We have now past the halfway point in our Colorado Trail hike and will be taking our first day off from hiking in the small town of Salida, CO (13 miles east of the Colorado Trail).
Hiking has been great and the weather good (except for last night’s rain, but that mostly happened after we set up camp).
On Saturday we stopped for a meal and hot shower at Mt. Princeton hot springs because it was 50 feet off the trail. On a Saturday the place was busy, busy. Deb found the women’s shower room packed with about 25 women and children – she recommends you try to get there on a weekday instead. The market had sandwiches and burritos making our resupply easy.
Our hitch into Salida was so easy since we talked to a mountain biker on the walk down to highway 50 and he offered a ride without being asked. We are staying at the Aspen Leaf motel for the same price as the private room at the hostel (which had no availability for 2 nights.)
Water has been plentiful with many more seasonal streams running that are not listed in the data book, so we’ve been mostly carrying a liter at a time.
We are happy, well, and having lots of fun.
LonCooper.com 
2 replies on “Salida”
Hi Lon and Deb, I know just where you are! So glad to hear that you’re enjoying your hike which sounds like terrific fun. It was exactly ten years ago that I started where you are now and headed south. Didn’t quite finish due to my hiking partner’s injury, but sure did see beautiful places, especially above Creed and to the west of there. If you can take time to go into Creed, you’ll find it very interesting, with an extremely good little theater group. We were near there when we learned of the Hurrican Katrina disaster.
If you see Mt. Princeton again, please wave to my brother. We scattered his ashes there a few years ago as he had climbed all the fourteeners and that was one we could all reach the shoulder of.
Happy Hiking, Jan
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So glad to read your posts…. I’m in Beckenridge following behind!
Sent from my iPhone
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