Leg 4: Winter Park to Steamboat

Day 16 - July 22, 2020

Today was better than I expected. I got a late start around 9:30 after hitting the grocery store in Winter Park; I knew I didn’t have a huge day ahead of me. Lucky for me I found maps around Winter Park of the “Fraser-Granby Scenic Trail” so I decided to ride this instead of the highway I thought I was going to have to ride (thank goodness). I found the trail in Fraser and followed a sort of dirt/gravel bike path along the highway, then up through some ranch land, and into Tabernash. Pretty pleasant.

A little after Tabernash it switched to single track and turned super fun for a few miles! I was so stoked to be on the smooth single track in the forest instead of dodging traffic. The trail was a lot like Emerald, similar ecosystem and dirt. The trail even took me to a little ski mountain, called Granby Ranch I believe, which was surprising but super cool! This really is beautiful country out here in Grand County/middle park. The mountains surround it and the towns are cute and have good views. I rolled into Granby and had a smoothie and took a sandwich to go (dinner). Then I had to crush some highway mileage which wasn't fun, but luckily it had a big shoulder and some good views so I stopped feeling sorry for myself. I got to Grand Lake and enjoyed the view of the clear, glassy lake and the Indian Peaks Wilderness in the background. If only that wasn’t wilderness, I’d be riding up there! Just gonna have to backpack it someday. After a mandatory pilot car ride with my bike in the back to get around some construction (first car I’ve been in since I started), I got on CR 4 and dirt. It always feels good to get back on dirt after highway miles.

 

I pedaled for a few miles up this road and found a campsite near Stillwater Creek around 2:30. I stopped so early because I knew bad weather was coming and boy did it come! It finally let up but I was getting rained on in my tent for a good two and a half hours there. I read my book, played some harmonica, and looked through pictures. Sure has been an epic trip! Looks like the rain will pick up again but we’ll see. So far I’ve stayed dry. Tomorrow I’ve got about 17 miles and 2000 vert to the Illinois Pass Trailhead. From there I will go backwards on the CDT for a couple miles trying to connect to a forest service road that will take me down to Joe's ranch. Hopefully this works out! I also will probably camp tomorrow night but if I have time and am super wet from tonight I might push on. 

I am so so so excited for the steak dinner we are having Friday night and to spend a few days at one of my favorite places in the world. Just one or two more nights of camping and I’m there! Then just a couple more after that and I’m home!!! What! Getting so close but I’m gonna miss this.

A quote from my book, Desert Solitaire by Abbey, to finish out today:

“No, Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity to the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.” P. 211

 Day 17 - July 23, 2020

Woke up with a wet tent this morning so I tried to dry it out but ended up packing it wet. Wet gear had me pretty determined to make it to the ranch. I got started around 8:00 and climbed up the road through some beautiful meadows, forests, and viewpoints. After a few hours of this I dropped down and rode the dirt rode for a few more miles downhill. I only saw a few HOVs which was nice! I continued on down the road until I hit the Illinois Pass trailhead around 11:00 where it drizzled for a second and I ate some lunch. I really had a hard time putting down another protein bar... some good Deline ranch cooking was burning in my mind.

I headed up the dirtbike trail through a beautiful, spooky forest and gained 800 or so feet of elevation as the sky began to darken with thunderclouds. Eventually the road hit the official CDT and I pushed my bike southbound up the CDT to the top of Illinois Pass. At the top I had to do some guessing to find my way to the forest service road and got a little lost but followed my nose and found it. I overestimated this part of riding and it only took about an hour and a half to get from the Illinois pass trailhead to forest service road 21. It really was beautiful with the Never Summers up the valley. I was near the Deline's mining claim, which I learned later was where Ben and Steve were. The next 10 or so miles were an easy and fast descent down the valley on the well maintained road until it spit me out near Jack Creek and I pedaled into Parkview Mountain Ranch.

It was surreal to see the Zirkels across North Park. It was seeing them that sort of made me realize how far I had come and how close I am to home! Feels good.

I found the Delines and said hello and sorry that I’m early! But they were happy to have me and sent me to Ben's house where I took a cold shower and played some guitar. I sure was happy to see the guitar in the living room. Steve and Ben came back and we talked to Earl the outfitter about the wolf problem in Colorado and other related things. I love North Park so much. Probably one of the rawest chunks of Colorado there is. I feel so grateful to have access to this ranch and that such an amazing family has responsibility and ownership of it. For dinner, I ate a massive serving of delicious spaghetti and meatballs with KK, Steve, and Karen. I really enjoyed spending time with them and I greatly appreciated their generosity. I tucked into a bed in Ben's house after looking through some pictures from my trip on the Apple TV. Ahhh the luxuries sure are nice. I will enjoy them for the next couple days in my favorite place in the world!

Day 18 - July 24, 2020

This morning I woke up early and hopped in the gator with Steve to go take out some old fence near the big pasture before breakfast. It was a beautiful and cool morning and Steve showed me how to roll wire and we got through a good length of fence. It was a really nice change to do some ranch work and talk to Steve in the cool morning air. We went back to Steve and Karen’s house to have a bagel and some coffee and then headed back out to get more work done.

It sure is hard work but I really enjoy it and was happy to be out in such incredibly beautiful country learning new stuff with somebody I have a ton of respect for. So cool to hear Steve’s stories of being a cowboy out here back in the day and all of his knowledge of Colorado history. We worked hard and pulled out about a half mile of fence before calling it quits and heading back to find my parents just rolling in. Perfect timing! It was so awesome to see them. My mom was really happy to see me in one piece. The afternoon was spent playing pickle ball, riding my dirtbike, and eating good food with the best company. Life is good!! 

Day 19 - July 25, 2020

This morning I woke dad up at KK's around 7:30 and after a quick bite we headed up to Parkview on the dirt bikes. The weather wasn’t perfect but it was good enough other than some numb hands. We drove up Willow Creek Pass until we hit the dirt road to take us higher. I got to the trailhead and waited for dad. After a couple minutes I headed back down to find him stumbling around next to his bike that was lodged on a tree.... not a great sight at first but funny now. He ate shit super hard and I am really glad he is okay, but he definitely rung his bell pretty good and I feel so stupid we didn’t wear helmets. We managed to get his bike back up onto the road after some heavy lifting and some luck. Glad he's okay!

Luckily dad felt good enough to continue so we parked our bikes a couple hundred feet below treeline and made our way up the ridge to the south of Parkview Mountain. We had both always wanted to summit Parkview and I was so stoked to be able to do this awesome section of CDT with dad. We slowly worked our way up to the top and made it around 10 am. Boy was the view beautiful, even though parts were blocked by clouds. At the top there there happened to be a guy thru-hiking the entire CDT. What a badass. He’s the first one I have met this whole time and he says there are only about 12 of them doing it this year. That trip is on a whole different level than mine and I respect the hell out of him for doing it, part of me wants to and part of me says hell no. Dad gave him a banana and we took some pictures and headed down. 

 

We made it back to the ranch and dad only ate shit once by getting jousted off his moto by a dead tree, which I watched in disbelief. I didn’t stop laughing about it all the way back the ranch where we ate some brunch and relaxed for a bit before going out to pull some fence posts from where we were working yesterday. When we returned Joe had finally arrived to the ranch and I helped him get the ribs going on the Traeger. Oh yeah! We had fun all afternoon shooting guns, riding motos and Argos, and playing pickleball and had a feast of a dinner with such an awesome group of people. After some Balderdash the parents went to sleep and Joe, Ben, and I had a good old boys night at Ben's house drinking, shooting the shit, and shooting each other in Call of Duty. Joe and I also did a 2:00 am Argo ride and turned it off in the lake to watch the stars and their reflections on the water. Tomorrow it’s back to the trail! What an absolutely perfect ranch weekend it has been. I feel so lucky. 

Day 20 - July 26, 2020

Well it was an amazing Deline ranch weekend and I can’t say I was necessarily looking forward to get back on the CDT, but after an awesome morning of food and shooting guns it was time to leave the comfort and company of the ranch and finish my journey.

Mom, dad, and Gus were kind enough to drop me off a little below Troublesome Pass where I hugged them goodbye around 1:30 and bushwhacked my way through fallen trees and pouring rain trying to meet back up with the CDT. Not the most kind welcome back to the wilderness by Mother Nature, but I didn't do this to have it easy.

I eventually found a pirate trail that led me back to the CDT and I started pedaling north. The rain let up, the sun came out, and the views began to open up. Ahhh, this is what it’s all about. I slowly made my way along the CDT which was way more rideable than I expected, some super fun sections. It looks like a trail maintenance crew has been here in the last couple days. What luck! I followed the trail passed where Joe and I had dirt biked above treeline last summer and into some awesome alpine single track riding along the ridge towards Sheep Mountain. I came across a patch of spread out trees along the ridge just before Sheep Mountain with an unbelievable view of North Park and decided to make it camp 20. The view from camp might be the best one yet which is fitting for my last night camping alone on the CDT of Colorado. I might be the luckiest man on planet Earth tonight... sure feels like it. As I’ve been saying a lot the last few days, “there ain’t no place I would rather be!”

I’m cooking up some rice and tuna now for dinner. It’s a tough call, but tonight’s campsite has got to be the best one yet view wise. I can see all of North Park, the Rawahs, the Never Summers, the Indian Peaks, Haystack and Parkview Mountain, Sheep mountain and the following peaks, and even Gore Canyon. The sunset and afternoon golden hour was unbelievably gorgeous. I couldn’t help but just watch in awe as time seemed to stand perfectly still. The wind and the rain stopped and it turned into a truly magical evening. I feel so lucky to have such a special final night alone in the wilderness. I will forever be grateful for this experience and this wonderful life.

Tomorrow will be a relatively long day but weather looks good and dad will meet me at Dumont Lake with dinner and some clean clothes. I'm looking forward to it! Gonna miss this shit!

Day 21 - July 27, 2020

Tonight I am car camping luxury style with dad! Pretty awesome way to celebrate and spend my last night. The spot we found up on Rabbit Ears is sick and has an incredible view of the divide where I rode today. I can’t imagine a better last night of this trip. Absolutely all time!

This morning I woke up to the sun warming my tent and the incredible view I fell asleep to. Last night the stars were incredible. It looked like there wasn’t a single black spot in the whole sky there were so many. I ate my mom’s banana bread for breakfast, which made the morning even better, and loaded up my bike like I have done so many times before... this will be the last because tomorrow I’m riding light!

The ride started with an awesome ride along the ridge with increasingly good views and then a solid climb up Sheep Mountain. The trail sort of contoured around it so once I got up to the high point of the trail I left my gear and hiked up to the top. At the top was an epic 360 degree view of one of the most beautiful and wild pieces of country in Colorado, and likely the world, so it was well worth the extra effort. I walked back down to my bike and continued on the ridge line across lightly used section of the CDT. The trail itself would disappear from time to time and reappear on softer dirt but it was mainly rideable and had awesome views. It was relatively slow going but some really enjoyable riding.

 

I kept on riding through the high country, enjoying every minute of my second to last ride of the trip. The trail dropped off the ridge for a 1000 foot descent near Hyannis Peak and then back up 1000 feet to the end of the singletrack. On the way up I got lost in the forest for a bit but just bushwhacked my way upwards and eventually reconnected with the CDT. At the top I met the dirt road and saw the beautiful sight of a weather station with an American flag waving proudly in the wind, behind it a breathtaking view of the Zirkels. I feel so proud to live in the United States and am so lucky to have the freedom to explore its expansive wilderness. After this patriotic moment I began the 15 mile dirt road descent all the way to highway 14. This went through some beautiful country and reminded me of Buff Pass. Would be worth riding dirt bikes or going truck camping there another time. I hit the 14 and turned on cruise control as the next 15 miles were pavement. After turning onto highway 40 near Muddy Pass, I finally made it to Dumont Lake where Dad picked me up and we found our epic campsite.

Dad went all out and brought turkey burgers, beers and tequila, and some clean clothes to congratulate me. I feel so fortunate for all of the unwavering support he and mom have given me throughout this trip. It has made it so so much easier both mentally and physically. It seems only fitting that we are camping together again after 21 days since we did in Durango! Boy does time fly when you’re riding the CDT! I feel ready to be finished with this mad ride across Colorado, but I will miss everything about this trip. Whether it was the solitude, the expansive wilderness, the independence from society, the time to think, the time to listen, the simple life, the adventure, or all of the intensely challenging moments, everything about this trip has made me a better man and taught me things I will be grateful for forever. It really was everything I needed it to be and I know I am better off because of it. So grateful for my good luck and safety. All I feel is love for this time in my life and this wild country I have experienced. May it never change.

Day 22 - July 28, 2020

Well it wasn’t exactly how I imagined it. Dad and I woke up to a magnificent view, but the thunderclouds were already conspiring and the weather reports did not look good for the morning. I probably would have just sent it if I was alone but we decided it would make more sense to go home, cook some breakfast and watch the weather for the rest of the day.

It didn’t feel right to be at home. I felt an emptiness inside my heart and I knew I had to finish the ride properly today or I wouldn’t get any sleep tonight. When the weather cleared around 1:00, I talked to dad and we had mom drop us off back up at the Rabbit Ears. We started the ride around 2:30 and the trails had a few puddles but the sun was out and most of the dirt was tacky and perfect for riding. Immediately I felt the weight of not finishing lift off my back, not only because my bike was back to its naked form, and pedaled through the pristine fields of wildflowers with a big smile on my face. This country I grew up in is really special and unique and overwhelmingly beautiful. The riding was about as good as it gets in my experience on the CDT and CT and with an unloaded rig I felt like I could ride anything! Dad took a solid digger and scorpioned hard messing up his back that is already messed up.

The trail brought us past four serene alpine lakes and we were the only ones in the whole area, might as well have been the world. After a few hours of pedaling we began to get close to the top of the ski mountain, approaching it from behind, and the familiar view of the Yampa Valley and the surrounding mountains became visible. Just a few short climbs and some fun flowy sections of trail brought us to the top where I gave old Buddy a touch for good luck and to say thanks.

 

It was raining pretty hard at this point and there were some dark clouds swirling but just as we got to Storm Peak the clouds blew over and a rainbow lit up the sky to the east. It was at this moment, as I looked over my perfect town that I hold so close to my heart far below dramatic skies, that the full feeling of accomplishment and closure settled in like a warm blanket being laid upon my shoulders. I made it. I did what I set out to do, and it was more than I could have ever imagined it would be. More challenging, more meaningful, more beautiful, more introspective, more everything. After coming so far through so much incredible country by my own two legs, I had a new perspective on the familiar view of my hometown and I felt an deeper sense of gratitude for the magnificent valley I call home. I took a moment to take it all in. I feel so lucky to share that moment with dad who has been a huge part of this journey and who’s support has been unwavering and generous throughout. 

It was time to start the fun part, a 4000+ foot descent down the mountain I have known like the back of my hand since I can remember. Good old Pete’s wicked trail took us down towards Sunshine where I almost ran into a black bear cub! Luckily the mom wasn’t around to make a big fuss so we continued on through the endless flowing trail, as smooth as anything I have ridden this whole trip. At the Thunderhead, we turned onto Zig-Zag where I have so many memories of biking as a kid and hooted and hollered our way through the berms and rollers until we hit the teepee. 3000 vert down and still more to go, we continued onto the final section of trail, just as fun, fast, and flowy as the last section. After a short break to eat some wild raspberries, I almost ran into a moose and her baby. We spooked them down the trail and gave them a while to get together and away from our disturbances. Seems only fitting that the first bear and moose I see, other than Joe's ranch, are right at home.

From the base of the mountain we hit the road and pedaled through some precipitation to our home in the willows and cottonwoods. This is how I pictured it, and boy does it feel good to have made it to this moment! I have been looking forward to it since before I started, and what a trip it has been. There really isn’t much more to say. I am just overflowing with gratitude for everything and everyone that made this possible, and all of the good luck I had on my journey. My heart feels full to the brim with love and contentment upon completing this crazy dream. I will never forget this experience and I look forward to the next adventure!