So. We were going to take a zero at the Anaconda hostel and rethink and plan.
But then we talked with people who had post holed at six miles a day not that far north of Anaconda.
They had decided to fly home and wait two weeks for more snow to melt.
Their trail Angel offered us a ride to the Butte Airport. Husband drove Buck Fifty and his hiking partner to Helena.
Wife drove us to Butte where she had errands.
SNOTEL shows southern Colorado has melted. Northern Colorado has an avalanche warnings as it melts too fast.
So, no zero. Instead Butte -> Salt Lake -> Albuquerque-> Cuba. Happy Six has a friend who can drive us tomorrow while the bus and train both aren’t running for the weekend.
Then we hike Cuba -> Chama -> Colorado. We are back on the NOBO route. We will keep hiking to Rawlins then flip to Lander and start north from Atlantic City.
Yes. We could have just gone straight there instead of believing bad trail reports, but we’ve had good lessons, and things have melted a little more.
Colorado will be ready for us to hike when we arrive. The trail is finally (I hope) sorting out.
TSA at the Butte airport was wonderful as were the gate agents.
We are on our way.