Sargents - Salida - Hey Bear! - Counting Wildlife on GDMBR

May 30, 2025 to May 31, 2025

Sargents - Salida

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I'd like to report that the ride up to and over Marshall Pass was easy and there was no drama in our day - but that would not be completely true.

It is true that that the road up to the Pass was a fully rideable gradient and that for the first time I manged a 3300m pass without any walking - quite a satisfying measure of improved altitude tolerance for me!

A question for the panel: Is this a fungi? or a plant?

We started in open country at Sargents and gradually climbed up into quite dense forest. We had one stop for 2nd breakfast at around half way then we were there, 27 km up, before midday. See, a ride without drama.

We didn't see any CDT hikers, but we were asked about them by a Trail Angel who had driven up to retrieve a sick hiker. (The sick hiker later turned up at our hostel and we may be sharing a dorm with him tonight. I'm hoping its altitude effects and not plague)

Lovely spring green on the way down to Salida from Marshall Pass

The downhill was as gradual as the up and we were almost at the highway when 2 things happened.

We met Ken who is riding SoBo, having started in Hartsel, and who was keen to chat; and Karo noticed she was missing a bag. In the bag is all her sleeping kit and puffer jacket. Not good drama.

Karo headed back up Marshall and I continued the roll down to Salida.

I booked us into the Salida Inn and Hostel, did a quick shop so Karo would have some fresh fruit to snack on, then moved into our room. My first visit to the room found just 1 bed, although there were 2 mentioned in the online booking

Is the child sized bed. Cozy like a tent!

Karo arrived soon after, having ridden all the way back up to Marshall Pass but not found the bag, scoffed some food and raced into town to find suitable replacement kit. A failed mission.

Salida is a small town (popn 5000) with outdoors tourism businesses across fishing, rafting, mountain biking, skiing and hiking. It also has a resident population of deer, which I was told were in town to hide from the cougars. Maybe it's true, but they are quietly wandering around browsing on residential gardens.

We elected to stay a second night in Salida, and without the sleeping gear being replaced we are confined to indoor accomodation options until Breckenridge in 2 days. Hartsel Lodge looks NICE!

Our plan is Hartsel Sunday night and our next big climb, Boreas Pass at 3600m, on Monday. The rest day should set us up well for the last, tallest peak on the route.

Today's ride: 68 km (42 miles)
Total: 1,509 km (937 miles)

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Kelly IniguezAbsolute Bikes is a must visit while you are in town. Google tells me you are only a half mile away. You might have found them already. I think Salida would be a good place for high quality camping gear. Perhaps they would have a suggestion on locating replacement gear.

Carve a little time out of your day to drink a beverage and soak up the vibes by the river next to the shop.
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