July 7, 2021
Vanlog, White River National Forest near Breckinridge, CO
It is always great when driving cross country--especially on solo trips--to meet up with friends along the way. Last night I moochdocked in my former student Charlie's driveway in Boulder, CO. This morning, we left his house around 7 AM for a hike along part of the Continental Divide Trail (or CDT). Our hike was to the summit of Mt Flora, which has an elevation of 13,095 ft. It was a 6.4-mile round-trip hike with 1800 ft of elevation gain, so a solid hike to say the least. I was definitely sucking wind and taking my good old time on the way up. Beautiful alpine wildflowers, some yellow-bellied marmots, a dead deer carcass, a fox, mountain lakes, snow packs, shiny granite rock, a field that literally looked like a scene from the Sound of Music--this hike had it all.
After lunch back at the van, we drove over a mountain pass (with brake lights coming on because I hate going downhills in the mountains and pump my brakes too often) and sat by a lake near Frisco, CO called Dillon Lake. Despite the frigid temperatures, it felt good to immerse and bathe in nature. It felt so refreshing after a long day of hiking! Then we went food shopping and drove to Breckinridge CO, a very nice upscale neighborhood and beyond to the White River National Forest, where we found a pulloff in an aspen grove off the main dirt road into the forest to boondock for the night. Some of these boondocking (or dispersed camping) sites that I have had on this trip are unbelievable! I mean, this is what vanlife is all about--having incredible views out your window all for free. Public land. Take advantage of it, folks! Charlie cooked us salmon, potatoes, and asparagus for dinner and we sat and watched the sun fall behind the mountains. A quality end to a quality day!
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