Section 16 is 92.2 miles long and runs from Tennessee Pass to Interstate 70. September 23rd - 25th
Day 92, 10.2 miles to NOBO marker 1206 (1799 overall)
Neil and I cooked some cheesy eggs and toast for breakfast and then went walking around Leadville. We were accompanied by his dog, Odie, and stopped in the Melly store numerous times to try to get first pick of the freshest batches of their famous microgrid fleeces. We got lunch at Mountain High Pies which was some of the best pizza I’ve ever had and then Neil drove me back to the trail in the afternoon. I walked past Camp Hale where the 10th Mountain Division trained for WWII. The trail went by some old barracks and it was like walking through history as the gloomy sky added to the ambiance and it was kind of a creepy feeling. I then fell into a bit of a funk as I thought about how I was out here hiking solo without a trail family or friend and I also started missing my fiancée. Right about when I was ready to call it a day and find camp, some rednecks started shooting guns nearby so I pushed on to find some solace and safety from potential bullets. I set camp early and quickly fell asleep.
Odie is a good boy and this is a cool fence.
Leadville sits at 10,152 feet above sea level, the highest incorporated town in the country.
Back on the trail after a great time in Leadville.
Old barracks at Camp Hale.
Waterfall flowing into Cataract Creek.
Day 93, 30 miles to NOBO marker 1236 (1829 overall)
It was cold when I woke up, so much so that my avocado was almost frozen so I saved it for a later snack. I hiked in my PJ’s for a bit until I got to the top of Kokomo Pass and into the sunshine. I had a lingering sore throat, that feeling of a cold setting in, not good. The trail wrapped around the ridge for a bit with a view of Copper Mountain and then it began to drop back down along Guller Creek. I popped out in the main lodge area of Copper Mountain and took a break at the Starbucks patio. I cut across the golf course and got to the backside of the actual ridge of Breckenridge which had a long 2,700ft climb over 4.4 miles with only one switchback in between. When I eventually reached the top, it was awesome to see the ski boundary signs and lifts of Breckenridge Ski Resort. I looked forward to skiing these same slopes in a few months! The sun began to set behind the ridge so I quickened my pace to stay out of the growing shadow. I saw a big animal, assuming it was a cow since they are everywhere on this trail, but quickly realized there aren’t any ranches in Breck…it was a huge bull moose! I got some great photos before he lazily retreated to the woods. I then took the free bus to town to get some emergen-C and Sprite, sore throat remedies. Night had fallen by the time I got back to the trail and snaked through some condos to get back into the forest. I night hiked for a bit and then found some missive pines to hang my hammock and call home for the night. I also grabbed some pretty great astrophotography shots.
Guller Creek being frosty in the mornings.
Guller Creek.
Mountain operations underway at Copper Mountain.
Copper Mountain from below and from above.
It was so weird being up here without skis and snow.
MOOSE!!!
Milky Way hovering above my bed.
Day 94, 33.9 miles to NOBO marker 1269.9 (1862.9 overall)
I had some great sleep and was able to enjoy my avocado, which was not frozen, for breakfast. I began hiking in my PJ’s again as the morning sun warmed things up and I soon came across another moose. I took some great photos of him before continuing on my way up another climb. I chatted with Sea Lion for a bit and soon passed the 100 mile marker for the Colorado Trail. I know this is a big milestone to those CT hikers just beginning their journey but by this point I had passed almost 70 hundred-mile marks in all of my hiking so that gave me a laugh. I got to the top of the climb only to realize my phone fell out of my pocket 1.2 miles and 600ft of elevation ago. Backtracking for it SUCKED! I decided to take my own alternate route to avoid a lengthy out-and-back as well as check out Wise Mountain which, according to one of my maps, had a cabin marker on top. I took a road that followed the North Fork Swan River to Garibaldi Gulch and then up to Wise Mountain. On top of the ridge, some 4x4 roads connected back to the trail. Two police SUV’s flew past me on the rocky dirt road and were doubling back soon after. One stopped to tell me there was a badly injured mountain biker up ahead but the roads got too rough for their vehicles to access. I hoped the helicopter circling above was able to retrieve the biker. I passed some cabin remains and then started a steep climb up a “road” which seemed impassable to even off-road jeeps. I saw a trio of trucks come crawling down and getting pretty beat up by the boulders in the road.
Looking back across the valley to the Imperial Express Superchair of Breckenridge, the highest lift in the US! It will get you to 12,840ft and you can hike up the rest of the way to 12,998ft before dropping in.
I saw a helicopter circling around overhead and then two police SUVs crawl by on the primitive roads. One stopped to talk to me after they turned around because the road became impassable. He said that a hiker had a bad fall and was getting CPR as they waited for the chopper.
When I popped above the tree line there was an old cabin structure with views for days and then I took the quick side road to the Wise Mountain Miner’s Cabin. It looked like it was in great shape on the outside but the inside was a different story. The entire floor had caved in and like a black hole was sucked down the furniture and bunks. I would have loved to jump down and explore the mineshafts but I did not have any useful gear and was completely alone. I continued on the winding road on the exposed ridge with open expanses of golden grass and I listened to some Black Keys. Their gritty guitar riffs matched the scenery just perfectly. I eventually joined back up to the CDT and admired insanely beautiful views and the sunset behind Breckenridge was breathtaking. Hiking this sharp Knife’s-Edge-esque spine at dusk was probably not the safest thing to do but I was determined to get down to Peru Creek, lined with trees, the camp for the night. I was in awe at the stunning views from every direction and my pace slowed.
One of at least a dozen cabin remains that I passed today.
Wise Mountain Cabin.
Tons of 4x4 roads up here.
Red Cone.
Amazing sunset as I hiked along a ridge connecting Geneva Peak, Santa Fe Peak, and Morgan Peak, well into the night. I was absolutely exhausted when I finally dropped off the ridge and reached Peru Creek.
The trail began dropping down in elevation and then I reached a straight up cliff. I double and triple checked my GPS and the official route goes right off the cliff. I’m usually up for a climbing challenge but not at night when I can’t see a single line to climb down. I remembered the cop saying how inaccessible this area was by truck so I couldn’t risk getting hurt. There was a 6-mile alt route to make a huge loop around Morgan Peak but I did not have the energy so I tried to follow a shorter alt route. That trail faded into nothing and lead to more cliffs. I was sick of backtracking and decided to pick my way down an extremely steep section. A dirt patched slipped out from under me and I tumbled down about 20 feet alongside a backpack-sized boulder. I found a streambed to follow but it soon became filled with just enough water to make all of the rocks slippery. I then found a small cave that was flat enough to cowboy camp in, and was tempted to do so, but the ceiling was dripping. I kept rage hiking towards the bottom and let out a primal scream of accomplishment when I finally popped out on flat land. In hindsight, I wish I hiked this ridge during daylight and took the long 6-mile loop because it goes right through the ghost town of Montezuma. But I made it and I set camp at the first suitable trees I could find, fetched water from Peru Creek, cooked dinner, and passed out from exhaustion. What a day.
