August 14, 2024
8.5 miles, 1000′ gain/3100′ loss
I was awake at 5:40am and hiking by 6:10am. It rained a massive amount overnight, flooding the inside of my tent with more than a cup of water. But I was fine, knowing that I didn’t need to camp out again tonight. I made great time, arriving at the trailhead by 8:45am, after chatting with locals out walking their dogs – Richard and his dog Tramp (a rescued Brittney Spaniel) and Maggie with her dogs Spring and Lily (also rescue spaniels).
It was a bittersweet finish, without fanfare. The signs were the same as dozens of other trailheads I’d passed by, and it was just a parking lot with a privy. But it was the end of my trail so I made the most of the moment. I solicited a ride from a trail runner who finished just after I arrived, and he was willing to drop me off in town, right at the Durango Diner. I walked in, saw a large group of CT thruhikers, and asked if I could sit with them. They agreed and it was nice to just be part of a crowd of hikers for a while.
They left for the airport shortly after I finished my meal, and I wandered town, collecting one of my rewards for finishing the CT – a patch and sticker from the visitor center. I then got some groceries and wandered towards the local laundry, where I met Pickle, and she recognized me from the 2022 PCT. I spent part of my day with Songbird, Youngerberry, and Deals. I met up with Charcuterie, Pie Top, Gold, Crossroads, and Scraps when Pickle and Granny took me to get my free (root) beer. I then hung out with their 5-person tramily for the day; we went to the chocolate shop together for our free chocolates and wandered town. Later, I went with them to an Indian restaurant for dinner, out for ice cream, and then hung out in my hotel’s hot tub until it closed at 10pm. I ended up getting breakfast with them the next morning, before they all headed out of town.
I then hung out with Pickle and her tramily for the day, before heading to the airport the next morning to pick up my rental car. As it happened, Youngerberry and Songbird needed a ride back to Denver, so we split the cost of the rental and gas. We had a 6-7 hour road trip together, and then I hung out with Songbird and his friends for the evening, crashing on his living room floor for the night.
The next day, I did the driving tour of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, then returned the rental car after dropping off my backpack for storage at the airport hotel. I met up with friends to explore the Denver Zoo and get dinner, then settled in for the night before catching an early hotel shuttle to the airport to fly home.
