Ellen S - Continental Divide Trail Journal - 2017

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Day 24

A slow start this morning. We packed up our stuff and were out of the motel in Chama by 6. Breakfast took a bit of time. Then the drive to the trailhead on Highway 64. Didn't start hiking until a bit past 8.The trail was gorgeous. Starting at over 9000 feet, we were already in the aspens and spruce. We walked thru meadows dotted with wildflowers and thick with grasses. The trail was fairly easy to follow initially, but we lost it periodically. Whenever we were in a meadow it would disappear. Or whenever we neared a water source, the herd paths from cattle would complicate things. It was just a bit more work making sure we kept to the route. We saw deer, elk, ptarmigan. Lots of flowers: paintbrush, iris, lilies, purple asters, and lots of yellows.The water sources were still good. We carried enough to get to a decent river (San Antonio). Lots of cows everywhere.From the river, the trail climbed very steeply, then contoured high on a slope above a beautiful meadow filled drainage. The slope was steep enough that I don't know how the earlier hikers did it if it had snow. Several times we were along a cliff with a good dropoff. At the end of the climb, we could see and hear a storm approaching. We found a cozy spot amid some trees to stop. Not a bad day, considering how long it's been since we had the packs on, and how little time we have been at altitude. No rain yet, but it looks like it could start soon. We've had dinner, checked out tomorrow's route, and are ready for a good night's sleep.
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Entry 33 of 35
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