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Trip Dispatch #44: Friday, July 1: Avalanche Trailhead to Harvard Lake Campsite: Other Hikers

Our riding day began with an incredibly difficult and long climb. Twenty minutes up, and we could see the road we’d been on yesterday. Guest cabins and bicyclists were soon mere dots on the road below. We met two through-hikers just below a saddle below Mt. Yale. They were quick to say that they were continuing on to Durango. The couple, a man and a woman, were wearing running shoes and had their gear packed neatly in backpacks. Side pockets held two orange poop shovels. The woman told us that there was still snow on Tennessee Pass, which meant that it was impassable.

Minutes later, we arrived at the saddle and talked for a long time with two

Climb from Avalanche Trail Head
Climb from Avalanche Trail Head

women who were out for a day hike. Other hikers appeared, and we exchanged more trail-related information over lunch. Very important: tuna and salmon now come in packets. No more carrying tin cans. Signy’s going to appreciate this.

The downhill afternoon ride was a bit long for my liking. It was steep, had a narrow ledge, and was rocky. Scary. I kept my gaze to the left because looking down to right scared me. Keeping Raudi in check was difficult. We came to a creek with a small drop off. Raudi refused to cross it, so we (again) tied her to Signy and pulled her across. Mike Murphy, a day hiker, stood behind us and watched. He later appeared at the Silver Creek Trailhead, with our tent in hand. Unbeknownst to us, it had fallen off Signy. We talked for a bit. He verified that there was water and grass at next day’s destination, Pine Creek.

Next: Trip Dispatch #45: Steep Drop Offs