Two days of rest and relaxing

CDT36

30th May Tuesday

Two days of rest and relaxing

It’s the second night in Chama in a real soft comfortable bed with hot running water for a shower.
Yesterday I relaxed, spent the morning and part of the afternoon in the dinning room where the hotel supplied breakfast.

The hotel where we stayed

For breakfast I kind of pigged out, many cups of coffee, couple of bowls cereal and then there was the bananas on toast with cream cheese. Man I felt good after and very full.

Coal-fired steam engine train
We made our way into town which was about a mile away and after a takeaway coffee we went accross the road and made a booking with the tomorrow’s train trip to get us back to the trail head. This was no ordinarily train but a Coal-fired steam engine train on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The main engine when up close was dirty, Smokey and loud, and looking at the carriages had the old look to then but I’ll have a closer look tomorrow.

My main goal today was to get my packagers from the post office, should be three of them, ice axe, crimpons with a box of food to last 4 days. Then there is the other package I have been really waiting for, my new GhostWhisper down jacket. It should have arrived in Cuba while I was there 9 days ago and it didn’t and the post master there was kind enough to re foreward it to Chama where i am now when it did arrive as i had to get back on the trail.

Waiting in the post office for my packages

But all but the jacket was there when I check this morning. After an hour of investigation it turn out that it hasn’t even been sent yet. I purchased it through Amazon so I was on the phone to see what my option were. Best option was to cancel and reorder, I didn’t want a refund back onto my credit card as I’ll lose money with the buy/sell exchange rate difference so she put it ad a gift card on my Amazon account. The good new is that, once I got my full refund, the same jacket at a different supplier was on special at a 70 dollars discount. So it turned out good and in four-five days time I should get my jacket.

Workers sitting outside the train station having a break..

Tonight we attendied an avalanche course which was good timing before we venture into Colorado and into the San Wans with its high snow full for the season which we hope is now safe to cross. The training was very informative with things to look out for and the best times to travel. So it looks like the best time is when it’s the coldest with the snow bring the hardest and that’s very early morning just before sun rise.

There were about 20 of us attending the course all with the same goal of passing through Colorado on a particular path given to us with GPS points, there are options along the way if the pass is to dangerous.

Tomorrow we start on the trail again and after having 2 nd a half days rest I’m really keen to try out my new ice axe, crampons and knee height gaiters