“Son of a Bitch” – Nathaniel Ratliff
Hands down, today was the hardest hike of the trip so far. We woke up early as usual, maybe even a bit earlier. Molly rejoiced in the fact that there was a Starbucks nearby for a morning latte and I had a cup of coffee. Then we made the quick drive up to Aspen, geared up, grabbed a couple extra poop bags since they were being offered for free, and hit the trail.
The Conundrum Creek Trail climbs just under 3,000 total feet through a mountain canyon in a bit over 9 miles to a hot spring with views back down the canyon. It’s been a while since we’ve been on a hike this long, steep, and at altitude. At 11,200 feet it certainly isn’t too high, but we haven’t spent much time over 8,000 so far this trip. We were actually all a bit amazed at how quickly the first four miles passed. The biggest part of the challenge was the last mile. Of course it came after having hiked the previous eight with a giant pack on my back so that probably should have been expected. It also climbs nearly 1,000 feet making my disdain for it feel justified.
The views the entire way up were outstanding. We passed through areas of ponderosa pine, aspen, flowery meadows, swamps and more. There were mountains forming a corridor for us to walk along on both sides of the canyon. The biggest highlight of the day may have been spotting a pair of moose grazing together in a calmer area of the creek. They weren’t far from us, which was a bit concerning, but the bigger one just took a few moments to size us up and went back to his meal.
As we finally approached the hot springs Molly started freaking out about naked 20 year olds partying. We decided to hike the last 100 or so feet to scope out the situation. We found three women friends and a couple from Boulder – all in swimsuits. There was a topless woman leaving as we arrived, but she was older than us and didn’t look like much of a partier. In fact, I didn’t even have time to sing a verse of “Naked Hiker Woman” before she was gone. Tally up one for the women though, so far you’re outnumbered about 100:1 in hiking nudity.
We spent some time relaxing in the springs. We drank a giant and delicious beer we’d picked up at the brewery in Telluride (a bourbon barrel aged IIPA). I even got a compliment for my engenuity in chilling it in the river before drinking. Sadly, the hike had taken its toll on me so I wasn’t feeling up to enjoying much of it. I was able to enjoy the warm, soothing water and view back down the canyon we’d just climbed.
Tonight we’re camping about a half mile below the springs. When we got to our site we set up tents and took a long rest. Eventually we decided we’d better eat something and get our gear organized. There’s now just a slow patter of rain on the tent as we settle in to write and read our posts from the day.
