Colorado Trail Days 6 & 7 | Average Hiker

Sleeping In…

Time slipped by so slowly this morning as I lay watching the grey sky lighten under the edges of my tarp-tent. The Snowshoe Motel would not let me check-in until 2PM, and I was only 2.5 miles out of town, so there was no use in starting early. I finally got up at 6AM.

Most noticeable on this morning’s hike was the smoke. It’s wildfire season in Colorado and there are some large ones this summer. Last I counted, there were five of note in the state. The one near Grand Junction is supposed to be over 100,000 acres.

I’m hoping this means I will smell smoked, which is better than my current perfume.

Moose

Rounding a fairly sharp bend we both came to an abrupt stop. I slowly began backing up as her ears twitched back and forth and her baby peered around her side at me. Mother moose are one of the most aggressive mama’s – right up there with grizzlies.

Backing away a good distance I stopped and watched her watch me. After about a minute she moved slowly off the trail and began grazing. Her calf slowly followed her off the trail, watching me more carefully, and began doing the same. It was a wonderful encounter that I captured from a distance with my zoom lens.

Frisco

Getting into Frisco was easy. I came down through the subdivision and walked over to the highway. I did not follow the trail under the highway. Standing on the highway I looked down to my left. There was a bus shelter on my side and one across the highway. The one on my side would take me to Frisco, and the one across the highway would take me to Breckenridge. I’ve gone into a little more detail here since Guthook is not all that clear.

I stayed at the Snow Shoe Motel that night, and the next day before heading back out. The motel was in the perfect location, right in the center of town. There was a good breakfast place – the Bread and Salt, that I think I went to three times! The first time I ordered two breakfasts. The second 1.5, and the third I did not have to wait in line to be seated. 🙂

Other than that, Frisco was a pretty straight forward visit. The motel was fine. The laundry mat was a block away, and everything I needed was consolidated right there in the center of town. It was a good town stop.

Note the creepy red town scene below. That was caused by the wildfires.