July 14, 2020
Thought on waking up: Do I have time for coffee?
Thought at end of day: Getting here was crazy but aahh… We made it!
The morning came early, really early. While I slept, there was some tossing and turning and my injured knee was keeping me awake each time I maneuvered to a new position. I awoke earlier than normal and as such I was groggy. Thankfully with everything packed the night before I welcomed my last warm shower for the next 9 days, snuck into my daughter’s room to give her a kiss and said goodbye to my wife who was still trying to sleep.
Day zero is our group’s travel day. It is 12 hours drive from Wichita, KS to Durango, Colorado where we will embark at the Purgatory trailhead so we are eager to get on the road in order to make camp before dark. The true likelihood we will make it before dark…is also zero, but hope reigns supreme.
We all meet up at our local church parking lot and start the morning by giving thanks to our Lord and praying for safety. Most of my thoughts go out to my wife and daughters. I’m hoping they have an enjoyable week without me.
The truck is overloaded and we are all hungry. We will redistribute the foodstuffs and gear when we get to Durango. Still, by appearance, I deem it more than 4 men can carry and far more than is necessary. We leave the parking lot and pull up to a drive thru for a ham, egg and cheese sandwich which I consumed on the way out of town.
Soon we are ticking cities off as we go by. Down goes Pratt, Dodge City and Garden City. We are making great time. Travel through the prairie has been effortless. As we approach the Kansas and Colorado border, light rain begins to fall. A quick stop to bring the electronics to the relative safety inside and tie down our pack covers is in order.
We stopped for lunch in La Junta just off the front range. Burgers of quick fare were on tap so we could get back to the task of driving . We joked about traveling 6 hours just to eat at a Carl’s Jr, but today it would do nicely. My burger was quite enjoyable. Kudos to them for serving up a hamburger with guacamole and jalapenos, atypical ingredients for a fast-food joint. It hit the spot and we were back on the road.
30 minutes later we stopped for gas. One of the guys surprised everybody with a fruit cream popsicle. Mine was strawberry and it was a perfect treat to cool us off from the hot sunlight raining in our windows.
We continue onward through Pagosa Springs. One look and it’s easy to see why Continental Divide Trail thru-hikers love to stop here. The town is laid out perfectly to get a hotel and walk on the roads for any resupply needs. There are several hiker-friendly hotels and gear shops and even a Walmart at the west end of town. Unique restaurants and shops are plentiful. We make a mental note of a few dining options to stop at on the way back.
We all got a laugh as we continued on past Chimney Rock. Being a group of guys it quickly took on another meaning. At this point we have gutted through a long drive and are nearly to Durango. This area is sparsely populated and full of winding roads that really slow our progress. There isn’t much cellular data availability either.
The hard part is just getting there
Because I wasn’t in charge of the preparation, I had long dreaded the last steps required to actually get on the trail. This is an area where spending extra time getting prepared on the front end can really pay off. If you aren’t fully prepared, then minor tasks and other last minute items end up taking an exorbitant amount of time. Its currently 6pm and we are only 30 minutes from the trailhead. However, due to all those last minute details, it will be another 5 hours before I can begin hiking.
First, we stopped at a gas station and grabbed some bottled water. We planned on carrying the first evening and mornings worth till we were comfortably on the Purgatory Trail. In hindsight, just having a liter or so would’ve been plenty. That little stop for what should’ve taken 5 minutes took 20 by the time bathroom breaks and shopping for snacks were had. Back in my truck, we finish the drive to our destination. There was supposed to be a nice campground right by the Purgatory Trailhead that we could finish prepping our packs at.
We arrived at the trailhead and found the parking area pretty packed with people and day users, but it won’t be too bad after everyone spreads out. We began our search for the campground but could not find it. We drove back and forth wasting precious time until we found that the campground had been removed to make way for condo’s and townhomes. This would not have been a problem had we been prepared to hike down the trail and find a place to camp but the group wasn’t ready. For the next hour or so we packed food into everyone else’s packs and more or less tried to find any spot possible to lash things onto whilst the sun began setting behind the mountains.
The last step in the process took the longest but, especially in hindsight, was worth the expense. Most people who come to Chicago basin, hike and hike back out the same way. Its possible to do this trip as a thru-hike which makes in 10 fold more interesting but you have to have a way to get back to your vehicle. So, in order to make our thru hike work with only one vehicle. We decided to spring for a cab ride and not knowing how long it would take we generously padded the amount of time necessary I wouldn’t miss the allotted pick up time. I drove my truck to the Vallecito trailhead parking lot while encountering several mule deer at various points along the way. The sunlight was long gone at this point and there was zero cell service. There I waited for the cab we ordered to take me back to the start. This process took 2.5 hours and $200 but would save the group a 6a.m. arrival on our return date when we all had planned to report to work. I waited patiently in the dark and used my Garmin InReach to send messages to my wife. Approximately 45 minutes later my cab arrived.
The cab was driven by a lovely Hispanic woman named Ellie. Ellie the cab driver and I got to know each other quite well on the hour long cab ride back to the start. We shared a long conversation about our kids and the joy’s of watching them grow up. She gave me some restaurant ideas as well. On the drive back we encountered more deer and a family of skunks. It was 11pm when she deposited me back at the trailhead. My Brother was there waiting for me. He had led the group down the steep trail to the stream in the valley below where they setup camp. He hiked back up the hill to help lead me so I could find the group in the dark. I set off night hiking and proceeded to go down the canyon trail to its base. We hiked for approximately 3/4 mile lit only with our headlamps and the faint glow of the milky way which washed down starlight from above. I wished I took my pro camera gear. The starlight tapestry was amazing. It was midnight when I arrived at camp and the others had already settled in bed for the night. I pulled my bag out and placed in the tent my brother had already prepared. My shoe and a fleece top became a pillow and I closed my eyes taking one last look at the stars before dozing off.
It’s been a long and satisfying day. Looking forward to hitting the Purgatory trail tomorrow.
