Days 36 and 37: Double Zero in Chama

Mileage: zero

We've got a dilemma: should we stay or should we go? North of us in the San Juan's is the highest part of the trail so far, all above 10,000 ft. On top of that there's been a lot of spring snow, which has swollen the snow pack from it's meager levels (one of the driest winters on record) to a lot closer to normal. The fresh snow promises to make it tough going through these mountains, especially if more storms come through in the next few days making it impossible to see.

So we played the game of talking about every single possibility. Some of these included: road walking to avoid the snow, hanging out for a week or two waiting for the snow to melt, going up to Wyoming and hiking lower elevation sections up there, and even lower alternate routes through the San Juan's.

I didn't really like any of the options available. Who wants to walk a road? Not me. Who wants to sit around and spend money on food and lodging waiting what could be a month for snow to melt or better weather to pass through? Not me. Take a bus, train, car, or plane to Wyoming? No way! None of these options fit my idea of a thru-hike and didn't really feel right for me. 

Nonetheless, each option had it's proponent. Maniac had been talking about walking roads for weeks. He simply doesn't care how he gets to Canada as long as he walks. It's a shame too, because he could do the San Juan's if he wanted - it's just a mental block with snow and cold.

Problem Bear and Commando expounded on the advantages of flipping up to Wyoming. Restless, who had hurt his ankle, wanted to rest, so he tried to convince folks to take it easy, and maybe make a trip down to the Grand Canyon or another National Park. Too many agendas, too many people trying to convince one another of something. Everyone had a motive and an angle. No one wanted to be left hiking alone.

I started looking at the weather and saw a break in the weather starting on Tuesday morning and lasting until Thursday. It was brief, but it was only 70 miles to the next town, Pagosa Springs, so that might be all we needed.

I talked to Karma, one of the strongest hikers, about it and he agreed we should shoot for that window, because who knew the next one we'd get! Plus, the snow hadn't yet started melting in earnest, so that was actually advantageous for us because it might mean less breaking through the snow as we walked. Commando was also on board briefly, until his family talked him out of it. He had literally said, "if you guys go, I'll go" but his family made him think it was too dangerous after they read his blog about our previous few days out. It was too bad because he's a strong hiker and we could have used a third person to help us break trail through the deep snow.

So, after much finagling, with all the intrigue of a good game of Settlers of Catan (I'll give you five beers if you go my route ... or for two rock and a sheep ... rock are plentiful here though!) Maniac and Problem Bear decided to walk roads all the way to Breckenridge, living out of motels and pot shops along the way. Commando and Natty decided to flip to Wyoming. Restless would rest. Lion King would take a low elevation alternate. And me and Karma would take the official route through the San Juan's.

All decided, people still endlessly tried to convince you they made the best choice. I tuned them all out reading about Grizzlies in the San Juan's. 

Of course, between talking about our routes we ate a ton, including probably the largest breakfast burritos I've ever seen (none of us finished ours, but we all said we could if we wanted to). We drank beer. We watched Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park. I updated my blog and waited for Tuesday to roll around...