Greenery, Segment 28, Colorado Trail, La Plata County, CO (2)
CO (La Plata County)
Day 5 (Segment 28)
Bridge site to Durango Trailhead
This was it. Final day on the Colorado Trail and downhill all the way to Durango. Not really, there is always some climbing to do but I wouldn’t be above treeline anymore.
This was one of my least favorite campsites. Although flat, it was loose dirt with no tree cover (although trees were around). Not the best conditions for probable rain.
About 2 in the morning it started raining with lightning and thunder. Concern was that if it kept raining this site would turn into a mud pit. I considered packing up and hiking out but no one wants to do that in the middle of the night. I decided to tough it out as I have in the past. Fortunately, it was a light rain and it didn’t last very long. Even the thunder and lightning faded away. The almost full moon reappeared and I managed some more sleep.
Hiking by 6 with the intent of making it to the trailhead as soon as possible. The Junction Creek Trailhead ((beginning and/or end of Segment 28 and the Colorado Trail) was a little bit out of town and my car was parked at the Durango Depot, about 5.3 miles away. I had used the train as my shuttle to get to Silverton and then hiked back to my car.
It was nice to be in the woods where everything was vibrant and green. The trail did start with some steep uphill hiking. The lush greenery actually became too lush and became overgrown and was encroaching on the trail. A summer task for trail maintainers on the Appalachian Trail is weed wacking, without which the trail would be completely overgrown, where snakes and ticks are hiding, not to mention the green briar and blackberries are waiting to grab you. Fortunately, I didn’t have any of those problems this morning.
I finally reached the top of this final climb at about 9500 feet. I was rewarded with a scenic view. In the distance were some treeless peaks, but I wasn’t heading that way.
Greenery, Segment 28, Colorado Trail, La Plata County, CO (2)
CO (La Plata County)
Day 5 (Segment 28)
Bridge site to Durango Trailhead
This was it. Final day on the Colorado Trail and downhill all the way to Durango. Not really, there is always some climbing to do but I wouldn’t be above treeline anymore.
This was one of my least favorite campsites. Although flat, it was loose dirt with no tree cover (although trees were around). Not the best conditions for probable rain.
About 2 in the morning it started raining with lightning and thunder. Concern was that if it kept raining this site would turn into a mud pit. I considered packing up and hiking out but no one wants to do that in the middle of the night. I decided to tough it out as I have in the past. Fortunately, it was a light rain and it didn’t last very long. Even the thunder and lightning faded away. The almost full moon reappeared and I managed some more sleep.
Hiking by 6 with the intent of making it to the trailhead as soon as possible. The Junction Creek Trailhead ((beginning and/or end of Segment 28 and the Colorado Trail) was a little bit out of town and my car was parked at the Durango Depot, about 5.3 miles away. I had used the train as my shuttle to get to Silverton and then hiked back to my car.
It was nice to be in the woods where everything was vibrant and green. The trail did start with some steep uphill hiking. The lush greenery actually became too lush and became overgrown and was encroaching on the trail. A summer task for trail maintainers on the Appalachian Trail is weed wacking, without which the trail would be completely overgrown, where snakes and ticks are hiding, not to mention the green briar and blackberries are waiting to grab you. Fortunately, I didn’t have any of those problems this morning.
I finally reached the top of this final climb at about 9500 feet. I was rewarded with a scenic view. In the distance were some treeless peaks, but I wasn’t heading that way.