Adventures

Day 22: Dry Norte

As we approached the last town in Colorado, the first sign for route since we started in Banff was spotted

Cochetopa Pass (5 July 2019) Carnero Pass was the high point of the day. After we dropped nearly 4,000 feet in just over 10 miles from camp, we faced recovering all of that elevation plus a dry rolling terrain in route to Del Norte.

My spirits soared when Carnero Pass was topped and the moment was celebrated with a snack. When Mikki appeared, he let it be known that the did not share my enthusiasm for the rocky climb. The day was already warm when Mikki and I departed the top of the pass together.

Worry set in as the reality of my water situation became clear. With only two small bottles of water and a liter of potentially tainted water, my supplies were insufficient for the trip to Del Norte. The liter was filtered after the clean water exit of my water filter was dropped into some algae-covered water. It was probably just fine but the more I thought about it, the larger it loomed in my mind. It would not be the first time a Divide rider went home early due to illness from tainted water. After I shared my concern for the water I carried with Mikki, he suggested a simple solution -- filter the water again. That was genius and made me happy because the filter was meticulously cleaned the night before using hand sanitizer. Not gaurenteed to be free of pathogens of course but it served a more important purpose -- it put my mind at ease over drinking this much needed water. Nearly the entire liter was rescued and the bottle the water was in was retired until it could be cleaned well in Del Norte. Of course this move merely made me comfortable drinking the water I carried, it was still an insufficient quanty for the hot, dry trip to Del Norte.

We lost track of Jim. It was unclear whether he was ahead or behind. Mikki soon biked ahead as I was starting to struggle. The small climb seemed overly difficult. Every cell in my body wanted to stop, as water rationing had taken a toll. That was when this short 65 mile day turned into one of the toughest days on the Divide.

Mikki was happy to have Carnero Pass behind him

The rolling terrain ahead was parched. There was no sign of a creek or gully where water might be found. My supplies were perhaps just enough for the remaining 30 miles to Del Norte, provided the rationing continued. Unfortunately, rationing had failed to sustain me. I was failing and was not completely aware of it. All I knew was every pedal stroke was difficult. I wanted to stop, lay down and curl up in a ball somewhere.

There must have been a pained expression on my face as the pedals were slowly turned. When a motorcyclist saw me he stopped. His name was Gunner and he was touring the Great Divide route. He traveled here from Germany where he lives. He immediately asked me if I needed help. I told him I would be okay and was just suffering because I needed to ration water. He kindly offered some of his. He had a large reservoir of water on his back and despensed half a liter into one of my bottles. This improved my outlook tremendously! We talked some more about what was ahead for him, in particular Marshall Pass. I imagine he enjoyed the long rocky climb on his motocross-sytle motocycle emensely.

The extra water dissappeared much too quickly and it finally dawned on me that dehydration had set in. Just ahead, a building with a large solar pannel was spotted. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that this was a pump house for trailside water. After navigating a slight rise to reach the trailhead for hiking, the pump was investigated. The lever was turned with anticipation but nothing happened. No sounds were coming from the pump house. It was clearly a nonfunctional tease. Immediately, I regretted downing the remaining water in a bottle prior to turning the spicket. It was apparent that I was not thinking clearly.

Del Norte could be seen in the valley below but it was a longer ride than expected

It was a drudge as I pedaled ever closer to Del Norte. With more than 10 miles to go, just a swallow of water remained. It was enough. I would not be in serious trouble but everything was hard. My body just wanted to stop. Suddenly and surprisingly, Mikki appeared from behind. I last saw him pedal away from me ahead on the course. He diverted off route to the small town of La Garita and found water. There were no shops but a woman in her yard offered up her garden hose. Mikki shared some water and after a nice long drink, my spirits were restored.

Mikki and I enjoyed riding toward Del Norte together. One section was just crazy fun as the road we followed degraded into a sandy jeep road. The road was more like a double track mountain bike trail as it dropped away from the surrounding hills. It twisted and turned with humps that provided a fun whoop where one could get airborne if desired. It was joyous.

The whoops section of the road ended with a climb to a ridge. At the top, we stopped and enjoyed the view of Del Norte below. It seemed like a happy arrival on what was for me, a trying day. After we dropped off the ridge to the roads below, it became apparent that the route was not done with us just yet. It zig-zagged on the approach to Del Norte which added unexpected and unwelcomed miles. Nevertheless, we made it to Del Norte by mid afternoon.

To my surprise, Justin Heckman was there! I thought he was days ahead. Unfortunately, he was in Del Norte waiting to get rescued. Apparently, he was overtaken by the thought of the hot dry conditions ahead. He decided he was not prepared and made the decision to end his Tour Divide in Del Norte. The rest of us relied on an unjustifiable confidence -- especially in my case given my experience that day.

Mikki and I sat down for a meal at a mexican restaurant in town and were joined by Max Bloomfield. He was also supposed to be a day ahead, I thought. It was great catching up and I was very tempted by his offer to join him as he prepared to ride into the evening. The few times I rode in the evening toward darkness were very enjoyable. I wish I could say his offer was declined because rehydration was the priority but I was not that smart. I declined his offer so that the climb of Indiana Pass could be made fresh legs. Indiana Pass is the highest pass of the Tour Divide and I was really looking forward to the long hard ride to the top.

Mick used trackleaders to track me down in Del Norte

A friend tracked me down using TrackLeaders and joined us at the bicycle hostel. Mick found us as we were getting settled into a great place for cyclists on the Great Divide route. We had dinner and talked about the route. He lives in Del Norte and was happy to share our experiences. It was a wonderful and unexpected experience. Speaking of TrackLeaders, we used it to discover Jim stopped at a lodge on the other end of town.

This day stood out in my mind as one of the very toughest days on the Tour Divide. Yet the numbers, 65 miles and 3,177 feet of climbing, suggest it was one of the easiest. The really puzzling thing was how unaware I was of what was happening to me. Clearly dehydration was taking a toll but at the time it seemed like it was the conditions. It shocked me a bit when I wrote this page and discovered that it was only 65 miles. I'm so grateful for the people that offered help. The water Jim gave me in camp made the attempt possible, water from Mikki came at the perfect moment and I'm especailly grateful for the water from Gunner which saved me from a death spirial. I hope Gunner felt that the preview of the route ahead provided in exchange was worth it. One thing was certain, that experience made me determined to do everything I could to keep my water supplies topped off.

Elevation Profile for Day 22

On to Day 23