30    Salida - Creede                            163 kilometers

Salida

Creede                                 163 km

This section started off great with a hitch from other hostel guests to Monarch Pass very early in the morning. Being so early meant we had an easy day to Marshall Pass were we staid in the hut, a very nice place. When getting outside in the morning we noticed a bit of frosting on the grass. And it got progressively colder by the day. The last night we had 26 degrees in the morning. Having cowboy camped I had ice on everything. For sure it's getting fall. And hiking at elevations of 12,000 feet don't make it any warmer. Up in the open colours are changing to yellow and red. Crossing a kind of basin was a windy thing. It was already late in the day when Steady and I arrived at the cut off for Creede. We headed downhill towards Creede. At the start of the 4 wheel track a truck was parked but no one showed up. We moved on and arriving at the mine we got onto a gravel road without any traffic either. We were about to set up camp at dusk when a single car showed up. We got a ride into town on their way back. This meant a room for the night and no freezing cold night plus a town meal for dinner.

CDT / CT follow the ridge below its crest

Rocky CDT / CT

CDT / CT follow a dirt road into Cochetopa Park, looking a bit like a small version of Great Divide Basin

Beaver dam and lodge at Cochetopa Creek

Old part of Creede, an old mining town

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