Ellen S - Colorado Trail Journal - 2015

Done deal

It rained last evening but cleared overnight enough that the tent was dry
by morning. The lakeside reflections were perfect on its calm surface. A
bit cold this morning at 11,100 feet. No ice though.
We started a climb to a ridge above the lake, then it was all downhill to
the trailhead by Turquoise Lake. Lots of cars parked there since the
weather was good and it was a weekend.
Then the climbing started. Parts of the trail were fairly steep and Yeah
But was breathing hard. We passed some trail crew folks who were clearing
trail and improving the water drainage. A runner zoomed by us, making the
hill look easy.
We had just crossed the Mt Massive Wilderness boundary when Yeah But called
it quits. So we headed back down the trail to the dirt road
Luckily we reached it just as the runner (Ryan) was returning to his
vehicle. He kindly shuffled his gear around and squeezed us in for the
ride to Leadville.
A most discouraging afternoon. Yeah But arranged for my brother to pick us
up this evening. Good thing, as there are no lodging options and we had
already missed a bus out of here. We would have been stuck hitching out of
town and stealth camping somewhere.
At any rate,Yeah But says he is done with this hike. Don't know what we'll
do now.

Entry 15 of 15
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