Family time, new heights, and the Colorado Trail
Breckenridge, Colorado with Uncle Dave, Papa Paul, and Grandma Honey
After many nights of sleeping outside, waking up indoors, in a house, has some serious perks:
- You can stay warm and cozy even after leaving your bed!
- There are showers available. Wow. Luxury here.
- There is a stove top and fridge full of delicious, perishable breakfast items
There are a few drawbacks for me too like a much higher tendency to be lazy and slow to start my day. I also miss the fresh feeling of having to battle the discomfort of cold air and rough plants while stumbling out of the tent to pee first thing after waking up. All this can be invigorating and motivating but is really only fun in hindsight haha!
It was very nice to have this change of pace today and Ryan made us all a hearty breakfast of eggs and toast with butter before we set off for downtown Breckenridge to meet Papa Paul and Grandma Honey.
Our outing began with some quick store browsing, then we set off to see the troll. This sculpture/installation features a very large wooden troll who welcomes you into his lap for a photo in the trees. It also featured a long line of people looking for a photo. Well worth the wait in my opinion!
We continued our outdoor adventures with a hike in Officer’s Gulch on a very nice paved path next to a gorgeous river and amongst the bright yellow fall aspens. We saw plenty of bikes and enjoyed being outside walking WITHOUT an extra 30+ pounds on our backs. I noticed my mood, which was low and sleepy pick up significantly after a nice walk in the woods.
Following the hike we went to REI and outfitted Ryan with some nice new breathable Keen boots. He has officially retired his North Face trail runners and we can definitely say good riddance. Not only were they beginning to fall apart, but they also were nearly impossible to put on. No more struggling there!
Following REI was a trip back to downtown Breckenridge for some art gallery time which left me feeling extremely inspired and thankful! I’m looking forward to getting more time to paint and create. The wood block prints of the forest by artist Leon Loughridge were particularly gripping for me. I see a new line of work in my future.
While downtown we were able to zoom call for Paul’s sister’s birthday. Aunt Elly! Happy Birthday! We love and miss you and loved getting to say happy birthday to you and see your beautiful face. I loved the lipstick and scarf. Elly is battling some serious cancer right now and we think about her a lot while hiking, sending prayers your way Elly!
We had a nice dinner at Eric’s sports bar to end the night and said our goodbyes to Papa Paul and Patty before heading back to Dave’s house. It’s been great to have time with family. I must admit I’m feeling hesitant to get back out on the trail… tomorrow morning we will be there though whether I like it or not!
Day 67 – September 20
Ryan and I had a nice morning with Dave, eating breakfast and talking, before heading back out to the trail. We stopped at Wendy’s on the way for some lunch and hit the trailhead around noon.
It was a gorgeous afternoon with sunshine and a nice long flat bike path before we hit the road up to Gray’s Peak trailhead. This is where the climbing began. It’s going to be a long ways up to the highest point on the CDT!
We passed Lunar, another through hiker, who is hiking the trail southbound by driving his trucks south then hiking north and repeating the process when he meets the other awaiting vehicle that has been parked along the trail. He told us that we had a gorgeous stretch ahead of us! There are lots of people on the way up, then nobody. He also warned us that the top is very slow going and takes focus to pass safely, so we shouldn’t be there after dark. Ryan humored my concerns and we set up camp very early in the day, around 3pm, to get an early start tomorrow on the treachery… here we go!
Day 68 – September 21
We have officially climbed the highest point on the CDT! 14,270ft. It’s all downhill from here… HA! We are planning to go slightly off trail in a few days to hit the highest peak in the state.. so I guess after that it’s all downhill.
We got up at 4:45am, our earliest start yet, to begin our long climb. It took about three hours to reach the top and we felt the altitude on the way, stopping frequently to catch our breath. After the top and chatting with lots of nice day hikers on the way up, we began walking the ridge to Edward’s Peak. This was definitely the hardest hike of the official CDT yet, not counting the alternate route we took for Knapsack Col in the Wind River Range which was still more challenging. We were walking with very steep sides on a small ridge between a 14,000+ and 13,000+ peak. Whew! We saw mountain goats up there and another brave hiker who was coming up the backside of Gray. What a cool day.
On the way down from Edwards’s Peak we met two hunters who had waited 17 years for a tag to get a mountain goat. They were standing right next to a group of five or six of them. The goats are very brave and don’t seem to mind being RIGHT next to their death. It was strange for Ryan and I to witness the scene where the two hunters were ignoring their bounty of sitting goats to wait for a bigger, better trophy. For me this registers as a type of sick humor. How funny! How strange! How sad! Run little goats run!
By the mid afternoon we discovered we had gone only 8 miles in 8 hours and chose a road walk to bypass a risky section of trail with a big climb. We were happy with our decision and finished up our day a little after 7pm with almost 20 miles under our belt. Not bad AT ALL for such a challenging morning. Woohoo!
Day 69 – September 22
Whew! WHAT. A. DAY. We hiked 26 miles today between 6am and 7pm and were so fortunate to be picked up outside of Breckenridge by Dave, Ryan’s uncle. We then enjoyed a big pizza dinner and are sleeping in a house, showered. Amazing. I like ending a hard day of hiking clean, full, and on an actual mattress.
Our morning today was stunning. We woke up at 5am to an alarm, took down camp and ate a Hostess Apple Pie which was far too sweet but also delicious, then got walking in the cool morning and watched the sun rise and the day go from gray to full color. The start of our day was mostly slow climbing up to Whale Peak along the Continental Divide and then we began our descent. First we followed the divide, then cut over through mostly descending mountains.
Most of the day was spent in shaded woods where we encountered other hikers and mountain bikers. Today we met up with the Colorado Trail which crosses a good part of the state and is a popular, shorter through hike at around 450 miles. The hiker we met on it today said it takes about a month to complete. Sounds luxurious! 😉
During our lunch break, while eating our famous tuna, cheese, and potato chip wraps, something long and lanky caught the corner of Ryan’s eye as it ran behind a tree near us and posted up on a stump, once again hidden from sight. Ryan was excitedly and quietly pointing to the tree and going on about “that thing!” Which I couldn’t see since it was hiding from us! He grabbed the camera and sure enough, a very cute triangle face with two little eyes and a little black nose looked at me before running off into the woods. Luckily Ryan snapped a great picture before it took off! Woohoo! Go Ryan! He is getting very good at wielding our camera. Turns out our visitor was a Pine Marten. So much fun!
By the end of our hike our legs, feet, knees, and hips were very angry but we persevered. It was such a relief to be with Dave who picked us up by highway 9, and soon after, seated at Eric’s ready for some eating. Ryan and I split potato skins and a 16in Greek pizza. What a treat after such a crazy long day!
As we were leaving and anticipating having to set up our tent in the cold dark, Dave offered to have us stay with him again tonight! We accepted and enjoyed hot showers before bed. Ahhh. Thank you so much Dave for your hospitality, engaging and interesting conversation, and generosity with your time. A half hour drive to and from town is a sacrifice we sincerely appreciate!
Day 70 – September 23
Thank you Dave for such a nice second stay!! We are so thankful to have been able to get a hot shower, a comfortable sleep, and best yet, to spend more time with you.
Our morning was easy and laid back. We left the house at 7:30am to make it to Breckenridge by 8am when the post office opened up. I got the package my mom had sent to General Delivery with my thermal leggings in it and tons of fun and interesting treats! She is always so thoughtful in sending boxes. When I was in college she would send the sweetest care packages full of fun things that helped me feel at home and loved even while being states away. It’s great to get the same treatment on the trail. Thank you Momma 😊
We got the package then went to the grocery store for a quick resupply. Ryan ran in while I worked on the blog (which is still being edited. It takes so long!) and we ate a nutritious breakfast of donuts, coffee, and milk. My yogini vegetarian self from a year ago would have probably fainted at this. We felt the meal talking in our stomachs after a mile or so of hiking into the trail. So many donuts.
Dave kindly dropped us off back at our trail and we set off for a big ol’ climb. From 9,500ft up to 12,500. Whew! Thankfully, being so close to town, we had great cell service and made lots of phone calls to pass the time and the get over the peak.
Today we met many mountain bikes. This route is close to a couple of towns and on a nice trail, so we saw probably 10-15 bikers passing us over the day. There was a twinge of excitement at the idea of being on a bike like them, plowing down the mountain over roots and rocks.
It felt good to be hiking and we made decent progress for starting at 10am. We also met some through hikers on the Colorado Trail and enjoyed talking with them. On our way up we met Zero and Smudge who were just about finished with the trail, and on the way down we met Stuart who is hiking in a very unique and cool way. He is doing the entire trail on weekends and short breaks from work by driving to where he last left off (or close enough to get there by hiking in half a day). He then day hikes. then half a day in and then half a day back out to his car. He will have hiked the entire trail twice, both north and south bound when he finishes since each section is a day hike out and back. Very cool! He was a pleasure to talk to and helped pass the time as the day drew to an end. He was also a sold Altra wearer. These trail running shoes pop up time and time again as the gold standard of hiking comfort in a shoe. Too bad we hear they wear our after about 500 miles and need replaced. I like the thrifty Keen boot which can last half the trail before buying a new pair. Maybe when we have more money I will try the Altra.
We split ways and set up camp near the Copper Mountain Ski Resort by a nice bubbly stream. One more day of hiking and we should be in Leadville!
Day 71 – September 24
It seems our good habits of rising early are very slowly getting pushed to the side. We still got up and at it, hitting the trail by 8am, but couldn’t help feeling a little silly after our previous days of 6am. Thankfully we only had an 18.5 mile walk to the road that could take us into Leadville.
Today I hiked without a visual forecast of our elevation which I would usually get by looking at our map on Guthook. It was kind of fun to just roll with the ups and downs and see what happened as we went. The beginning of the day brought a big climb over a couple of peaks but we felt good and made it up to the top by the early afternoon.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wish it was a little colder today. I got SO hot being used to a slight chill in the air. My energy was zapped as we began our descent and my mood very low. Thankfully with a determination to continue moving and not sink into despair, plus good water consumption, the feeling passed and although I was physically exhausted, the rest of the day was pleasant.
We hiked through GORGEOUS yellow and orange aspens and met a few more Colorado Trail hikers and other backpackers which was fun. More mountain bikers passed us up today which brought a little more fuel to the fire in us that wants to try bikepacking next time we take off up a mountain. Audio books and podcasts helped cut the fatigue and we met the first crossing of the highway into Leadville at about 6pm. The second, more traditional spot to hitch from, was about 3.4 miles down the trail but not near a water source. We were dry, completely out of that oh so necessary liquid, and crossed a beautiful creek right near the road that convinced us to call it an early day and set up camp right there.
It was fun to stop early and have a little extra time to just be goofy and lighthearted. Ryan got some sling practice in, throwing rocks around while being nagged at by a very territorial squirrel, and bed time came soon enough. We decided to hitch from our position in the morning rather than walking the extra 3.4 miles when we woke up to the other road crossing. Leadville, here we come!
Day 72 – September 25
Early to bed…… DOES NOT mean early to rise. Yikes. We got up around 7:30am to start camp tear down. Oh well! We were still on good schedule for our plans for the day which included hitching into town, getting breakfast, doing laundry and showering, then most importantly, hitting Melanzana for some fleece and resupplying for our next 70 mile stretch. Melanzana is a really cool store only found in Leadville that makes some unique and extremely popular fleece. We have seen so many people in Colorado rocking their fun colors and signature square pattern. The coolest part of this company though is that they make all of their fleece in house, at the store, and ONLY sell it there. You cannot buy it online.
They were closed for COVID but recently opened for “no touch shopping” and have a narrow window to buy from 1-6pm each day. They also have a line that forms around the building every day, sometimes starting around 11am, so we decided we needed to get a spot nice and early.
We got laundry going and took showers at the combination shower and laundromat. It was pricy, but it sure feels good to be clean. While the laundry was drying, I went to post up at Melanzana and get us a place in line. When I got there around 11:30am, there was no line so I ran to Subway for as dense of a sandwich as my money could buy, then planted myself FIRST in line on a nice bench right by the door. Very, VERY soon after I sat down, I was joined by the next person in line, Carla, who I had a great time chatting with for the next hour.
She works for a cool editing company that handles big name magazines like Good Housekeeping, and she had great questions about our travels. It felt good to talk to someone I knew I’d never see again about the trials and the highs of the trips. She seemed to feel the same and we had a nice time discussing lighter topics, and a cathartic time divulging some struggles.
Ryan met me with clean clothes right as they were opening their doors and we spent about an hour, plus a dollar amount that will not be mentioned, on fleece. Yay!!!
After our shopping spree we went to Safeway for a resupply on this next 73 mile stretch then filled our water and walked ourselves to the edge of town. Hitching proved to be a difficult pursuit but eventually, we were swept up by the lovely Emma who happened to work at Melanzana! She was awesome to talk to and told us about her time in Switzerland for school. So cool. She also left us with one of the most delicious carrots I’ve ever eaten, a purple, locally grown one straight from the farmer’s market. Thank you Emma!!!
Back on trail, we decided to try for an all nighter. Yes. All night. Our reason being that tomorrow is LP’s big fundraiser for ROMP where they hike Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado, with a group of paraplegics to help raise money for amputees in Ecuador to receive prosthetics. We got back on trail 26 miles from the Mt. Elbert trailhead and knew if we pushed all night, we could be there to support! We are actively trying to raise money for ROMP (you can donate under our name here!!: http://Give.rompglobal.org/cdt) and thought it would be awesome to be present for their annual event.
Spirits were high as we finished our first three miles and it began to get very dark. It didn’t take much longer after that however for sleepiness, hunger, and boredom to creep in. It’s not easy to follow a rocky, hilly trail between trees when the moon is casting a side shadow on their trunks. What is the moonshine and what is the trail?! What is a rock and what is a shadow?? Not easy. Still fun though until you have a heavy fog of fatigue setting in since your body knows it’s night time.
It is also important to note that Ryan is having some serious pain in his right hip. We think it’s his IT band after lots of pinpointing the spot and consulting our friend Nathan who just became a certified Physical Therapy assistant. It’s very unfortunate because not only is there pain… it’s serious pain. Ryan is such a trooper when it comes to discomfort and he is truly struggling when the stabbing feeling comes on. We have incorporated stretching breaks which seem to help the hurt, but also add extra stops that take time and the pain tends to creep back soon. We will see where things go… hopefully towards healing!
We called it good at 9:30pm when we still knew we could catch a good night’s sleep. Ahhh. Time to rest and get ready for our walk to Mt. Elbert tomorrow.
There and Back Again 