Brian’s Microblog

August 01, 2026

Julie woke up early but read her book in bed while I slept until almost 6:30. A couple people hiked past the tent before we got up. It was windy off and on overnight but our tent was well sheltered. Someone woke up very early with the moon shining through the trees and casting shadows from the aspen on the tent.

We made hot drinks and ate some protein bars, then got on trail a bit before 8:30. The trail stays high above Junction Creek for miles, winding in and out of tributary canyons. At one ridge we could look back and barely make out where the trail crossed the big talus slope the day before.

Eventually the trail crosses a ridge and follows a different canyon on an old road bed, gradually working its way around some ridges back to the Junction Creek canyon. With it being Saturday there were a lot of mountain bikers on the trail and a few side trails.

We found where we had five miles of trail remaining and took another “1%” photo.

There is a bench above a cliff called Gudy’s Rest in honor of Gudy Gaskill, the woman who instigated the Colorado Trail. We stopped there for a bit and talked to a woman with a couple of cute dogs.

The trail switchbacks down to Junction Creek and crosses it on a bridge. Then it follows the creek on the east side down to a couple of trailheads, one near the large Junction Creek campground, and finally the one where the Colorado Trail ends.

11.5 miles of trail over a bit under six hours. We made it!

We talked with an older couple in the parking lot who were waiting for their son to finish the trail. They said they would give us a ride, but they were going up to the Junction Creek campground so it would be the wrong direction. We walked down the road towards Durango with our thumbs out. There wasn’t much traffic but before we made it a mile a man and his daughter and two dogs picked us up. They were really nice and took us straight to our hotel even though it was out of their way.

We checked in to the Fairfield Inn & Suites a bit before the 3:00 check in time with a very friendly desk person. They have a laundry room so we were able to get most of our clothes clean while we showered.

Afterwards we walked across the Animas River to the downtown area and went to Steamworks Brewing Company. It was busy but we got a tasting flight while we waited for a table. The beers are better than many, the food was tasty, and we came back with a 4-pack of their Lizard Head amber ale.