Cjell Mone (pronounced Shell Money) joined us today. He claimed that we were his heroes and that it would make a young boy’s dream come to true to ride with us. But we all know who the real legend on the divide is.
We met up at the Tennesse Pass Cafe, for a late lunch, Cjell having ridden over from Vail. We had taken a superbly lazy morning at the hostel. We watched ‘the tour’ and chatted with the many other guests. They ranged from a young family out touring dirt roads, to a retiree acclimating for weeks of CDT trailwork, to Leadville racer geeks. All very cool people that were fun to talk to, minus perhaps t he 14er braggart (what is with it with hostels and 14er braggards?).
The weather was threatening but did not look like anything serious, so we pedaled out of town on the highway. Rejoining the CDT at Wirtz ditch was a good call — just great, great trail.
With Cjell along we picked up the pace a bit on the downhills. There was mucho descending, so it was to good effect.
As we pedaled along we chatted all things bikepacking, divide and thru-hiking. Cjell pointed out a waterfall that both Ez and I had missed on our various CT trips and races. He has thru hiked the CT and the PCT, making him a rare person that has insight into both the bikepacking and thruhiking world.
Camp is a tiny ways up the Kokomo climb. I’m really looking forward to getting up there again since it was the section that first introduced me to alpine riding and got me hooked. It’ll be a good bike pushing section to get up there, but well worth the rewards.
I still can’t believe the luck we have had with weather so far. All my memories of the CT in this area involve storms…. whether touring, racing or watching the races. It truly feels like a gift.
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