Monarch Pass, Continental Divide

Descending the slopes of the Rio Grande National Forest, I began the 90-mile (144 km) journey to the magnificent Monarch Pass. It should take me about a week, and along the way, I’ll climb steep ascents, wander through a volcanic wilderness and experience some of Colorado’s best mountain views.

The first stage of the journey to Monarch Pass took me through the La Garita Wilderness. Though this stunning landscape was created by volcanic eruptions, the fire and brimstone of that ancient landscape seem very remote right now; the area is a picture-perfect Arcadia, with soft green grass speckled with wildflowers dressing the slopes. 

Days later, I skirted the summit of San Luis Peak. About halfway through the day, the sky suddenly darkened, and within minutes, it was pouring rain. I quickly took shelter in an alcove on the slopes. The gloom suddenly lit up as I saw the first flash of lightning cross the sky, and then, about 3 minutes later, I heard the boom of thunder. My worst fears were realised - I’d been caught in a storm.

Storms are very common in this part of Colorado, and they’re even more common in late Spring. I had to act quickly. A 3-minute gap between thunder and lightning meant I had a reasonable amount of time. I made a beeline down the slopes, heading for the forest, careful to avoid any isolated trees. The wind swept against me, and the rain lashed down diagonally. Every few minutes, lightning blazed and thunder crashed, the interval between the two rapidly closing. 

Soaked to the bone and now running at a heavy sprint, I reached the forest. I headed for a dense thicket of small trees and put up a tarp for shelter. I sat underneath it, soaked to the bone, slightly miserable, but safe. After an hour, the oppressive pressure lifted, the rain thinned out, the air became lighter, and the birds started to sing again. I breathed a sigh of relief, dried myself and continued to Monarch Pass.

To reach the magnificent Monarch Pass, I hiked up 11,312 ft (3,448 m) through the southern Sawatch Range. Monarch Pass is actually one of three mountain passes named ‘Monarch’ on the CDT, but this one in Colorado is the most famous. Even now, in late May, snowdrifts about 6-10 ft (2-3 m) high still covered the summit, and the view of the Southern Sawatch Range, with its snowy peaks and glittering mountain rivers, was truly unbeatable. As I munched an apple and enjoyed the view, I got talking to a local named Hal. He told me that way back in the 1930s, a road was built through the pass, and the Federal Government decided to rename Monarch Pass to Vail Pass in honour of the head of the Highway Engineering Department.

This didn’t go down well with the locals, who refused to recognise the change. When their protests fell on deaf ears, they launched a guerrilla campaign against it. Hal told me about his father, who would hike around the pass with his friends, spray painting any signs that called the area ‘Vail Pass’, replacing it with a graffitied ‘Monarch Pass’. Eventually, the government relented, the rebels got their way, and Monarch Pass retained its original name.