CDT - Day 53 - Marshall Pass to Monarch Pass
This morning I woke up at the Marshall Pass Trailhead, which was closer than I expected. While I was making coffee and willing myself to get moving, the sun came out and started warming up my tent.
Another hiker was camped nearby, though I never got her name. She was section hiking the Colorado Trail and was also heading toward Monarch Pass. I ended up running into her again at Monarch Crest, and we chatted for quite a while.
But back to the hike. Today was only 11 miles with about 1,900 feet of elevation gain. I usually try to make the final day of a section an easy one. Not only was today easy, it was also the most beautiful and spectacular day of this section.
The previous days had all been difficult and grueling. Day 51, in particular, was 22 miles with 5,300 feet of elevation gain. Instead of hiking through miles of forest filled with dead trees, today I was up on the ridgelines with epic 360-degree views. It reminded me a lot of last year when I was hiking several 14ers. The Monarch Pass Trail is very popular with mountain bikers. I had to step off the trail at least a dozen times as bikers came flying toward me. I have no complaints, though—they were all very friendly.
After 11 miles of hiking, I reached Monarch Pass and treated myself to a giant burrito and a cup of ice cream at Monarch Crest. While I was there, the CT hiker from earlier showed up. A CDT hiker named Jukebox also arrived, and the three of us spent some time chatting about our adventures.
To get into town, I texted a local trail angel who provides shuttle rides around Salida. She drove me and another hiker, Tenacious, into town. I had actually met Tenacious a few weeks ago, so it was nice to reconnect and catch up on our adventures.
I'm now checked into one of the few hotels that still had rooms available. In fact, I had to book two different hotels because availability was so limited. It turns out the FIBArk Whitewater Festival was happening this weekend. I was lucky to find a room at all.