Mileage: 28.1
I so grateful for a body that is able to do the things I want to do. There were a ton of challenges and tough decisions made today that deeply relied on my bodies ability to hike quickly and power up a huge pass and I’m so grateful for being able to do it.
When I woke up this morning, my plan was to hike about 18 miles and hunker down while a storm blew over and then proceed over the pass in the evening. Those thirteen miles flew by with a gentle climb at first and then a long and slow decent to a road that leads to Breckenridge. On the way down a mother moose and her calf scared the shit out of me as I rounded a bend in the trail.
When I got to the road I figured I’d go into Breckenridge for lunch and wait out the storm there, but instead I checked my weather info and it seemed the storm was getting pushed back even later. So at the risk of not doing the pass at all tonight, I decided to March up the 8 mile pass gaining 2,000’ in the last 3 miles.
I made it to the top encouraged by seeing other hikers around, but kept watching this nasty cloud coming from the West. I didn’t spend much time at the top, but got a few pictures and was on my way down around 2 pm. It never rained or thundered once.
The decent was rewarding. It was gentle enough to mindlessly meander down the pass and into Copper. Unfortunately there was a closure on the trail so we were rerouted through the town itself, which worked out beautifully.
I had dinner with two guys I met earlier in the day and after that we found a great stealth spot just far enough away from the resort to have a fire without being seen. My body is exhausted and ready for a deep sleep. Tomorrow should be a smooth day into Leadville.
