Colorado Trail Series

Colorado Trail Series

Day 7

Junction Creek Camp to Durango

The Final Day
 

Hiked:14.5 miles

Elevation: Down, Down, Down...

 

Wow!  Our final day, bittersweet, really.  Tonight we will sleeping in our own bed with a solid roof over our heads.  We won't be guessing what all the random nighttime noises are outside.  Alas, it's still 14.5 miles away so let's get moving!

 

* click on photos to enlarge *

 

Jim crosses the bridge out of camp in a misty wet morning after a night of drizzling rain.

 

 After my tree encounter a few days ago on the trail, Jim demonstrates the more efficient way to approach a downed tree in the trail.

 

 Beautifully colored fungi.

 

 Jim poses next to this amazing display of layered rock foundation encompassed by this enormous tree root system.

 

Only fair that after the naked stream bathing photos of Jim, that I post one of myself.

Heads up girls,

this is how you comfortably pee while carrying a heavy pack!

 

 As we get closer to Durango the trails display better signage.

 

 Jim!  Don't Drink That!

As we enter the Dry Fork area, where it is quite common to find cattle are grazing, Jim inspects an old trough hewn from a log.

 

 Love clear signage!

 

 A stop at Gudy's Rest, a snack, a couple's photo taken by a trail runner and a fit of laughter.

What was so funny?

Guess we were just high on life and love!

 

 Still limber after 70+ miles!

 

 Whoa Partner!

We had to move aside for this cattle drive.  Welcome to the real wild west where cowpoke still wrangle the doggies up the trail to greener pastures.

Unfortunately for us, the cows stress and get the screamin' sh*ts all the way up the trail.  So going down the same way they just came up was a bit smelly - and slick - watch where you step!

 

 Apparently, someone doesn't like Texans.

 

 YAY, Ed & Matt!!

Friends are hard to forget on the trail, as proven here, by a cooler of cold beer left for a end 'o'trail celebration.

 

 If you enlarge the map, you will see that the "You are here" spot is still outside of town.  Walking the last few miles into town along an asphalt road is murder on the feet.  This is where you stick your thumb out and pray someone with a pick up truck stops to pick up your smelly butt and your over sized pack and drive you into civilization.

 

Yes, we were feeling a bit upside down at the end!

 

Thank you so much to the kind woman we met towards the end of the trail.  After she had finished walking her dogs and was heading back to town she saw our thumbs. We crammed in her SUV with a couple of big dogs and were whisked away to our car we left in town a week earlier.  Then it was off for pizza and beer at the best place in town with an outdoor patio.  Trust me, no one wanted to smell us while trying to eat!

 

Our journey was amazing.  It was only a week, but maybe someday it will be the entire trail.  We learned a lot.  Not only about the trail, our backpacking choices but about each other.  We both agree that we would do it again in a heartbeat.  It was worth every breathless climb, blister and sore muscle.

 

Thank you for hanging in there during the many months that it took to post our little adventure.  So many photos and so little time.

 

HIKE ON!