Author: magrilless

Stats:
Distance: 4 legs, 9 segments, 20 days, 156 miles
Best food: chicken noodle soup with grilled cheese
Wildlife sightings: rabbit, and we heard coyotes young across the valley

Day 15:

Holy humidity, Batman! But on the other hand, no rain until after dinner. So it was a good day!

What it really was was a climbing day — whoo, doggy! We camped 2000 feet higher than where we started, but somewhere in the middle we lost a couple hundred feet too. We were persistent, though, and made it a mile further down the trail than we had originally thought we would.

We set up camp in a meadow, just a bit below tree line, with a stream bubbling past, while evening thunder made us cozy in our little warm dry house.

Day 16:

Apparently we weren’t quite done with our climbing. We still had about 1,000 ft of elevation to gain. Whoo, doggy!

We did eventually get to the pass between Peaks 5 and 6. Just in time for it to … sleet! Oh brother. But, again, no danger of lightning, so we were just annoyed and made our way quickly down.

It was a huge downhill to the highway at the Copper Mountain ski area, and we were motivated by the thought of nachos and noodles and ice cream and beer at an umbrellaed table.

When we got there (yay!), everything seemed perfect for a nice long break. Our food came, our water glasses were full, and we surreptitiously took our shoes off under the table. Then it started to rain. Hard.

Things seemed so unpleasant, I even looked at getting us a room at the resort. But the universe spoke when something went wrong and my reservation couldn’t be completed, and the sun miraculously came out.

We grabbed some special snacks to help motivate us, and walked a mile to a clandestine campsite, and it didn’t rain a drop all night.

Day 17:

Did I mention climbing? Today we Climbed, with a capital C. It was the hardest day yet.

We climbed to treeline. Then we climbed to Searle Pass. Then Pie saw a marmot and dragged Tessa head first down the tundra. (She apologized later after a stern lecture.) Then, guess what? Yep! It started to sleet!

So we climbed up as quick as we could to Kokomo Pass, just as we heard the first thunder claps. Then we climbed down fast to treeline just as the rain began in earnest.

Whew! We went downhill fast (only literally) and found a nice campsite by water. After our half-marathon day, we slept good!

Day 18:

We woke up feeling like we’d done something major yesterday. But we got to warm up our muscles with a bit of downhill to a waterfall, and then a nice flat section to the Camp Hale bunkers.

We ate lunch at a highway crossing, watching cars go by. More of a novelty then mountain views these days!

Looking at the map, we decided to go for a little bit of an adventure. Instead of taking the “real” trail, we thought we’d take a shortcut and walk along the (abandoned) railroad. About 2 miles down, there was a tunnel with a swing hanging from above.

It seemed like a tough scramble up to the highway, plus maybe a quarter mile walk along the shoulder if we went up there. So through the tunnel we went!

It was a loooong tunnel, necessitating headlamps. And the middle was completely iced over. Good thing we had our poles to keep us steady! (Pie was non-plussed.)

At the other side, the scramble was even tougher. But luckily there was some housing above the tunnel and a ladder in good condition. Then it was only a couple hundred yards of bushwhacking in the direction of automobile noise, and we were at Tennessee Pass! It may not have been exactly a shortcut in the end, but it was definitely the most memorable part of the day. (The girls are calling it a fun cut.)

We trekked on another couple of miles so that our hike into town tomorrow was in the single digits. Mosquitos forced us inside the tent to read and be cozy. Good night!

Day 19:

And then mosquitos forced us onward through the forest, up the forest, down the forest, up, down, up, down, up, and finally waaaaay down. If we thought today was going to be a breezy walking day, we were wrong!

But we were motivated by the thought of Nana and Baba waiting for us at the trailhead and the promise of good town food and showers.

We had a wonderfully full dinner amidst Fourth of July revelers, and conversations with fellow travelers at our hostel in Leadville. 

And ahhhhhh, a bed.

Day 20:

We’re looking forward to some pool time and simple hang-out moments. We are feeling pretty victorious!

Stats:
Distance: 3 legs, 6 segments, 14 days, 104 miles
Best food: beer and cookies! and peaches
Wildlife sightings: (Do other thru hikers count? Where are all the animals?)

Day 10:

Well. We spent our last evening in Fairplay watching hail from the hotel window, looking at weather forecasts, and becoming increasingly convinced that we should skip this segment. Take a taxi into Breckenridge. Camp somewhere outside of town. Come back in the fall and do this leg at a better time.

That’s how we left it when we went to bed.
But when we woke up, it was sunny and warm, and we looked at the forecast again, and at the elevation and mileage charts. And we decided we could buy some extra gear and be safe.

So we had our breakfast (including a pup-accino for Pie), bought our gear, and got underway to the trailhead. After hugs goodbye and extreme thanks to Scotty and Delores, we were on the trail again!

It was a pleasantly overcast day while we were out in exposed sections, and then a lovely blue sky for when we were shaded by aspens and pines.

There was one moment when we looked out and saw a wall of rain heading our way, so we quick dropped packs, bagged our electronics and paper, threw on our rain jackets and pants, and covered Pie with her trash bag poncho. 2 minutes later we were bone dry and the sun was back. So we stripped off our gear and made our way to camp by 3:00. Dry. We even got the tent set up and dinner eaten before any rain.
We went to bed glad we made the decision to head out.

Day 11:

All’s well that ends well, they say. And I think we can agree.

The day started drizzly and early. We wanted to be up and over Georgia Pass (above tree line) by 9:00, after which the weather service forecast thunder storms.
We got to the pass just about 9:30, and fortunately there was no sign of lightning or thunder heads. Unfortunately, it started to sleet. Oh, brrrr.

None of us (except for Bill) was very happy for the next hour or so. He kept promising us that we would dry out and get warm, but it felt like lip service for a long time, even after he stopped and made us hot ciders during a break in the rain.

Of course he was right, and eventually the sun broke through long enough for us to dry out our tent and ourselves. The girls bustled down the trail making up songs about sharks, happy as could be.

About a mile from our intended camp, we came upon a crowd of folks hanging around. What was going on? Trail magic! These people drove down from Denver to set up in the woods, just to be nice! They offered cookies, beer, powerade, fresh veg, hot dogs, chips, took our trash, and had a pup for Pie to play with. It really did feel like magic!
It gave us the energy we needed to push a little uphill, where we quick set up our tent and ducked inside just as the rain began again.

We felt lucky to be dry and cozy all night long!

Day 12:

When we woke up it was still raining. We found a window in which to cook breakfast and pack up, and we were back on the trail.
It did eventually stop raining, and we did get some blue sky. We could see Keystone ski area on one side and Breckenridge way below us to the other. But we watched clouds amassing all day, and none of us were super stoked about the thought of another cold night.

The girls decided they could pull out another bigger day (13 miles), and we made our way to the creature comforts of town.
But not before we hit a big milestone: 100 miles on the trail! So incredibly proud of all of us!

Day 13-14:

Breck is treating us well. Gondola rides, good food, pool time, hammocks in hotel rooms, ice cream, free bus travel, and folks who are impressed with our kiddos. We are loving this journey!

Stats:
Distance: 2 legs, 5 segments, 8 days, 71.7 miles
Best food: meaty mac, strawberry ice cream, fried okra
Wildlife sightings: fox, squirrel (and we possibly heard a moose)

Day 4:

We started back on the Colorado Trail just in time to share it with a mountain biking race, plus every other mountain biker in the Front Range. Seriously, we were stepping off the trail every minute for bikes to pass. It was annoying, but mostly people were polite and cheerful at least. And the support people for the race loaded the girls up with goodies because they were so impressed with them!

Only a couple miles down the trail, we found an exciting sign: “trail magic 40 yards”. Yes, please! Just down the dirt road was a cooler filled with cold sodas from an angel named Caveman. Thank you!

Awhile later, we pulled off for a break at a cool cave. We were sitting on a log having a drink when a fox came walking right at us! He was big and red and beautiful. Once he saw us, he scampered up the rocks and behind the cave. Best wildlife encounter yet!

We had our sights set on a campground, so we loaded up on water and hauled ourselves up 200 ft to sleep among some giant boulders.

Day 5:

We chugged along on our way, stopping to talk with a troop of boy scouts. One of them updated all the signage at Indian Creek, where we started. That was a cool connection!

Halfway through our day, the trail turned into an old abandoned logging road. Pluses: we could walk side by side and converse easier. Minuses: less shade and trucks don’t believe in switchbacks. But we put it in low gear and kept at it.

All the trees in this part of the Lost Creek Wilderness are straight, tall, well-spaced, and the same age. (Reforestation, probably?) It makes for a different feeling walking through. The girls likened it to the forest in the book The Gruffalo.

Just after crossing a beautiful mossy creek, the forest opened up a little and made for a huge campsite, big enough to share with another thru hiker on her way to Durango too.

It rained overnight, making it especially cozy in our tent. And we’re glad to report that all of our equipment stayed dry!

Day 6:

Although the rain stopped in the morning, the clouds were there to stay. We walked through foggy clouds rolling through the pines all morning. It was so thick at times that we couldn’t even spy the moose barking in the trees, but couldn’t stop us playing Yahtzee in the middle of the trail. Our game was interrupted by a thru hiker who’d heard of us! How cool is that?!

At lunch, we emerged into Long Gulch and the sunshine and dried out. Then we began climbing up the gulch. The loooong gulch. 5 miles of gentle climbing made 800 ft of elevation gain feel like easy work, but it was real. By the time we got to the top of that sucker, we were tired!

We found ourselves a flat spot and hastily got the tent up. The girls and I ducked inside and yelled encouragement out to Bill who was braving the mosquitos to make us dinner. We all walked around in circles while gulping down our noodles and spent the rest of the evening playing games in our bug-free shelter.

Day 7:

We got up early, when it was still too cold for the little blood-suckers, and almost got on our way in time. Bill and I sent the girls out on the trail ahead so they could escape the mosquitos. And it was a mile before we caught up with them!

On their hike together, they decided that we should walk all the way to Kenosha Pass that day. It would be a total of 16.5 miles. Not wanted to dampen their enthusiasm, though, we said, ” Totally! Let’s do it!”

When we reached our intended campsite at 2:30, the girls still wanted to push through the last 6 miles. We looked at the map and the elevation profile, and they still wanted to push on.

With 2 miles to go, we took a break for dinner and miraculously had cell coverage for a minute. We texted Bill’s dad, who was close enough to pick us up in an hour. And we did it!! For 4 of us, that’s a record for most number of miles hiked in one day!

Our hotel had our room available a night early, so we showered and set ourselves up in front of junk TV to eat cupcakes and potato chips. Victory!

Day 8-9

We’re charging ourselves up in Fairplay now. We’ve gone swimming, resupplied our food bag, eaten in restaurants, browsed in shops, played in the playground, watched some movies, and taken more showers. Tomorrow we’ll say goodbye and thank you to Scotty and Delores at the Kenosha Pass trailhead, and we’ll catch up with y’all in Breckenridge!

Stats:
Distance: 1 leg, 2 segments, 3 days, 28.3 miles
Best food: rhubarb crumble, tuna with curry
Wildlife sightings: grouse, deer, cicadas

Day 0:

On Tuesday we drove to Castle Rock and availed ourselves of a hotel for the pool (twice!) and continental breakfast. We downloaded music and audio books and maps for this section. And made sure we knew how to get to the trailhead to drop off the car for Bill’s dad and friend. And we tried to wrap our heads around the fact that this is really happening!

Day 1:

We met Scotty and Delores in the parking lot of the Indian Creek trailhead. And we started walking. We have begun!

After a hot mile, we took off our shoes for our first cool stream crossing. And 4 miles after that, we hit the official Colorado Trail (no dogs allowed on the first “real” part of the trail). We already met a few thru-hiker guys at our lunch stop while Pie laid in the stream to cool off.

We saw lots of caterpillars and cicadas, and camped nearly at the high point of the section. There were some amazing rocks for scampering and an awesome view of what was yet to come.

Day 2:

We got a good cool start heading for the South Platte River and a nice long break on the shore. A lovely lady out for a day hike generously gave us 2 water bottles half filled with ice! Ahhh! That sure hit the spot as our lunch break hit 90 degrees.

As we were filling and filtering as much water as we could carry (thankfully including our 2 new bottles), we hatched a plan for how to tackle the next 10 dry hot climbing miles.

We made some plans and some contingency plans. And miraculously the sky filled with clouds! Quick, on with our packs!

We climbed out of the valley, up up up up, through blue bells and Indian paint brush and golden banners and fire penstemons. Our intended camp was 4.3 miles into a (several years’ old) burn zone, and when the sun peeked back out — yikes! We were sure baked and tired (and thirsty) by the time we reached the promised spot.

Except there was no site! Only slopes of pine trees and blue bells, which are beautiful but not what we wanted at the moment. I scouted about a half mile further and found the closest flattest spot I could. It was pretty close, but not very flat. (And I forgot to take a picture of it, despite resolving to document every camp site. Oops.)

We slept, closer and closer to the foot of the tent, with dreams of water.

Day 3:

We scooted ourselves to the top of our tent early and got going as soon as we could. We knew we would drink less water if we hiked in the cooler morning. (And just as we passed the spot where I stopped scouting the night before, there was a perfect spot! Too funny!)

Up and down and around big granite globs, the trail took us through more of the burn zone. We were hiking at a good pace, so we didn’t even have to send Bill ahead for water.

When we spied the distant fire station with its water spigot and shady eaves, we could hardly wait for those last 2 miles!

But we made it! And after relaxing in the shade and drinking a full 2.5 liters of water, we were ready to finish the last mile and a half.

Scotty and Delores were waiting at the campground for us, with showers and ginger ale and gin and tonics, and hammocks. It felt like a 5-star resort!

We were prepared for the beginning of this journey to be the toughest, both physically and emotionally, as we get in our groove. And we were sure tired at the end of each and every day. But we are officially thru hikers, and really getting better at it every day!

As the song says, all our bags are packed; we’re ready to go. We’re standing here, outside the Best Western in Castle Rock.

Okay, so maybe we’re a little off script. Because we’re certainly not going anywhere on a jet plane. Could we be any more opposite, in fact?

Tomorrow morning we begin day 1, segment 1, leg 1, mile 1, step 1 of the Colorado Trail.

When we get back home on August 12, we will have completed 28 segments, 12 legs, and 486 miles on our feet. (Sorry, I don’t think I’ll keep track of steps.) That is the intention, anyway!

Despite the year and a half of planning and preparation, I don’t think it’s totally sunk in for me yet. Bill, on the other hand, says, “Oh, I’m totally aware.” For Maggie, it’s pretty close to friend goodbyes to ask if she’s all in. And Tessa told me I’m not allowed to chicken out.

So I guess we’re doing this! Tomorrow! And for the next 57 or so days. Keep tabs on us here; we’ll check in every 5 to 7 days and regale you with our feats of derring -do.

Let’s go! Eek!