Journey Day 448 | CDT Day 111

Shady look in front of abandoned lodges, Twin Lakes, Colorado.

10/3/87

Up lazily. Relaxing night on a feather bed under a warm comforter. Down to excellent omelette, home fries with fresh dillweed. Assemble gear, bid all at the inn goodbye. Sad to leave, but they're headed for Lake Powell.

Hit store-post office, then begin bushwhack through swamps around the lakes. A truck aids me in getting across one feeder. Find road to road along bank, which peters out around the first lake. It's a beautiful, sunny day.

Government sign posted around abandoned resort, Twin Lakes, Colorado.

Follow bank, tracks past old fisherman and son, then find Colorado Trail again, which leads to Interlaken, 1879 vintage lake resort of Dexter. Talk with young mom and kids waiting to circle lakes, old Lakewood couple.

Abandoned school for Dexter, failed resort, near Twin Lakes, Colorado, 1987.

Then on, soon at point, unsure of trail, bushwhack up jeep road over ridge back into what seems like Wyoming sagebrush country. Across ranches, follow power lines back into forest. End up too high, long descent past working mine shaft, down to gate advertising Colorado Trail, forest entrance.

After wandering field, off on wrong trail, climbing ridge on steep path that ends at powerline, intersect what turns out to be the Colorado Trail, but before progressing, follow it back to an obscure trailhead.

Push hard to make miles, realize waterless, so hike into darkness, recalling (last night's) Tom's story of a hike off Massive by the moon. I follow the trail through the woods on a ridge until a creek, where I bivouack under the stars, cook, eat from a spot a few feet from a babbling brook.