Snakes, Steam Engines, and SNOW!

Shake, Rattle and get the heck away from here!

As Scarecrow and his Warrior Hiker friends left Chama, New Mexico they knew they were headed into some pretty wicked weather.  They knew it would be cold and snowy, but they did not anticipate what was to come for them ahead.  They were able to find a nice campsite under some Aspen trees before continuing on into what eventually became impassible terrain.

Scarecrow was very excited about seeing the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad - click here to read about it.

I couldn't wait to ask Teddy if he got to ride this tourist train - it was something he was looking forward to.  After speaking with him, he said it did not work out at the time they were in Chama, but their new plan of hiking may allow him to revisit the opportunity at a later time.   I do know that as Scarecrow heads further North, towards the San Juan Mountains, he and the Warrior Hikers are creating a plan to tackle the upcoming harsh weather.  This must be a picture of one of their meetings... Hey guys, it doesn't look too snowy yet.

 

Jabba, NO2, Paul, Greyhound, & Scarecrow

Scarecrow was very excited to enter into Colorado.  Not only is that about 770 miles of the trail hiked, but he is moving closer to some of the areas he was most looking forward to, such as Grays Peak, located in the Southern Rocky Mountains, which is the highest summit on the CDT, reaching over 14,000 feet.  The trail running through Colorado is well marked in most areas, according to Wikipedia,  and spans some 650 miles.  However, there are some stretches of the Divide that have no distinct marked or named trail, but Scarecrow is using Jonathan Ley maps to help him navigate.

Finally in Colorado!

As the hikers hiked on from Cumbres Pass, the conditions were terrible.  Two of this hiker friends exited the trail 10 miles North of the pass, but Scarecrow and NO2 hiked onward.  They walked through a forest field, post holing in 12+ feet of snow, moving as slow as 1 mile per hour.  It was extremely frustrating and exhausting to say the least.

The next few pictures will show just how deep they were in with these ridiculous conditions.  The selfie to the right looks as if there is almost no snow on the ground and no snow near the base of the trees.  Well, Scarecrow explained, that is bark and needles that have fallen from the trees, resting on the top of the snow covering.  I couldn't get the full idea until I saw the picture of what he was actually walking through.

It still did not look too bad, because the picture really looks as if Teddy was just crouching, until you see his walking stick in his hand.  It began to set in that the snow was actually upwards of 15+ feet, and they were trying to step through this mess, never truly touching the ground, but however deep their legs would sink in. Teddy explained, his leg would step down deep into the snow, with snow shoes and all, he would step forward, try and pull his other leg out of the depths, and move forward.  Exhaustion and frustration set in for both of these guys so they decided to turn around and went back to Cumbres Pass.

Once they returned to Cumbres Pass, the received a ride from a trail angel named Paul, back to Chama where they would stay overnight.  I am sure Scarecrow slept like a rock that night.  The next morning, the hikers went to breakfast with their trail angel Paul and then attended his Rotary Club meeting with him. A huge shout out goes to the Chama Rotary Club, as they treated the hikers to a great lunch.  Scarecrow asked for me to recognize how generous and helpful Paul was while the hikers were in Chama - a true trail angel you are, providing transportation and assistance where needed.  THANK YOU. 

Scarecrow explained that when they were traveling along at the lower elevations, they would see a grassy field, like in the picture, but once they went along the trail up into the mountains, the depths of the snow were unbelievable.  The trees in the next picture are about 40-50 feet high, but it does not look that way from here.

If you notice, in the exact middle of the picture there is a "stick" jutting out of the middle of the snowy field.  Do you know what that stick really is??  Scarecrow explained it is a 4x4 post that is 5 feet high showing hikers where the trail is.  Maybe that will give you an idea how crazy it was for them hiking through that, and why they decided to turn around.  Although their plans of hiking North were about to be redirected, the hikers are still in good spirits.  Scarecrow's new hiking plans will be in the next post.  Loving your "sunset selfie", Scarecrow :)

Until next time,

The Thruhiker's Wife