Part Seventy Six

     November 21st - 26th               Del Norte​, CO                               (Go to Pt 1)
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The following morning, after breaking down camp, I sat on my pack trying to figure out what to do next.  From Indian Creek I would have to rely on a 250,000 series map to navigate my way across the basin and I was really leery about how this map was going to get me back up into the mountains on the other side.

The Continental Divide was heading west into the La Garita Mountains where elevations were steadily climbing back up to over 13,000 feet.  From the crest of Windy Peak the day before, I had looked out at those high peaks, white with early season snowfall, and they had looked to be in very much the same condition as the Collegiate Range had been.

Click on the map for a larger image

If I were to follow the Continental Divide westward, eventually I would have to cross over the snowbound, La Garita Mountains at almost 13,000ft, and on a trail I would have to find using this 250,000 series map where a gnat’s-ass equaled 1mi.

From where I sat, and given the map I had to work with, the only sure bet for getting across the distant mountains was a gravel road straight across the valley from where I sat and which started up from County Road 114 at the bottom of the basin.

The map showed this road running up along the extended, Houselog Creek valley, then crossing over the mountains at Carnero Pass which, at just a little over 10,000ft, I figured would still be snow-free, or at least snow-free enough.

If I did go that route, though, I would be looking at several, monotonous days on gravel road, and not much about that part of the plan was very appealing, other than it would be easy, but, like I said, it was a sure thing.
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So with that, I folded up the map and set-off down Middle Creek on a jeep trail that 9, easy miles later, intersected with County Road 114 at the bottom of the basin.  An hour of walking south along CR114 brought me to the gravel road I was looking for at Houselog Creek.

From the road junction, I began to work my way back up into the mountains South of the Saguache Basin, setting my camp that afternoon at Browns Creek.  Unfortunately, Browns Creek was almost three miles short of where I had hoped to camp, but around mile fifteen in the afternoon I’d started to bonk; I still wasn’t back to full stamina yet from my illness.

While unpacking my gear, I checked in with Radio to see if he had anything to report, but there wasn’t much floating around for Radio to hone-in on. I got my supper cooked and after I’d eaten, I laid back in my sleeping bag, eyes closed, and thought about cleaning the cookpot just before drifting off to sleep.

Temperatures didn’t even reach the freezing mark overnight and clear, warm, sunny weather continued the following day.  At this point, I really didn’t mind being on the road because it was more like a wide trail than a gravel road.

There were no vehicles on the road (I hadn’t seen a vehicle since leaving CR114 the previous afternoon) and the battered, rutted thoroughfare wasn’t what you’d call ‘maintained’.  The higher up the valley I went the rougher it got.

I crossed over Carnero Pass around mid-day then descended the Carnero Creek valley down as far as  Coolbroth Canyon, by which time I was beginning to see vehicles on the road.  The map showed I was not far from breaking out into the rangeland just north of Del Norte and, undoubtedly, private property.

Click on the map for a larger image

Del Norte was too far for me to reach and anything short of that would potentially leave me trespassing, so I spent the night camped on Forest Service land along Carnero Creek where Radio came back from his hiatus, speaking Spanish.  Okay, whatever.  We listened to mariachi music while I fixed supper but by the time I was done eating, Radio had, once again, worn out his welcome.  It was time to see what the Hobbits were up to.

The following day I was only ten or so miles out from Del Norte, so I was able to walk my way into to town by early afternoon. I checked into the El Rancho Motel and, later that evening, around dinner time, my parents and younger brother, Dave, arrived from St. Louis, having driven the better part of two days to come out and join me for Thanksgiving.

This plan had come together while I was sick in Salida.  As the illness drug on my parents had grown concerned until my Dad started talking about coming out to check-up on me (maybe I was actually poolside in Vegas).  Of course, by then I was feeling better so they decided instead to come out and meet me in Del Norte over the Thanksgiving holiday.   

We spent Thanksgiving together in Del Norte where the North American Falconry Association was holding an annual get together of sorts.  On main street, birds of prey of every size, make and model were on display and having dabbled in falconry in high school, I was pleasantly surprised this event was going on and fascinated by the variety of hawks and falcons to be seen up close, even a couple of owls showed-up.

On Friday we all drove up the road to Creede and went on a short hike into one of the nearby canyons for a picnic lunch under a warm and brilliantly blue sky.  Our time together passed quicky and no sooner had my family arrived than they were packing up to leave, which made for an interesting juxtaposition Saturday morning.

As Dad, Mom and Dave packed their suitcases and loaded the car, I was busy re-packaging food supplies and getting my pack reloaded for the next stretch of hiking that awaited me.  Once everybody was packed and the car loaded, we all drove up to Creede together and had lunch in a small restaurant before saying our goodbyes.

After lunch, my Dad had offered to drive me out to the trailhead, several miles further down the road from Creede, but that would have put them even further in the wrong direction and I’d already come far enough by car as it was; it was just easier to say goodbye to everyone right there in Creede.

We hugged and Dad looked pleased while Mom looked worried, and Dave, well, Dave just looked like good ol’ Dave.  I watched as my family drove away then shouldered my pack and headed down the road.

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Go to Part 77

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The CDTC was founded in 2012 by volunteers and recreationists hoping to provide a unified voice for the CDT. Working hand-in-hand with the U.S. Forest Service and other federal land management agencies, the CDTC is a non-profit partner supporting stewardship of the CDT. The mission of the CDTC is to complete, promote and protect the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a world-class national resource. For more information, please visit continentaldividetrail.org.

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