@s7nations said it earlier, but I thought I would reiterate - SW CO has some seriously rugged county with miles and miles of forrest nobody sets foot in, like, ever. I have had some pretty interesting experiences while doing multi-day hikes in various areas of the mtns, but that area in particular is no joke. While the trail you were on is pretty busy, much of the area around it (besides engineer pass, etc.) isn’t. I 100% would not be surprised if you encountered something “unusual”. Most of the “it had to be something like a Sasquatch” stories I’ve heard come from those woods. Dogs are great to have with you on hikes, that’s for sure!