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Elk Park/Animas River to the middle of nowhere
CT Section 24 and 25.
Highlights: Animas River, Molas Pass, Little Molas Lake
10.6 miles
Greg enjoyed his first train ride on the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. He did not enjoy the climb from 8,900 feet to 10,900 feet at Molas Pass, in the heat of the day. His pack was heavy, and his knee and ankle were bothering him. And did I mention it was hot?
I felt abnormally great. The heat and bugs were annoying as expected, but I felt strong. I did get my usual altitude headache above 11,000 feet, but otherwise I was feeling good.
Thunderstorms passed by to our south throughout the afternoon, but we only got brushed by the raindrops.
With the late start from Elk Park (11:20am), we got only 10.6 miles in today, and set up camp above a saddle at 11,600 feet. We are on a kind of hilltop with a 360-degree view of the mountains. A truly idyllic spot. We enjoyed our Mountain House meals and the view, and of course a fire. Then the clouds cleared out for a beautiful, cool evening.
