Me, on a grassy slope near mile 2.5.
The sky-blue stream at mile 17.
One of several grassy, cliff-edged meadows near mile 7.
Looking back on Cascade creek, at mile 14.7.
A stream crosses the slickrock trail at mile 5.3. (Looking back towards Denver side.)
I didn't learn to eat mushrooms until this segment, when no less than two sets of travelers pointed out tasty varieties. I noticed something interesting, once I started picking edible mushrooms. I began paying much more attention to the trail -- to its moods, its microclimes. It was no longer something to pass as quickly as possible on the way to the next view, the next resting spot or landmark, but rather something to examine and to savor. Eating off the trail changed my relationship with it -- something that people who fish more successfully than I have no doubt discovered long ago.
Also, that faint edge of fear -- will this kill me if I eat it? let's see! -- is pretty entertaining, too.
The terrain here is some of the most fantastically varied and lush that you'll see. There's a great deal of wildlife, too. I camped in a beautiful, cliff-edged headwater canyon at mile 7.5. As usual, that night I woke up, in need of the restroom. I grabbed my light, crawled out of the tent, and discovered two glowing eyes peering back, not ten feet away. I retreated, post haste, tried to keep quiet. What a fool I'd been, leaving food in my tent! Was the creature after my oriental-flavored Ramen? I'd defend those noodles with my life! For the rest of that long night, the fearsome beast stalked around my tent, its footfalls audible. It even licked the rainfly a couple of times. All the while, I grew increasingly desperate. Finally, near dawn and on the point of bursting, I grabbed a hiking pole (a poor weapon, but I carried nothing else with which to fend off wild bestial monsters) and bolted from the tent... only to find a young and rather bemused mule deer doe, which watched me for a time, then sauntered away.
The trek up to Rolling Mountain passes through high alpine fields, but shortly thereafter you'll find near-rainforest conditions, with thick mats of moss on the ground, great old trees, and eerie blue streams. If you have extra food, it's worth taking your time in this area for photography, reading, or just napping in the sun.
Watch out for those mule deer, though. They'll be coming for your soup.
Two tiny lakes, visible from the trail at mile 5.0.
Small purple orchid-like blooms.
Small purple orchids crowded this segment.
At long last, Rolling Mountain, from mile 10.8.
Pair of peaks, visible from approx mile 15, which resemble the CT logo. ;)
Someone got a little enthusiastic with those trail markers!
Suggested corrections to the databook:
0.2
This segment was astoundingly rich in mushrooms, edible and otherwise, both of great variety. It also hosted some of the most lush flora and ecological zones of the trail. It's well-worth lingering in many places.
1.5 - 4.0
The guide- and databook make these little roads sound complicated; they're not. intersections are clearly marked, and it's obvious which way the trail heads, anyway, as it will be the most well-worn path. Still, keep aware of your surroundings. I found numerous springs and streams in this area, the day after rain.
5.3
This stream does, in fact, flow over slickrock at the edge of a cliff. So be careful. There's a picture above, though it doesn't show the main part of that cliff.
10.2
The engineer trail sign was damaged, but you can still see that engineer trail heads left/straight. The now-unlabeled trail, to the right, is the CT. You'll see more markers just a little further along.
10.5
There are several very pretty lakes here... and also, a old shovel blade. Just in case you need to dig a hole, I guess.
12.0
The valleys west of Rolling mountain feel primal, very thick and very green. High water made some of the stream crossings a little dicey -- plan to get wet.
14.7
Not here, though. The bridge is a very good one -- though I wouldn't lean against any handrails. There's camping uphill, just before the bridge. After the crossing, make sure to look back occasionally, for the view.
15-16
Though there was evidence of past trail washouts, there was no water running here when I passed. The trail has been methodically and carefully built to withstand flooding.
17.0
The 'camping' promised here in the databook was not so great. The most logical field in which to put a tent was soggy, the next best place was a sliver along the trail at the edge of a cliff. In dry years, the camping might be fine, but I ended up moving along to 17.3, where there were (informal) flat spots and a very tiny seasonal stream. The water here, by the way, was an eerie sky-blue hue. Tasted good, though.
20.1
Turn *left* on a very large dirt road. There were deep ruts and lots of puddles and muddy bits, so the going isn't so easy as you might imagine. Follow the road longer than you think you should, until you find a trail breaking away to your left. (The marker was stolen, but it's the first large, clear trail you come to.) This trail heads slightly uphill, into some trees with campsites, then downhill to the lake.
The elevation profile for this segment is essentially correct. The grades are not (usually) quite so bad as they look, though -- this is just a somewhat long segment.
----> Onward, to Segment 26!
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