Animas River Colorado, CO  Animas River to Little Molas Lake

“If you want to forget all your other troubles, wear too tight shoes.”~The Houghton Line

August 16, 2004. We get up and have breakfast while enduring a very cool breeze this morning. There is a definite damp chill in the air. We start at 9:15 A.M. after breaking camp, and cross the Animas River. The easiest river crossing yet, as there is a nicely constructed bridge to walk on.

Quite a Bit Higher 1/2 Hour Later

This morning’s hike greets us with an immediate climb of over 1,400 feet in the first two miles. As we start the climb, it was soon apparent who todays leader was going to be. It was not I, Souper Tim, Jill, or Chevy. Yes, it is Carol, who is apparently being fueled by thoughts of Margaritas in Durango. My note from the time says she is smokin’ on the climb out of the canyon. Chevy is managing, but still limping at times. As we climb, we get great views down the Animas Canyon and our campsite from last night. I am still struggling with my pack and my feet are bandaged with moleskin and not doing so badly on the uphill. We finally top out after about 30 switchbacks and an hour and a half of steady climbing.

Meadow at Top of Ridge

We come to a meadow where we take a snack break and a few pictures. The clouds seem to be building a bit earlier than the past few days, so we don’t linger too long. At the other end of the meadow, we climb steeply again to the top of a ridge. I am really starting to hurt in my shoulders and I adjust my pack once again. Carol has graciously taken some weight from me and yet she is still moving at a breakneck pace out ahead of me. The views are nice but for me, it is all about pain. My pack is really killing me and I cinch it as tight as I can get it, to take the load off my shoulders. This in turn hurts my hips and is still mighty uncomfortable. The others stop for a short break, but I ramble on past as I just want to reach the Highway 550 crossing. I have decided that I will leave the pack near the crossing and walk unencumbered for the last mile. Finally, after some more climbing, I get to a spot near the highway where I take off the pack and sit down. I can’t believe how much pain this pack is causing me today and I am glad I made it to this point. Soon, the others catch up and we all decide to leave our packs under a tree and walk lightly the last mile. We get up, cross the road, and start to walk when I realize the keys to the truck are still in my pack. Jill volunteers to go back and we push on slowly. Storm clouds are building and when Jill rejoins us, we pick up the pace.

CT Caravan

We make it to the truck at 1:10 P.M. and celebrate. We have hiked 5.4 miles today with a total ascent over 2,000 feet. We started at 8,920 feet and our high point was 10,977 feet. The moving average was 2.3 miles per hour and the overall average was 1.4 miles per hour, mostly due to me. We have ended about .75 miles into Segment 25 at Little Molas Lake. But most importantly is we all made it and are looking forward to Durango. Of course, we have the long drive over Cinnamon Pass to Carson Saddle and back before we can enjoy our accomplishment. The drive is long and uneventful. We see some bighorn sheep and deer along the way as well as some houses high up on the divide, with no apparent way to them, other than walking. We finally get to Durango at 7:00 P.M., check in at the hotel, and enjoy nice hot showers before we go out. Segment 23 and 24 Miles Hiked  35.9 Segment 25 Miles Hiked  .75  C.T. Miles Hiked  270.8.