Posted by 24.0 miles
Looking out the hotel window rain had just started falling and was starting to set in. Not a problem. It is badly needed in these parts and I had rain gear. I headed out the door in the drizzle towards Hwy 24, passing subway along the way to purchase a carry out lunch. Carrying out lunch from town is always so much better than standard hiking fair which today would have been tortillas and Nutella.
I walked around a mile to the intersection where Hwy 24 takes off and stuck my thumb out. By now the drizzle had subsided but remained threatening. Hitching is one of those situations where you throw yourself at the mercy of others and it didn’t take long for that to appear. I took about 15 mins to score a ride, from a maths teacher named Karen on her way to work a local college. She often sees hikers heading out or in and today she chose me. With my pack in the back and me in the passenger seat just as we drove off towards Tennesse Pass the rains started up again, heavier.
We were at the Pass just after 9am and I made a quick exit to ensure the car would stay dry. It would be 23.8 miles to Copper Mountain, a distance I wasn’t sure I had in me with the later start time.
I hit the trail in the rain, umbrella deployed keeping my top half dry. Passing numerous CT hikers heading south so many commented on the brilliance of the brolly.
The morning was relatively flat however the rain had turned much of the red dirt into mud and I would take my time, not rushing, particularly on any down slope.
Tuned into some pod casts the morning passed quickly.
Late morning near Eagle River East Fork the trail led to some old army bunkers I think used by the 10th Mountain Division. It was still drizzly and they made a great spot for a quick break in the dry.
Shortly after there would be one major climb for the day, to Kokymo Pass, with around 2,200 feet of elevation gain over 5 miles.
At the base of the climb I stopped for lunch and a descent break before tackling it, meeting a fellow Aussie headed southbound on the CT.
The climb up was hard on a very steep grade. Thankfully the rain had cleared and the sun shone through allowing me to strip off rain layers. I don’t mind hiking in the rain but the combination of climbing steep mountains in rain gear is not a great one. Often you will be become saturated from the inside out as the rain layers can’t expel the water vapour from sweat fast enough. It was great to be able to climb in thin layers.
It took several hours of slowing plodding up hill. Towards the top the grade flattened and I was soon at the Pass with clear views across the next valley. It was mid afternoon.
On to Searle Pass I could see the higher mountains I would bypass with the alternate route I would take to Dillon in the distance and had zero regrets about skipping them. They looked massive and bald with exposed tops. I did nit want to be caught out on any of those with any weather and storms are forecast for the next couple of days.
Around 4:30pm I stopped for a break and cracked a can of Jack Daniels and Coke that I’d been carrying since Twin Lakes. I keep meaning to drink it with dinner but kept forgetting about it. Drinks on trail are highly recommended. Add some of your favourite tunes and it will have you skipping down the trail.
I made it to copper mountain the full 24 miles by 7pm incentivised by the prospect of another hotel room and pizza for dinner. There really was no need to resupply in Leadville. This section of trail was like the Camino de Santigo, hiking from one ‘town’ to the next with food along the way.
From Copper Mountain it is only 13 mile or so to Dillon on the alternate route I will take which means a really leisurely day ahead. Time to sleep in, enjoy a cafe breakfast and meander into town at a slow pace. No need to rush at all.
Camped at the Cambria Hotel, it is the most expensive hotel thus far on trail but I have the means and thought why not treat myself. It’s 4 days until my 50th birthday. This hotel stay would form part of my birthday treat to myself.
Checked in I headed straight for Nowhere Pizza just a short stroll away. Ordering a hazy IPA it was the last of the keg and the waitress put it on the house as it wasn’t quite a full glass. I quickly knocked that back. With a BBQ pizza and a Porter chaser I was pretty tipsy by the end of a tasty meal, wandering back to the hotel for a nice shot hower and solid sleep.
Mick Beckers 