Category: Walking

Hiking

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Walking

Twin Lakes

Along the Colorado Trail
Wildflowers
Aspens
Lon
Deb

Greetings from the small community of Twin Lakes, Colorado. We have now hiked 175 miles of the Colorado Trail with 309 miles remaining.

The hike is going well and the weather has improved. It’s been three days since any significant rain has fallen.

We saw a red fox this morning from our tent site, Deb’s second sighting of a red fox since she saw one strolling through the town of Breckenridge.

Last Saturday on our second day in Breckenridge we slack packed from Copper Mountain, 14.4 miles back to our hostel room at the Fireside Inn (a great place to stay!) The day’s 10% chance of rain turned into 100% by the time we had 6 miles remaining to make it back to our room. Thankfully we had a shower and hot tub waiting for us! We both really liked Breckenridge and talked about a longer stay there someday.

We still haven’t seen any moose or elk or cougar or bear. The alpine meadows have been mostly quiet.

The Colorado trail itself can get quite steep, especially in the wilderness sections where the grades don’t have to make the mountain bikers happy (bikes are not allowed in the wilderness sections.) Deb is nick-naming the trail the “calf-burner.” The other oddity of the trail is the high treeline – it seems we have to be higher than 11,000 feet before we have expansive views.

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Walking

Breckenridge

Deb navigating near the Continental Divide.
Above Breckenridge
Trail side wildflowers.
Breckenridge

Today we passed the 100 mile mark in our hike and we arrived in the resort community of Breckenridge, Colorado.

The Colorado Trail gives up any pretense of being a wilderness experience here as the trail drops down from the mountains between a mobile home park and a condominium complex to a bus stop on the outskirts of Breckenridge. (The mobile home park was nicer than any I have seen with many of the mobile homes built like log cabins that surrounded a small lake).

Feeling it best to adapt to our new surroundings, we checked into the lovely Fireside Inn Hostel, showered, washed clothes, and sampled one of the many restaurants. Deb has made plans for us to “slack pack” the next 12 miles of trail.

Slack packing is hiking without carrying a heavy backpack full of camping gear. Tomorrow we will catch the free shuttle bus to the Copper Mountain ski resort and walk the 12 miles of Colorado Trail back to Breckenridge for another night of luxury at the Fireside Inn. On Saturday we will resume backpacking from Copper Mountain.

The past few days have not all been luxury. A few days ago we crossed over the Continental Divide for the first time with a long strenuous climb to just shy of 12,000 feet.

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Walking

Colorado Weather

A thunderstorm on the way.
A thunderstorm on the way.

The weather has been interesting on the Colorado Trail. It rains every day like clockwork at three PM — except on the days it rains at noon or five PM or during the night. The thunderstorms usually don’t last very long, but they can be pretty exciting with lightning and loud thunder and sometimes hail. If you are planning on hiking the Colorado Trail bring some extra socks, it’s a challenge keeping them dry.

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Walking

Colorado Trail: Waterton Canyon to Kenosha Pass

Deb in an Aspen grove in the Lost Creek Wilderness
Deb in an Aspen grove in the Lost Creek Wilderness

We have made it 72 miles on the Colorado Trail to Kenosha Pass where we are making a quick stop in the small town of Jefferson to resupply.
The hike has been wonderful so far and we have met quite a number of fellow hikers who are hiking to Durango. About 15 hikers were camped the first night near the South Platte River Trailhead.

Rain showers have appeared like clockwork every day but we haven’t used our heavy rain gear yet except umbrella and poncho. Luckily yesterday’s heavy rain fell after we were snug in our tent. We are feeling the climbs but are keeping up with some younger hikers. We feel exhilarated and exhausted but the scenery is SO worth the efforts.
Photo: Deb in an Aspen grove in the Lost Creek Wilderness.

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Walking

Day 174

Monument 78

Day 174: September 23rd
Mile 2653.8 to Manning Park, BC

This morning I walked the final six miles to the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail at the Canadian border where I found Deb waiting for me. She had camped at the trail camp about 2/10 mile into Canada.

We celebrated briefly (along with a handful of other hikers who arrived at the same time), took a few photos, and drank a tiny bottle of Champagne that Deb carried in.

Deb and I then hiked eight miles to the Manning Park where we had a late lunch and checked into the lodge.

2,660 miles of continuous footsteps from the Mexican border to the Canadian border are done. The hike has been an amazing journey that I have thoroughly enjoyed.

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Walking

Day 173

photo16
Tbe Northern Cascades along the Pacific Crest Trail.

 

Mile 2635.9 to Mile 2653.8

Today was my last full day of hiking and I ended up camping just six miles south of the Canadian border.

I encountered a surprising number of hikers returning to Harts Pass (nearly 20) walking southbound back to Harts Pass after reaching the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail. Hikers sometimes choose not to go into Canada for various reasons, but instead just touch the border and go back south for 30 miles and exit at the first road.

Everyone was in a happy mood as most hikers were hiking fairly easy low mileage days through beautiful country with lovely fall colors. Everyone was congratulating each other as they had just completed the PCT or were about to the next day.

Mileage: 17.9