Excited and lost of focus at work; that’s what I get when I think about an upcoming backpacking trip. This last section hike was no different. The clock struck 4PM on Friday and we were on our way out for another segment hike of the Colorado Trail. This time, with our neighbors from the RV park.

We parked at Kenosha Pass in the lots right off 285 without an issue. We strapped our backpacks to our backs and got going. The goal was to hike 5 miles to a dry campsite for the night but we made it to Johnson Gulch by 8pm that night. This water source was flowing great!

On Saturday, Bryan and I woke early and started hiking towards segment 5. The bugs weren’t an issue. The trail itself was great, and the elevation had us in awe with great views. We cross a few stream before re-entering the Lost Creek Wilderness. There was a few cattle so we made sure our water was well treated. All these sources had crystal clear water, unlike Johnson Gulch which was slightly yellow. We had to hike 8.5 miles to connect with segment 4. We had lunch there and turned around to hike back to our previous night’s campsite. We had left our tent up that morning since we knew we wanted to hike, at least, all the way back to this point. This way, we saved on some pack weight and it made our 17mi hike much easier. We arrived at the campsite by 4pm.

We had dinner bug free despite being next to a water source. In the distance, we could see a dark cloud coming towards us. By 7pm, a loud thunder cracked through the sky and in a matter of seconds, hail began to pour on us. The hail and rain along with roaring thunder was above us for a few hours and by nightfall, I fell asleep to the sound of rain on my tent. Ah, so peaceful…

On Sunday morning, we met a few thru-hikers that had started a few days prior. We started hiking a bit after they hiked past our camp but quickly caught up to them. Five miles goes by quickly when you are listening to an audiobook and/or podcast.

When I arrived back at Kenosha Pass, I saw two hikers hitching a ride. I was hoping to give some trail magic but couldn’t leave right away without leaving a note to Bryan and our friend. As soon as Bryan arrived, I told him to hold on tight, and that I was going to give them a bump to the town of Jefferson, a few miles below Kenosha Pass. At least there, these hikers would have a bathroom, a coffee shop, a gas station with a bunch of goodies and potentially a better luck a hitching another ride to their destination of FairPlay. Funny enough, one of the hiker was from Wisconsin. Small world!

Wished I had more trail magic for the other hikers around. Maybe next time! Until then, I am hoping to squeeze in another segment hike before we leave for Phoenix in September.

Happy trails!