On the way back down, we found a better source of water where a big snow pile was slowly meting and running across the trail. I dug a little hole where we could put our water bottles to fill them up. Thank god for Aqua Mira drops. Makes this nasty water safe to drink.
The next day we hiked out. It was around 10 miles and the group knocked it out quickly. Everyone was ready for a shower. The views the entire way out were spectacular though.
Getting back to the Benchmark trailhead and parking lot. It’s still 2 hours of gravel roads to get back to civilization.
We drove for 2 days to get back to Denver. Saw over 20 deer/antelope in fields along the side of the highway over those two days. We had an afternoon to kill in Denver, but it was supposed to be over 100 degrees, so I wanted to do something inside. My bright idea was to do the Coors brewery tour because the reviews are great and I went there as a kid. But on further reflection I figured parents would be miffed at me. So we searched around and saw that Celestial Seasonings also gives tours of their factory. It was actually pretty cool, but photography is prohibited. The smells in that factory are unbelievable. especially when they open the sealed mint room and let you step inside. My eyes watered the mint was so strong. You exit through the gift shop, and the fact that they made me wear a beard net means that I had a legit beard.
