45: Mt. Princeton and its Hotsprings
Wow, what a lovely afternoon. After the quick and efficient pedal into Buena Vista this morning, I picked up my resupply and stopped by Black Burro Bikes for some new brake pads (yup!) and a little derailer TLC. While the bike was getting some love, I treated myself to a Beyond Burger and beer at Eddyline, then a mighty good cup of coffee and a pecan pie snack at the coffee shop next door. With my bike in good shape for the next thousand miles (not sure I’ll pass another bike shop between here and the end), I celebrated with an affogato, then pedaled three hours to Princeton Hot Springs. After a luxurious soak in their stream side pools, I pedaled another hour uphill to a lovely campground where I found level, flat ground for my tent and a pile of wood ready for the fire I’m now enjoying. Life is good!
The Colorado Trail (CoT) continues to serve up delightful and very ridable miles. Tomorrow I’ll leave the CoT to rejoin the CDT for a high elevation stretch to Monarch Pass, where the two trails rejoin.