Segment 5

Long Gulch to Kenosha Pass



Cows, out happily besmirchin' the water supply.


The views past Johnson Gulch seem endless.





Segment five meanders along from dry hillsides to merry little streams to flower-crowded hilltops with sweeping views... of South Park. That last fact alone provided me endless entertainment for a solid two days. This portion of the trail seemed to have its own share of characters, too – a gentleman who chose to hike in a kilt and nothing more, a man training rescue dogs to pull sleds and cross-country skiers, two riders on gorgeous matched palomino horses who gave me carrot sticks and pretzels (thank you!), and even a little yellow bird which rode my atop my pack for a couple paces (evidently I substantially resembled a buffalo.)

I dropped by the little town of Jefferson for a little more food and some iodine tablets -- I bought their only bottle. Sorry. The general store/post office is a marvel, managing to pack an enormous range and variety of goods into a dimly-lit area the size of a Peace Corps volunteer's mud hut. Their locally baked goods are divine after a week on the trail – be sure to pick up a couple bricks of homemade fudge. Hitching into town was quick, and the gentleman who picked me up even took me back out to the trail – thank you, Kirk!



Indian paintbrush, among a multitude of other wildflowers, was in full and riotous bloom.


An... unusual marked cairn on the last couple rolling hills near Jefferson.


Columbines were in mass bloom towards the end of the trail.





Guidebook update suggestions:

4.7
Camped here, on a little rise between ‘seasonal' streams, all of which were burbling happily.

7-9
There were strange noises occasionally throughout this segment, something like sucking up jello through a straw. At long last, I discovered what this was due to. Emitting that noise, two military planes came roaring over a hill and down a valley, hugging the treetops.

8.4
Johnson Gulch was full of cattle – the water there did, ah, not look clean. That's a pity, for the next seven miles were indeed without other sources of water.



The elevation profile was roughly correct for this segment.

----> Onward, to Segment 6!