Day 062 - Continental Divide Trail - Berthoud Pass to Corona Pass

Day: 062

Date: Sunday, 07 July 2024

Start:  Berthoud Pass 

Finish:  Corona Pass

Daily Kilometres:  30.1

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1788.5

Weather:  Mostly cold. Sunny in the morning and mostly cloudy in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  McMuffins, hash browns.

  Lunch:  Meat & cheese subs.

  Dinner:  Snacks

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Crossed our highest point of the trip so far, James Peak (13309’).

Lowlight:  Nothing in particular.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

After breakfast in our motel room, purchased from the nearby McDonald's, we checked out at about 7:20am and began hitchhiking on the main road that ran past the motel.  There was a lot of traffic, but we weren't having much luck until, after about 15 minutes, a young aerospace engineer, on his way home to Denver with three large dogs in the back, gave us a lift in his SUV.  A very nice guy and we had a good chat during the 20 minute drive up to Berthoud Pass where he dropped us off at 8am.

The trailhead carpark was already quite busy and we met many day-hikers as we began the long 2000’ climb from the pass to the summit of Mt Flora (13123’).  It was very cold, with a strong wind blowing, and hikers were sheltering behind rock windbreaks while admiring the views, which were spectacular.

We continued down over the other side of the mountain and left most of the day-hikers behind as we descended through very rocky terrain.  It was a bit galling that we ended up descending 3000’ over the next 8km, only to have to regain all of it during the afternoon to reach James Peak (13309’).  We had been concerned that thunderstorms were originally forecast for the afternoon but, although it did cloud over and the mountain top was shrouded in fog, there was no storm.  Then, as if on cue, as we neared the summit, the fog mostly cleared and we had more spectacular views from the top.

With all ascending and descending, much of it on rocky trail, our progress had been slow and it was nearly 6pm by the time we did reach the summit amd have a look around.

On our descent from James Peak there were few opportunities to camp or get water, and it was 8:15pm by the time we found both and set up camp.  Having eaten well earlier on the day we quickly got into the tent and just ate snacks for dinner.

Day 061 - Continental Divide Trail - Berthoud Pass (but staying in Winter Park)

Day: 061

Date: Saturday, 06 July 2024

Start:  Berthoud Pass (but staying in Winter Park)

Finish:  Berthoud Pass (but staying in Winter Park)

Daily Kilometres:  0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her run this morning.

Total Kilometres:  1758.4

Weather:  Cool to mild and sunny.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  McDonalds breakfast platter

  Lunch:  Mexicali Sub

  Dinner:  Burrito/Quesadillas, icecream 

Aches:  Nothing to report.

Highlight:  Nothing in particular.

Lowlight:  Nothing in particular.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Julie went for her usual “in town” morning run along the trails to the north of Winter Park while Dave had a more relaxed start to the day.  Afterwards we walked to the nearby McDonald's for breakfast before journeying further down to an outdoor store to buy some dehydrated food.

Julie then continued on another 4km to the sister town of Fraser where there is a larger supermarket to buy some food while Dave bought some other supplies on his way back to the motel.

Winter Park is a very pleasant resort town, catering for skiers in the winter and cyclists and hikers in the summer.  There were lots of holidaymakers in town and the cafes were busy on a very pleasant summer's day.

We bought lunch nearby and then had a look around an art exhibition in the town park which was also very busy.

Laundry and relaxation in the afternoon before having dinner at a nearby restaurant and buying (over-priced) ice cream for dessert on the way back to our room.

Back on the trail tomorrow and a little apprehensive about the two 13000’ peaks we have to cross with thunderstorms forecast in the afternoon.

Day 060 - Continental Divide Trail - Bobtail Creek to Berthoud Pass

Day: 060

Date: Friday, 05 July 2024

Start:  Bobtail Creek

Finish:  Berthoud Pass (but staying in Winter Park)

Daily Kilometres:  28.3

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1758.4

Weather:  Cold early, then cool and sunny with a strong cold wind above the treeline.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Muesli

  Lunch:  Snacks

  Dinner:  Burger & fries, thick shakes.

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - sore ribs after slipping on a rock crossing a small creek and falling onto another rock and partially into the creek.  The situation was not helped by Dave rushing to help her and slipping on the same rock and falling on top of her, pack and all.

Highlight:  Nothing in particular.

Lowlight:  The first few hours hiking were tough.  It was very cold, with ice on the puddles and frost on the undergrowth.  Our boots/shoes and socks were still wet from yesterday's ford and we had to ford another freezing creek (calf deep) soon after starting.  We both had frozen hands and feet and the trail was often hard to discern, further dampening our mood.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were hiking by 6am on a very cold morning and the first few hours, as we followed Bobtail Creek downstream, were very cold and it was pretty miserable (see above).

After about 90 minutes, and still very cold, we reached a forest road that we followed steeply switch-backing uphill, climbing 2000’ in 3 miles (5km) to Jones Pass (12460’) where we rejoined the official CDT.  We stopped there for a breakfast break sheltering from the cold wind and next to a snowbank.  Suddenly we heard a swishing sound and a young guy snowboarded past us on the snow, followed by another.  They must have driven up the forest road on the other side of the snowbank, which blocked the road, to get to their snow.  They must have been keen.

We were now well above the treeline and followed a ridge in the bitterly cold and strong wind into the Vasquez Peak Wilderness.  The views were just awesome, surrounded by snowy peaks and mountain ranges, not to mention the wildflower-carpeted meadows we were crossing.  We reached our highest point so far, 12738’, along the way, and had to negotiate some small snowfields.

Although we dropped back down into the forest around lunchtime, high above the Henderson Mine (molybdenum) which we could hear, we climbed back above the treeline after lunch,  After crossing Stanley Mountain (12499’), we stayed high in the strong wind, sometimes being literally blown off the track.  And it was cold!

Eventually we began to descend and reached Berthoud Gap and Hwy 40 around 4:30pm.  We began hitching and soon got a lift from a chatty local down to Winter Park and our motel.

We checked in with the friendly proprietor, showered and then Julie went and bought some takeout for dinner.

Day 059 - Continental Divide Trail - Dillon to Bobtail Creek

Day: 059

Date: Thursday, 04 July 2024

Start:  Dillon

Finish:  Bobtail Creek

Daily Kilometres:  28.8

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1730.1

Weather:  Cool to mild and sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Motel Continental breakfast.

  Lunch:  Turkey & cheese subs

  Dinner:  Snacks

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Nothing in particular.

Lowlight:  Dave woke to the distressing news that one of his best friends, dating from nearly 50 years ago, was in palliative care in a London hospital with end-stage cancer.  It tinged the day with great sadness.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We had a slow start to the day and it was 8am before we left our motel to begin hiking.  We have now joined the Silverthorne Cut-Off Alternate and the climb out of town was steep.

Initially, we followed the Ptarmigan Peak trail, which was obviously a popular local trail, and we met a lot of day hikers, some dressed in Americana garb given it was July 4th.

Our path diverged from theirs after three hours on the shoulder of Ptarmigan Peak at around 11900’ and above the treeline, and we made our way towards Ptarmigan Pass with truly spectacular views in many directions.  The trail was now more of a “route” than a trail as we crossed the high wildflower-bespeckled moorland looking for the cairns that marked the way.  In places it was difficult to work out where we were supposed to go and that cost some time.

Once through Ptarmigan Pass (11781’), the trail continued to be difficult to follow and the descent to the Williams Fork Creek was also rocky and slow.  Immediately after fording the creek, we began a long climb to back above the treeline through pine forest on slow trail, made even slower by many blown down trees that took time and energy to climb over or go around.  By now it was becoming obvious that we weren't going to get as far today as originally hoped.

Once above the treeline again, we had a whole new range of spectacular alpine mountain views and many photos were taken.  We stayed above the treeline for the rest of the afternoon following faint trail and cairns along a ridge line, dodging snow in places, generally around 12000’.  It was often hard to work out the route and we made several navigational errors that cost a lot of time and energy when we were ready for the day to be over.

Eventually, around 6:30pm, we crested out last pass for the day and began a long descent.  At 8pm, we found a tent site amongst some trees and close to a stream and called it a day.  Given the late hour, and knowing we will be in a town tomorrow night, we just had snacks for dinner and went to bed without our usual wash.

Day 058 - Continental Divide Trail - Officers Gulch to Dillon

Day: 058

Date: Wednesday, 03 July 2024

Start:  Officers Gulch 

Finish:  Dillon

Daily Kilometres:  17.3

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1701.3

Weather:  Cold and clear early, then sunny and warm.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Breakfast burritos

  Lunch:  Nachos/Toasted chicken ranch sub

  Dinner:  Hamburgers & fries, cheesecake & icecream.

Aches:  Nothing reported.

Highlight:  Having an unplanned (two days ago) easy day of low kilometres and relatively flat interesting and scenic walking.  (We only became aware of an “alternate” route following bike paths two days ago that saved time and effort.)

Lowlight:  Nothing in particular.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We both had a fairly sleepless night.  The nearby I-70 freeway was very busy all night, especially with 18-wheelers using their engine brakes down the hill.  Consequently, we were both ready to go when the alarm went off and were hiking by 6am.

It was a very cold morning with an icy breeze and the bike path we continued to follow was in the shade of the high surrounding mountains for the first hour.  However, the cold also kept bike path users in bed and we had the path to ourselves.  The mountain gorge scenery, with the rushing Tenmile Creek beside us, kept us interested and the time passed quickly.

By 7:30am we were walking down the main street of the attractive little town of Frisco.  Early risers were hitting the cafes and city workers were preparing for a 4th of July parade tomorrow morning.  American flags were everywhere.

On the other side of town we stopped in at a Taco Belle for breakfast before joining another bike path that followed the western shore of the beautiful Dillon Reservoir, alive with boaters and backed by partly snow-covered mountains.  It was now warm and sunny and the path was very busy with cyclists and walkers.  Being a holiday week, no doubt many of them were vacationers.  It was good to see so many people out enjoying themselves.

After crossing the reservoir wall, we descended into the busy little town of Dillon where we had booked a motel room.  Even though it was only 11:30am, and check-in time was 4pm, we tried our luck, presenting as two tired hikers badly in need of a shower, and the friendly receptionist found us a room.  We were very happy.

After showers and some handwashing of clothes, we went to a nearby cafe for lunch and then did a small amount of shopping.  Given it's only two days to our next town, we didn't need much.

Back at the motel we had a quiet afternoon before getting take-out dinner and having an early night.

Day 057 - Continental Divide Trail - Jones Gulch to Officers Gulch.

Day: 057

Date: Tuesday, 02 July 2024

Start:  Jones Gulch 

Finish:  Officers Gulch

Daily Kilometres:  37.0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1684.0

Weather:  Cold and foggy early, clearing to a cool/mild and mostly sunny day.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Muesli

  Lunch:  Snacks

  Dinner:  Egg salad sandwich/ Chicken salad sandwich, chips.

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  After a long climb in fog through soggy meadows and damp forest, the fog dissipated and the sun appeared just as we emerged above the treeline for the last couple of kilometres to Kokymo Pass (12024’).  We then had eight kilometres of beautiful views in many directions as we crossed two more high points, Elk Ridge (12281’) and Searle Pass (12045’), without dropping below 11900’.  It was superb walking.

Lowlight:  Nothing in particular.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

A mighty thunderstorm interrupted our sleep in the small hours with vividly bright lightning and thunder which shook the ground beneath our sleeping bags.  We were glad we were camped at a relatively low altitude (9700’) and deep in the forest.

By the time we woke at 5am, the rain had stopped and the tent was relatively dry.  We were hiking by soon after 6am on a cold dank overcast morning, first along a forest road, but then through very wet undergrowth before we began our foggy climb to Kokymo Pass.  We stopped for a breakfast break at the alpine treeline and the fog kindly disappeared for the last part of our ascent.  We then stayed well above the treeline for 8km, enjoying expansive crystal-clear views.

The early afternoon comprised a gradual descent through pretty pine forest and alongside Guller Creek before we reached the back of the Copper Mountain ski resort.  We then descended through the ski fields into the busy village and made our way to a gas station where we bought drinks and an icecream plus sandwiches and chips for dinner.

We saw a lot of hikers during the day, most hiking some, or all, of the Colorado Trail.  We even saw a couple of fully-loaded mountain bikers doing the same trail.  That would be a tough gig!  

Our most memorable encounter was with a hiker we had got to know on the Appalachian Trail last year.  Julie was quick to recognize him and we had a good chat.

At Copper Mountain, we chose to leave the CDT and follow the Vail-Frisco Recreation Path as an alternate we had read about in our navigation app.  The path follows Tenmile Creek downstream through a spectacular gorge which, unfortunately, is also the route of the noisy Interstate 70 Highway.

We chose this route because it saves us some time tomorrow and is relatively flat.  We will rejoin the CDT in a couple of days.  The CDT is known as a make-your-own adventure trail, with many alternate route opportunities.  Our goal is to walk a continuous path from Mexico to Canada, using the official CDT most of the way (nobody hikes the exact CDT the whole way), but to use alternates where it makes sense for safety or time-saving reasons.  Dave's original schedule had us reaching the Canadian border at Chief Mountain in mid-October, but we know that border crossing closes for the winter on 30 September, so we would like to get there by then.  So far we have made up about ten days on the schedule, but need to make up about another week if possible.

After following the recreation path for about an hour from Copper Mountain, we found a spot to camp between the creek and the highway at 6pm, where we think we will not be easily seen.  With the highway so close, it's going to be a noisy night.

Day 056 - Continental Divide Trail - Bald Eagle Mountain to Jones Gulch

Day: 056

Date: Monday, 01 July 2024

Start:  Bald Eagle Mountain

Finish:  Jones Gulch

Daily Kilometres:  34.3

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  1647.0

Weather:  Cold and rainy morning, warmer and partly cloudy in the afternoon.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/ Muesli 

  Lunch:  Snacks

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles and a sore back; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Nothing in particular.

Lowlight:  It rained a lot overnight and started raining again while we were packing up this morning, meaning that everything got a bit damp and the tent was quite wet.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

The alarm went off at 5am, but it was raining quite steadily so we gave ourselves an extra 30 minutes sleep in the hope the rain would stop.  It had stopped by the time we emerged from our tent at 6am, but started again soon afterwards and it was miserable packing up.

When we started hiking at 6:30am, the trail was wet and boggy and the vegetation also wet.  Disappointingly, the trail was not as easy as yesterday, with lots of rocks, and our progress was slow.  It was hard to be enthusiastic in the miserable conditions, and it stayed that way for most of the morning as we passed through pine forest in the Holy Cross Wilderness and climbed over two passes at around 11500’, the second of which had some snow to negotiate, but nothing dangerous.  The views continued to be spectacular with some very rugged peaks near the trail, and a number of alpine ponds.

The weather cleared up a bit in the afternoon, with occasional sun, but also the occasional light shower, and our mood lifted a little.  We met quite a few overnight hikers today, most also complaining about the morning’s weather, and a couple of trail-runners.

Late in the day, we took a short roadwalk alternate that went past an old service station where someone maintained a cupboard with drinks and snacks for passing hikers and cyclists, and we had our last break for the day, grateful for the generosity.

Around 6:30pm, we found a very nice campsite by the trail and managed to dry out the tent while we had dinner by the light of the setting sun.  As per usual, it seems, not long after we went to bed a thunderstorm came through accompanied by heavy rain.  Looks like a wet tent again in the morning.