15-06-04   Day 54   Now There’s One – Mark Trail CDT

Hiking the Continental Divide Trail

Mark Trail CDT 2015

We slept in next to the mining train in the Veterans Memorial Park in the center of Creede. She-ra made drip coffee while we waited for the grocery to open. I needed five days of food to make it to Monarch Crest where the road to Salida crosses. I went to the PO to pick up my snowshoes and when I returned,  She-ra was ready to hike to Stony Pass to get back on the divide. We hugged and off she hiked, skis and all.

 

I stopped by the Creede Museum and learned all about the Silver Mines that were the main industry for the town. Now it’s tourism that is the main economic activity. As I hiked up to San Luis Pass from 8,800 ft to 12,000 ft , I passed as to what’s left of the mines. I wondered what it would have been like back in the day.

As I approached the pass, I could see the snow a mile ahead. At first I tried to hike it without the snowshoes, going from grassy area to grassy areas. I soon began to post hole up to my knees so I put on my snowshoes. Even with the snowshoes, I post-holed deep into the snow. I climbed up to 12,300 ft before the trail dropped along some trees. It was 6:30 pm and the trail was above treeline for the next four miles so I decided to camp.

A Mile North of San Luis Pass  11 Miles

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