Gained and lost elevation

Since our campsite may not have been completely legal we wake early and pack up before 8, despite going to bed for 9pm it still feels early. The morning is a pleasant enough 2000ft climb through canyons then up to slumgullion slide and campground where we meet Hwy 149. The actual route climbs another 1000ft then joins back up with the trail, we are running very thin on supplies so have to give up the elevation we fought so hard for to decend down into lake city. The decent is stunning with endless views of the san Jaun range and a bonus moose sighting. A few kms out of town peters rear tyre explodes leaving sealant all over the road and his bike, a half hour and two tubes later we are back on the road on our way to second breakfast. Sadly we miss the cut off for breakfast but lunch at Melty’s is fantastic and the coffee of decent too.  Best thing about the cafe is the fast wifi which we take advantage of and loiter a full 2 hrs booking hotels, calling home and getting internet things done. After lunch we amble around the adorable little town window shopping before its an appropriate time to have lunch and beer... except we skip lunch and just have local Colorado beer. A few beer in we vote on a plan. A involves a 5000ft climb back out of town then up onto section 22 of the Colorado trail. This plan is quickly vetoed when we read bike packer reviews of section 22 and 23 which describe it as very pushy. Plan B is to take the back road route over cinnamon pass at a bit over 12,000 ft. Still a substantial climb only with a lot less (hopefully none) pushing. We are told it’s a spectacular route and we will get a first hand view of the power of avalanches. 

We opt for plan B and stock up on some super pricy groceries then head out for Williams creek BLM campground. It’s an enjoyable 12km ride out of town towards the pass, passing beside the second largest natural lake in Colorado (its still pretty small) then meander along the river past high bluffs, unstable looking shale slopes and adorable cabins. 

The campground is home to monster RV’s but the host is lovely and gives us a heads up that there are two bears in the area who have been getting up to no good lately. With this information we put extra effort into a good bear hang but end up having to highline the  packs because there are no suitable stand alone tress. The first attempt is a failure as the pulley rope cuts through the 2mm cord we are using. The next configuration uses two carabiners for leverage and glide and we are able to pull the packs up to relative safety.... the morning will tell how well it worked.