Continental Divide Trail – Day 56

July 18, 2023
Miles Today/ Total: 22.0 / 964.1

I slept real good again last night and was up and ready to go before 6:00am. The trail left Tin Cup Pass Road and began a gradual ascent back up to the east side of the divide. It was a little over 2 miles to the top and 1840’ of elevation gain. The trail circled around the valley below and continued to gain elevation.

The trail was high on the east side of the mountains for about 7 miles. As I created each ridge I was presented with another gorgeous view. As the trail continued to climb high on the mountain side there were several patches of snow to traverse. Trail traffic had wore a good trail through the snow and I proceeded on without incident.

Eventually the trail reached a pass and crossed from the east side of the divide to the west. The pass still had a large snow cornice on the east side and I had to make my away around the cornice to cross over the pass.

There were more magnificent views on the West side. The trail once again stayed high on the mountain side and followed the mountains toward Cottonwood Pass. The trail crossed the divide and followed the ridge line several times over the next 5 miles.

I reached the Cottonwood Pass parking area about 3:30 and continued on across the road. There was a slight climb to the ridge line and then the trail began a descent into the South Texas Creek Valley.

The trail was very nice in this section and meandered through the trees. The trail eventually crossed Texas Creek and continued downstream following the valley. As I approached Waterloo Gulch I found a real nice campsite overlooking the creek. I collected water, set up my tent, and unfortunately was chased inside my mosquitoes. I was unable to enjoy this fantastic campsite.