miles to the trailhead where the Colorado Trail begins. Off they went into the mountains!
I went to Parker, where Patti Rooney offered me a place to stay while Tim is hiking. I have been staying with her since the 27th. We have had so much fun playing games and visiting her three siblings that live nearby. Kathy, Patti, and I went to a concert in a courtyard at the mall. Mike and Janis Rooney had us over for dinner one night, and we went on a wine walk in downtown Parker the next night with them. Patti, Janis, and I went to lunch and shopping one day. We had a great evening at dinner with Dan and Lynn Rooney. All the Rooney cousins are amazing and have welcomed me with open arms.
I got to have cocktails and appetizers with my daughter-in-law Ashley's mom, Kelly. She lives in Castle Rock, about 25 minutes from Parker. It was great to see her!
Phil and Cheryl Spahr came to Parker a week after I got there. They were helping Eric and Kelsey move into their new house in Parker. It is only two miles from where I am staying! I got to see the new house and go to dinner with them! Such a small world!! Always fun to see the Spahrs.
Also, I reconnected with a dear friend from the past! Peggi Crates lives in Aurora, 15 minutes from Patti's apartment. She and her husband, Mark, lived four miles from us when our kiddos were going to Cory-Rawson School. Her daughter, Chris, was in Justin's class, and son, Clay, was in Sean's class. It had been 15 years since we had seen each other. What a great reunion!
While I am having so much fun with family and friends, the hikers are struggling with the ever-changing elevations of the Rockies.
Some of you may remember when Tim hiked the AT in 2011. His trail name was Curmudgeon, and no, it wasn't me that picked that name. He did, in honor of his grandfather, whose wife called him a Curmudgeon! Tim has dubbed Pat with the trail name Desert Dweller, and her husband Ron is Weatherman.
There was a trailhead that was car accessible on day four, 40 miles into their hike. Patti and I loaded the van up with food and libations and met the three exhausted hikers for a few hours of R&R and real food! It was much appreciated. They were so tired. They all agree that this trail is a lot more difficult to do than the AT, PCT, or AZ trails. It might be because they are all three 75 years old!
Tim was having a hard time sleeping due to the altitude for several nights. He felt like he couldn't breathe for most of the first night, and the heat during the days was horrible. They try to start out at 6 a.m. and stop for the day around 2 p.m. to beat the worst of the heat!
We gave a few hikers that were passing through some ice-cold Gatorade and bags of chips. They were so happy! When someone provides food and drink to fellow hikers, it is being a Trail Angel. I did that whenever I met up with him on the other trails he has done.
I was grateful that Patti went with me. I was a little nervous driving the van in the mountains, even though the trailer isn't attached. I have a huge fear of heights and am not sure when to put the vehicle in different gears going down 7% grades with twists and turns! I did fine but was happy for the support.
On August 2, I drove to Kenosha Pass Summit...by myself. I was a bit nervous but did great! I needed to restock their food supply. There was a campground there, so they only had to hike four miles to the meeting point. They took the rest of the day off and spent the night. It was a well-deserved rest!
I brought a bucket they could use to wash clothes. The fresh water tank was full, and they all used the RV shower. I cooked hot meals for lunch and dinner, and we played cards until hikers' midnight, which is typically 6 p.m., but they stayed up until 8 p.m. They were so glad to have clean clothes and a shower!
The hiking isn't getting any easier, but they are struggling through and getting some good mileage in each day. They say it is so difficult to just keep climbing up and up, but when they reach the peak and they see the beauty in front of them, they are grateful they accomplished the climb. They have been taking pictures of the views, and I will post those at the end of the journey.
They have gone approximately 92 miles. They left at 6 a.m. and will not need me to come back for another week. They will do some food restock in Breckenridge. There is a shuttle at the trailhead there that will take them to town and bring them back.
As I am recounting our recent events, I am at White Star Campground. I picked them up at Tennessee Pass Trailhead yesterday. They have a total of 172 miles in so far. We drove into Leadville, and the road to Twin Lakes was closed due to the town's annual donkey races.
We searched the open streets for a parking spot and then walked down to where all the excited town folks were awaiting the first race participants to be returning. They had two courses. One was seven miles, and the other was 19 miles. What an event! The donkeys were all sizes, and the folks with their leads were all ages. They were pushing and pulling and trying so hard to get their donkey to the finish line. I'm not sure how they do it for so many miles!
The donkeys would stop being stubborn and start running when they came around the corner three blocks from the finish line. The cheering as they turned the corner kicked them into gear, and they took off. It was hysterical!
After a trip to the grocery store, we drove to Twin Lakes, about 16 miles, to camp at White Star for the night. We had a taco lunch and a stir-fry dinner. They were grateful for hot food. I brought the bucket again to wash their clothes and had enough water in the fresh water tank that they could shower again. Boy, do they love that! They are pretty stinky before the showers!
They try to clean up in streams and at waterfalls, but the water is so cold, it's hard to stay in and get very clean. The nights have been below freezing when they camp in the higher elevations. Last night, it got down to the mid-30s, and we had to use several blankets.
The trail from Tennessee Pass to Twin Lakes is closed due to recent fires, so I dropped them back at the trail where it crosses Rt. 84, three miles from the campsite. I came back and snuggled up in blankets to catch another couple of hours of sleep and get warm.
Tonight is my first stay at a campground by myself. It rained off and on, so I didn't go to the beach, but it looks pretty clear tonight. Glad there are no storms predicted! That would really make me anxious! Driving in the mountains alone and camping alone...new firsts for me. So far, so good!
Hoping the Curmudgeon, Desert Dweller, and Weatherman didn't have too much wind and rain today and that they were able to get good mileage in. So grateful Curmudgeon is hiking with our friends this time! I don't worry as much knowing they are looking out for each other!
There isn't any good spot for me to meet them again until around the 18th. I will be spending my time with all the local cousins and Peggi Crates until then...
Peace out!