GDT Day 30 - Luders Creek CG to Pentitente Canyon

GDT day 30 Luders CG to Pentitente Canyon

Sat. Aug. 27, 2016

Start - ~10000'
High pt  10166'
Lo pt  7900
End Elv ~8000
Climbing 2300'

Miles 47.2
Total time 7:10
Ride time 5:30
Day with BOB 28

Good morning sunshine! After a number of wet and cold mornings, we are on an east facing slope, not in a valley, and no clouds to obscure to sun this morning. It is a classic Colorado mountain morning, with the sun warming us and the camp, if a little crisp from the cold front.
Today's leg looks to be a modest day, with two long down hills with a 2000 foot 11 mile modest grade climb to Carnero Pass in between.

So all looks good, on paper at least.
The thunder gods have a different plan as it turns out.

The downhill from Cochetopa Pass, Luders Creek area is fun and I start entering more southwestern like terrain, with rimmed canyons and mesa like mountains starting to show up.
A 6 mile stint on Colorado Hwy 114 brings me to the 11 mile climb. Wandering through the valley low lands is nice, but I note the clouds are building. I start the climb in earnest, and I hope the clouds do not do what clouds are wont to do. I escape their destiny for but a short while before the rains start about half way up. I hide for a bit at the beginning, hoping that it a short shower, and have some sustanence to bide the time. After 20 minutes or so, what the hell, got my rain gear on and therain looks to be a little lighter, so I restart. The lighter rain lasts but a teasingly short time, before becoming heavier. Another pine tree is my rain shade protection for a few minutes. What the hell agian, restart riding. The thunder gods are apparently not pleased, and this time they return with hail. I find an excellent hiding tree and escape the hail, but not the rain. What the hell, not getting any warmer under the tree, and restart yet again.

Next verse same as the first.

The rain slows and then stops as I approach the summit of Carnero Pass. I change out of my wet riding clothes for the long downhill to Pentitente.
I meet Richard fishing Carnero Creek right by the Coolbroth Canyon Gateway rocks. We share a beer and stories of the day, so far. I had been looking for a place to stop and wring out my wet socks, and avail myself to this on this break. My feet are warmer with no socks on at all, even on this cool and cloudy day. Richard has scored a spot at the Pentitiente CG, so I take my leave and continue the fast downhill to La Garita and the canyon.
The canyon is in a very southwesterny landscape, with pinon, and weird rock formations. Neale  and Richard soon arrive as well as Jim, a friend from Durango up to ride the loops at Pentitente with us.
The weather doesn't hold and we are forced to have dinner at the 3 Barrel Brewery in Del Norte, where the heavens open up in a sustained downpour.

GDT Day 29 - Sargents to Luders Creek CG

Fri. Aug. 26, 2016

Start - ~8400'
High pt  10067'
Lo pt. 8100'
End Elv ~10000'
Climbing 2100'

Miles 49.2
Total time 7:00
Ride time
Day with BOB 27

The clouds where back this morning, after a shower over night, re-wetting the tent and gear that kinda dried out yesterday's sunnier morning and afternoon. We packed up camp, rolling up tents and tarps wet. Richard and Neale shuttled me back to Sargents so I can continue where I left off on Wed. They then got themselves showers, hot breakfast and went fishing.
It was sunnier at Sargents, but still cool as I descended toward Gunnison, but with a headwind as I cruised down US Hwy 50. I left the close forest behind, and entered hilly sage lands again. But as the norm here in Colorado, I always had forest skirted hills and mountains ringing me not too far away.
Exiting US 59 at Doylesville,  good gravel county road is the rule for the next 26 miles, not counting a short strech Hwy 114. This is a lightly used part of Colorado and there was very little traffic along the way.  Fortunately, the clouds never got their act together enough to rain on me, and the sun actually was warming during the midafternoon, a nice change of pace from the last several days.
I met one fellow rider today, Dick from Iowa. I caught up to him when he stopped for lunch. I had a slight niggle of familiarity, but thought nothing more of it. We chatted again at the top of a local rise, and again at the bottom of the climb to Cochetopa Pass. Here we realized that our paths had crossed before, last November. Dick was the ranger interpreter when I stopped by Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument last November for a guided tour of the ancient dwellings.

After topping Cocheropa Pass, it is an easy 2.miles to the campground, I am first of our group and start setting up; later Neale, and then Richard arrive and a dinner spread is setup by Reeshard. My buddy Dennis shows up to camp with us as he is heading west on a couple week tour. We have all biked together multiple times in Utah, and warm friendships are renewed around the warmth of Neale's cooking fire.

 

Monarch Crest - Rest Day 😆

Thurs. Aug 25, 2016

Despite expectations after a couple of days being socked in and raining, Thursday dawned clear and sunny. Richard rousted the camp with the glad tidings, and we commenced preparing to ride the crest after all.
On the trail at 9:30. It was clear and sunny, but chilly has we climbed over the side of Mount Peck, but the climb kept us warm. Being midweek, there were few others out enjoying the trail, though a number of backpackers were met as this section is also part of the Colorado Trail as well as the Continental Divide hiking trail.
We pushed on steadily as we did see clouds forming to the west. Decided to do the leg over to Silver Creek and the great single track there. Neale and I had just started the Rainbow trail, when Neale's derailleur was viscously attacked by a stick and damaged. Fortunately, it was good enough to get back out to the Silver Creek road and scream down to our campsite.  Just in time as those clouds finally caught with us and it was a rainy camp night again.
Still, it was over 20 miles of backcountry trail riding topped off with 4+ miles of road back to camp. All riders thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Once back, it was a quick change of clothes and then off to Salida for repairs and dinner at the Poco restaurant.

GDT Day 28 - Silver Creek to Sargents

Weds. Aug. 24, 2016

Start - ~8700'
High pt  10842'
Lo pt  8450'
End Elv ~8450'
Climbing 2200'

Miles 30
Total time 5:00
Ride time 4:30 ??
Day with BOB still 26
Another Continental Divide crossing #15

Drip drip drip, gurgle gurgle, gurgle. These are the sounds that greeted me this morning; waves of light rain dancing across my tent, accompanied by the slowly changing melody of Silver Creek, a song that never stops.
As I drift into consciousness and think about plan B, which has me riding over Marshall Pass to Sargents today, rather than doing Monarch Crest on a cold and soggy day. Richard and Neale would go fishing and scouting in the Sargents area and pick me up afterwards and shuttle us back to Silver Creek for another try for the Crest on the morrow.
But as I lay there in the gray and watelogged morning, suiting up for the 13 mile climb and 30 mile ride seems like not such a brilliant Plan B, more likely a hypothermia story destined for the nightly news. But no plan C emerges, so I roll over and drift in and out of sleep, floating along on Silver Creeks melody, dreaming of drier options.

But one cannot ignore reality for long, and the camp stirs into action. The rain is slowing down, food and caffiene is taken and raises both spirits and motivation. I am going to do it, despite mentioning a need for a plan C to my compatriots. Fortunately we need not break camp and load up the BOB. Given the adverse weather potential on top, I will ride sans the BOB and it's weight today.
It is drizzling just a little as I leave and soon stops. The old railroad grade is bicycle freindly, especially for a trailerless rider today. There it twists and curves as it gains steady altitude,  the south facing slopes are more sparse and sage filled with rwgular dense aspen groves that envelope me on the gray day. I does start raining about half way up, and that is my company until the last couple miles of the pass. I meet a pair of shivering CTD hikers from Texas at the pass looking for an out of their week long hike. Alas for them, there is no cell service here. I share map and exit options info, and ride on.
I have a 17 mile down hill to Sargents, and the rain has stopped. The ride goes through some wonderful country, loads of aspens groves, some stopping abruptly, collared with sagelands below their lovely lines. The road is in good shape, though occassional patches of mud keeps me on my toes, even with out the BOB.
The tail end of the ride has me following the much meandering Marshall Creek. I believe I saw a point where it meanders.UP valley for a short while. Sargents is a forgotten and funky little hamlet, still reliant on transportation, now it being US Hwy 50, while it was the Marshall Pass rail line of old.  A little tour of the remaining town shows a few remnants of its more vibrant past. On a more modern point, if I had stayed here, I had an option of staying in a Teepee at the Tomichi Trading Post. Not for this trip as I wait inside its cafe for Richard and Neale, and have a coffee and slice of pie while I try to dry out.

GDT Day 27 - Ute Creek dispersed campsite to Silver Creek on Marshall Pass

Tue. Aug. 23, 2016

Start - ~9450'
High pt  9450'
Lo pt Salida
End Elv ~8400
Climbing 1500'

Miles 25
Total time 6:00
Ride time
Day with BOB 26

I took it easy this morning, knew I had a downhill ride into Salida, where I would do some grocery shopping and catch lunch. Pixked up some food at Safeway and some backpacker meals at the friendly Salida Mountain Sports downtown. I had a couple of slices of pizza and a fresh beer at the Moonlight Brewpub and pizzaria. Then it was off to Poncha Spings and the climb up Poncha Pass to the Marshall Pass road.
Did  stop at Hgh Valley Sports to inquire out shuttle opening for Monarch Crest, and to download the weather forecast for Monarch Pass - not promising as one icon actually had snowfalkes and rain in the weather icon!  Also ran into a former work collegue, Boon, who had just finished riding the Crest for the first time.
Once at Marshall Pass road, it is only a few miles to the Silver Creek camping  area, where I would meet a couple of biking friends from Durango (Richard and Neale). Alas, my good luck with the weather ran dry as I got caught in a rainstorm that did not really stop. I hunkered down to wait it out as passing  afternoon storms are not uncommon here, but this one turned out to be more persistant (as in all night). I needed to get dry and get  some protection on, so finally I broke out the tarp I had carried for nearly 1200 mies so far. Once this base was established, I setup my tent, changed out of wet biking clothes and cooked dinner under the tarp, dry, full, and happy.

Richard and Neale showed up after fly-fishing scouting on the other side of Poncha Pass. While setting up and sharing appetizers and beers we discussed a plan B that did not have us riding the Crest above treeline for miles in the bad thunder storm weather forecasted for Weds.