Colorado Trail Day 4: 19 July 2018
/I awoke early and lay in my tent hearing the morning sounds come to life – birds calling out their high pitched cries, squirrels scampering up trees, insects commencing their drone-like buzzing. Morning had arrived. It was time to pack up, have some coffee with breakfast and begin the hike to finish Segment 3 and hitch into Bailey Colorado – our first town stop and resupply. The thought of a shower, bed, clean clothes, abundance of water, town food ignited a surprising amount of energy within me. I was ready to go before Julie and Ed. We agreed to meet at the Buffalo Creek Campground - 2 miles ahead - which reportedly had public pit toilets but no running water. I arrived first with Julie close behind. The trail up to this point had been relatively easy with gentle ascents and descents. I found I could hike faster in the cool morning air while absorbing the breadth of the thick pine forest that surrounded me along the path. Ed soon showed up with Frank, an older experienced hiker that we had met on day 1 and had seen numerous times along the trail.
After our pit stop, we all agreed to meet at the next reliable water source – Buffalo Creek - where we would filter water for the final climb. I kept thinking about that final climb as I made my way downward toward Buffalo Creek. I knew that it would be hard hiking from 7448 feet to 8279 feet in about 4 miles – a steady climb. But I also knew that at the end of this climb would be the road to take us to Bailey. And I kept that thought in my mind as a beacon of hope. I know it was only day 4 on the trail. But I was already starting to feel the effects of hiking in the heat – no appetite, constant sweating and feeling thirsty, dry lips and mouth, exhaustion and complications with breathing in enough oxygen as our elevation continued to increase. And something else was beginning to bother me at night. I could hear my pulse and beating heart ringing in my ears – a constant rhythmic beat that would accelerate without notice when sudden adrenaline would release into my body. Where was this coming from? Should I be worried? Up until now I had tried to avoid dwelling on it. But after the 3rd night of experiencing this strange physical phenomena, I knew that something was perhaps raising my blood pressure. I would have to research it when we finally arrived in Bailey.
After filtering water at Buffalo Creek, I set off before Julie and Ed to tackle the final climb. I have never listened to music or books on tape while hiking. But at the advice of Julie, I decided to put in my earbuds and listen to music to hopefully take my mind off of the 4 miles upward. And it worked! Yes, the climb was very hard. But the sounds from my earbuds filled with favorite songs and artists soothed the miles ahead and I found myself hiking with gusto! I wasn’t exhausted midway through. I was actually smiling! I thought to myself that I can do this. I can hike this trail and make the climbs and feel accomplished. And soon my loss of appetite will resolve and I will be able to eat at dinner without forcing myself to take in much needed calories. I will stop worrying and starting really enjoying the experience of being on the path.
When we arrived at the trailhead, I was bursting with joy. Yes! We made it and now we can spend the evening in a small mountain town called Bailey! We saw one of the New Hampshire men at the trailhead along with another thru hiker that we had met the previous night named Jeff. The New Hampshire hiker was alone. He informed us that one of their crew had become very ill that morning attempting Segment 4. He was able to crawl back to the trailhead where he was picked up in a car to be taken to the nearest doctor. It was very upsetting. Jeff had arranged to be picked up by the local hostel. We had made reservations to stay at the local lodge - Bailey Lodge. When Jeff’s shuttle arrived, Ed inquired with the driver to see if there was room for 3 more tired hikers. The driver said he would take us for $10.00. We all agreed and piled into the car for the 8 mile drive along a bumpy dirt jeep road toward Bailey. Bailey is a small mountain town of approximately 8000 people with a few restaurants, a post office, gas station with a small convenience store, laundromat, an outfitter and a scattering of other small stores. It’s pretty tiny with one highway road cutting a concrete path down the center and a lovely flowing river cascading nearby. The surrounding mountains hover over the valley creating a high scenic backdrop of beauty.
Arriving in Bailey, we were dropped off near the laundromat on the edge of the town. Here, the driver informed us his fee would actually be $10.00 per person for the 8 mile drive. Ed paid him. While we were very grateful for the ride to town, we were left a bit stunned by the $30.00 ride. The laundromat was incredibly old with ancient washers and driers. We purchased two small boxes of Tide and within minutes we had a full load of wash in process. Julie and Ed walked to the nearest restaurant – The Rustic Station – to get some lunch. Not being hungry, I agreed to finish the laundry.
We then stopped by the US Post Office to pick up our resupply boxes followed by a quick stop at the local gas station convenience store where we found a ride to the Bailey Lodge 3 miles away from the center of town. After checking into our 2 bedroom suite, I set about completing town chores - washing my cook pot, cup and spoon, back washing my water filter, recharging electronics. Soon I was in the hot shower letting the water wash my dirt and sweat covered skin. I pick up the bar of soap and breathed in the cleanliness. The experience was amazing – becoming clean again after 4 days of dust, sweat and grime. I immediately felt better as I pulled on clean clothes and rested on the bed, my eyes closed, my breaths quiet and calm. After 30 minutes, I pulled myself from the bed to meet with Julie and Ed. We needed to review our resupply, plans for the next few segments and then decide what to do about dinner. I was now finally feeling hungry. The town was 3 miles away. Not wanting to hitch and certainly not wanting to walk, I set out to find the hotel clerk to inquire about getting a ride. I was given the name and number of a Bailey resident – Lorraine – who might be willing to drive us into town. And sure enough, Lorraine was enthusiastically willing to take us in! She suggested we order our food when we were ready. Then she would drive one of us to the Rustic Station, let us pick up the order and then drive us back. And that is exactly what she did. Lorraine turned out to be a bountiful source of local information, advice and positive reinforcement. I agreed to ride with her to Bailey. She greeted with me genuine warmth and spoke almost non-stop on the way to the Rustic Station. Along the way I was regaled with stories of locals, the best place for breakfast, a history of Bailey and her own life living there for over 40 years. She knew all the local gossip and quipped the expression “telegraph, telegram, tell Lorraine!” After picking up our order - and Lorraine’s order of something called Tacorama Thursday – we headed back to the lodge. Lorraine agreed to pick us up in the morning and take us back to the trailhead. When I offered her money for the transport, she declined. She explained that she loved hearing about hiker’s adventures and it was her way of giving back.
After we had eaten dinner, we made a plan to sleep in till 8 then get ourselves back to town to mail a bounce box forward to Jefferson and another forwarded to Breckenridge, have breakfast and then head back to the trailhead to begin Segment 4.
Segment 4. A huge climb was awaiting us for the first 8 miles of Segment 4. As I closed my eyes for the day, I tried not to imagine how difficult the climb would be. I tried to relax in the luxurious comforts of the bed covered with clean sheets and a warm quilt. I tried to reassure myself that I had properly hydrated since arriving in Bailey. We were now over 8000 feet. Tomorrow we would climb to over 10,000. And tomorrow would be here soon. So I just let my exhaustion take over and pull me into sleep.
