Day 27 to Wood's Creek

Cassi and I have a saying that when ever we do something difficult it is "good practice". Originally it referred to suffering in the outdoors making us more ready for trips like this. Over the years it has gained broader connotations leading Cassi to come up with the above quote.

Today we climbed Gray's Peak, the highest point on the CDT and in fact the highest point on the actual geographic divide north of Mexico. The morning consisted of a cross country 3 mile traverse of the steep cliffs separating Argentine Pass from Grays. For me the class 3-4 traverse was exhilarating if at times terrifying. For Cassi it was the reverse. We had another surreal moment when we finally topped out only to be surrounded by 50 people who'd come up the traditional route from Steven's Gulch. Also our views from on top were slightly obscured. Forest fires in Wyoming and Montana made the skies hazy for the remainder of our trip. We counted another 90 people on our way down Steven's Gulch, a testament to the popularity of Colorado's 14ners.

We followed a dirt road then a paved bike path along Interstate 70. Despite being close to hundreds of speeding cars, the bike path was remarkably tranquil. We reached Herman's Gulch, a trailhead I'd driven by dozens of times wondering what it was like. We climbed quickly and soon were immersed in the backcountry. At dusk we camped in the alpine tundra on a rock shelf above Wood's Creek. Mountain goats ambled by several times through the night to check on us.