Day 1
Supportive Friends
After parking our car in Breckenridge, our good friends Jesse and Kristen (who amazingly sent us off to begin the trail on April 19th) met us in “Breck,” and we all drove back to Kenosha Pass, where Karen and I had finished Segment 5 two weeks earlier. Jesse and Kristen hiked in with us that evening, and we camped together near Deadman Creek (I’m wondering how it got that name).
It was great to have these friends join us for part of the project.Early the next morning, Karen and I pressed on into Segment 6 while Jesse and Kristen hiked back out to do some rock climbing before driving back to Denver.
Day 2
Beauty and Blowdowns
By mid-day, we crested Georgia Pass at just under 12,000 feet. Nearby Mt. Guyot was still draped with snowdrifts, and the views of the Gore Range to the north were amazing. So Colorado!
At this point, the Colorado Trail intercepts the Continental Divide Trail and shares the same route for the next 318 miles. Due to a lower-than-normal snowpack this past winter, we were able to navigate over or around the remaining snowdrifts on both sides of the pass with minimal difficulty.
Throughout the winter, high winds often blow down dead and living trees across the trail. These are known as “blowdowns.” Because we are hiking the trail so early in the season, trail crews have not yet cleared these trees from the trail. As we descended the north side of Georgia Pass, we had to climb over or bushwhack around more than 50 blowdowns over about a six-mile stretch. This made for very slow going and some personal character building.
By about 6 p.m., we had finally reached our 15-mile goal for the day and found a nice campsite near the North Fork of the Swan River. Day 2 thus provided both the best and the worst of Segment 6!
Day 3
Surprising hidden beauty
Day 3 left us with about 13 miles to reach the end of Segment 6, where we had parked the car. Based on my study of the maps, I was not expecting anything spectacular, but we were pleasantly surprised by beautiful views back toward Mt. Guyot and then the Tenmile Range as we descended for miles into the Breckenridge Valley.
Prior to starting the Colorado Trail, most of our backpacking adventures took us to Colorado’s iconic destinations. One surprising aspect of hiking this set route is that it has led us through parts of the state we likely never would have visited otherwise. Along the way, we’ve discovered hidden gems tucked throughout this beautiful state we call home.
By early afternoon on June 1st, we had completed 103 miles of our 491-mile goal. That feels pretty satisfying, and we are thoroughly enjoying this journey together.
~Ptarmiglen
Trail Reflections
One of the unexpected joys of this journey has been the people we’ve met along the way.
One of my favorite aspects of thru-hiking is the people we meet along the trail. Just shy of Georgia Pass, we came across two women surveying the downed trees for the Colorado Trail Foundation (CTF). They stopped to chat, and we learned that one of them, whose trail name is Nine Lives, will celebrate her 80th birthday this year.
Still actively volunteering on the trail at nearly 80 years old—what an inspiration!
~Moose
6th Decade Adventures 