Journey Day 426 | CDT Day 89

View from the Huston Park Wilderness, Sept. 11, 1987.

9/11/87

Up about 7 a.m., pack up. No food box, but Gregory parts. Change over, mail back old ones. Arrange box forwarding. At breakfast, biscuits and gravy and ham. Talk with seasonals who have Carl's money. Good AT connections, Arizona girl, one met Michael P. Jones (with whom I climbed Mt. Katahdin on A.T),two from Pittsburgh. Eventually out of there, realize bottle of water loose. Minimize damage, pissed about box. Hike out to road, immediately catch a ride with with a guy and his son to the pass, where we follow a road, then trail into Huston Park Wilderness.

A sign announcing the border of the Huston Park Wilderness in 1987.

Great hiking, pines, nice ridges, parks over past Huston Park.

Upon the Divide, excellent views to Mt. Zirkel area and other parts of northern Colorado. Once lose trail, but I find by cairns on a ridge. Then down circuitous route, which eventually fools Carl and me when we stop to photo aspens, changing on rock - yellow and black contrast. Also Mt. Zirkel. We yell, near Leonard and Laurie. We move towards them, although Carl ends up going another way. We wait, go back, go on, then go search again. Go on with trail amazingly still on ridge, although Hog Park Reservoir is below, a nearby road. After ridge climbs, bushwhack down ravine when realize trail not headed to campground, we come out near dark by a road. Ask guy in a pick-up, says the campground's 150 yards away. Road doesn't match, campground actually a construction camp. Passersby little help. Turns out the road, campground, reservoir have been changed by project bringing water across the Divide to Cheyenne, Wyo.

We talk with several before the boss Okays us camping there. We get water, pitch in dark, cook, then crash as cold hits. Carl comes up as we're going to sleep. We'd planned to go back to Encampment, alert the authorities in the morning.