Colorado Trail – Segments 6-10

For six days I joined my cousin on the Colorado Trail. Starting at Kenosha Pass, we hiked 95 miles to the Mount Massive Trailhead.

Check out the epic video of our Colorado Trail adventure:

Gear List

Because my gear did not change much between thru-hikes, please reference my Superior Hiking Trail gear list for a comprehensive list of all my supplies.

Preparations

My cousin, Noah, had invited me to join him as he attempted to thru-hike the 485-mile Colorado Trail. Though I didn’t have the time to commit to a one-month hike, I agreed to accompany him for the first week of his adventure. But first, having travelled from the Great Lakes to Denver, before I could even begin the trail, I first had to acclimatize to the higher elevation. For a week I stayed Noah in Denver, visiting the state capital, hiking at various state parks and Rocky Mountain National Park, and helping Noah make final preparations for our hike.

The trail starts on the outskirts of Denver and at one point we ventured to this Eastern Terminus for a quick photo op. The trail starts along a paved, multi-use path for quite a ways. Noah had already decided to skip the first five segments of the trail, or about 70 miles. He had heard this section of trail was not that exciting and with only two weeks to complete his hike, he didn’t have time to hike the entire 485-mile CT. Some mileage had to be cut somewhere, but it was still fun to visit the official starting point.

Day 1

My pack clocked in at 41 lbs, a little heavy, but I wasn’t planning on any resupply; I only needed 5.5 days of food and I also had followed my Hiker Hack No. 1: packing out a subway sandwich for dinner the first night.

From Denver, Noah’s friends drove us 80 minutes to Kenosha Pass, arriving at 11:30am. We had our first blunder when Noah and I started walking a few paces in the wrong direction before realizing we needed to cross the highway and go the other way! We were starting at segment 6 of the CT and planning on hiking to end of segment 10. Noah would then continue on to finish the trail.

After lathering on sunscreen and taking a few pics with the trail sign, we set off. Crazy Horse was back on the trail! Noah, however, decided not to go by Gel, the trail name I had bestowed upon him years ago when he joined me for five days on the Appalachian Trail. I had wondered why his hair was coiffed everyday and discovered he had been carrying hair gel with him on that hike. This time, he hiked sans hair product. 

The day was relatively easy as we gradually ascended through an aspen forest and then into some firs. Occasionally there were openings with a vast valley of prairie below and the Rocky Mountains in the distance, speckled with snow.

We passed at least a dozen thru-hikers throughout the day and talked to a few of them. Most everyone had started at the official trailhead in Denver, but one woman had started like us at Kenosha Pass. With our fresh legs, we overtook most of them and I was surprised at the great time we were making.

By 5pm we had hiked 12 miles to the top of Georgia Pass at 11,800 feet above sea level. Luckily my hiking around Denver earlier that week had acclimated me to the elevation. Nevertheless, I could tell Noah was used to these heights as he was much faster. Meanwhile I struggled to catch mu breath. The views from the pass were stunning, featuring mountains in the distance with us at just about tree line.

As we began descending from the pass, I could tell my pace had slowed throughout the day. Heat and a heavy pack had begun to wear on me. As the trail slowly lowered into the woods, we both became increasingly tired and sore. Was I making the same mistake as I had on my first day of the Superior Hiking Trail? Back then I had bit off more than I could chew, hiking 23 miles on day one, resulting in terrible soreness and blisters that I never recovered from for the remainder of that hike.

By the last few miles I was exhausted, my back was sore, my feet were more sore, and I couldn’t wait to pass out. We wanted to hike 18 miles that day but Noah also wanted to make sure he had plenty of daylight to set up his brand new tent. We settled for around 16 and found a suitable campsite. There were other tents in the area but we were all pretty spread out. I counted at least 8 others nearby.

The CT doesn’t have any official campsites or shelters. Hikers are encouraged to practice dispersed camping, to lessen the impact on the environment. This also meant no latrines, so we’d be digging cat holes when nature called. It also meant there aren’t necessarily specific camps you can strive for each day.

I made camp and busted out my old REI single-person tent. The poor thing had lasted the entirety of the Appalachian Trail as well as Te Araroa in New Zealand. During the latter, I had resealed the seams and noticed that it still had a leak. Before the Superior Hiking Trail, I had sprayed waterproofing product on the tent. It wasn’t until the final night on the SHT when it stormed that I discovered the tent still leaked. 

Here on the CT, I had taken a gamble, hoping that we would only face the afternoon thundershowers that frequent the Rockies, and would be blessed with drier skies overnight. As I pitched the tent, I noticed another hole that needed to be patched and threw some duck tape on it. I whispered to the trail gods to refrain from rain for the next five nights. 

For dinner I was relieved to forgo any cooking as I bit into my Subway sandwich. Noah had a freeze dried buffalo mac and cheese. Though the mosquitoes were annoying, we managed. While I had brought a bear canister to store my food cache safely, my supplies didn’t all fit and I was forced to sleep with my extra food bag in my tent. Hopefully the night would be bear-free.  

As twilight fell, my body aches were beginning to subside, though maybe that’s because of the ibuprofen I had taken. Nevertheless, the day had been successful and we had pushed ourself to take advantage of our fresh legs. Moving forward we’d have to be a bit more cautious until our trail legs set in.

Daily Mileage: 16.3 miles

Day 2

I slept horribly. My winter sleeping bag was too hot and by morning too cold. Sleeping at such an elevation made my nose stuffy and I frequently jolted awake. I suspected I had stopped breathing due to my sleep apnea. Normally I slept with a CPAP but not on the trail. By 7am I began packing up camp, but Noah was slow to get ready. This was his first time packing up his new tent and sleeping pad and it can take time for a hiker to figure out the best way to pack is bag. 

By 8:30am we were off, climbing for several miles. We soon joined the CDT and followed it the rest of the day, passing several CDT hikers. I could always tell due to their lightweight packs, tan skin, and lack of greeting as we passed.

The day was quite warm with no breeze. We quickly tired and I developed a few blisters. After lunch we descended to the outskirts of Breckenridge. The descent was a never ending switchback in full sun. At the bottom I soaked my feet in a frigid river, but only for a minute or less; it was too cold! Many CT hikers would get of trail here for a night in town. Since we were only on day two, we hand’t earned such a reward.

The finale of the day was a relentless slog back up into the mountains. Countless breaks weren’t enough to keep my energy up, though we somehow managed to reach camp. An older couple hiking the CT had set up and were friendly, offering us some food they wanted to be rid of. Noah also tried out his portable bidet, stating it was a success.

One of my tent zippers broke so I now had only one working zipper to open the tent door. The shelter just needed to make it three more nights. After dinner I crawled into bed, sore and beat, hoping for a better night sleep. An enormous climb awaited us at first light. 

Daily Mileage: 19.2 miles
Total Mileage: 35.5 miles

Day 3

I slept a bit better than the night before, though I woke up at 5am and dozed back until 6 and again until Noah’s alarm went off at 6:55. I started packing up and 20 minutes later realized Noah was still sleeping. I threw a few pine cones at his tent and he slowly started to stir. We left camp around 8:15, a bit better than the day before.

The day began with a continuation of our climb from the previous night. With fresh-ish legs, we climbed higher and higher with four miles to go but nearly 3,000 feet of elevation gain. I could feel blisters in between toes as well as on my heels. They weren’t terrible and I ignored them. Eventually we reached tree line and a few short snow crossings. The views were stunning but the ascent became steeper. In the distance to the left we could see the town of Breckenridge. Higher and higher we climbed until we finally reached the ridge of the Ten Mile Range.

From here we could see the other side of the mountain and looked down at Copper Mountain ski resort, a distant reservoir, and some menacing-looking mountains farther out. We paused at the top and enjoyed the views of both sides of the ridge.

The five-mile descent was wasn’t difficult but still felt grueling because my feet were so sore. The views were great and clouds gave us a reprieve from the hot sun. Wildflowers bloomed everywhere, as they had been everyday on the trail. I spotted lupine, columbine, asters, coreopsis, and heaps more I can’t identify. 

Eventually we reached a large parking lot for the ski resort. We made a beeline for the restrooms only to find them locked. A woman named Robyn living out of her van started chatting us up and offered to drive us to town. Noah and I felt okay skipping 2 miles and were whisked to the heart of Copper Mountain in minutes. We thanked Robyn and hobbled toward a pizza restaurant at the base of the ski hill.

First things first, I found outlets to charge all my electronics before we ordered overpriced 16-inch pizzas, one for each. I washed my face in the restroom and felt refreshed. It was only day three so our hiker hunger wasn’t quite there yet and we were only able to finish half our pizzas. While we ate, the couple we had shared camp with the night before showed up and we chatted for a bit. They showed me their solar panel they use to charge their devices, resulting in no need for a battery bank like mine. I was impressed and made a mental note to grab one for my future hikes.

With full stomachs, we packed our leftovers and began the climb up the ski hill. We sidled gently past dozens of ski runs and even an alpine coaster before returning to the wilderness. The remainder of the day wasn’t too bad. I was invigorated by the two Dr Peppers I’d drank and powered uphill. The incline was mostly gradual but we encountered a brief sprinkling of a thunderstorm before the sun returned.

At last we made camp at 11,000 feet, our highest camp yet. The sun shaded our camp and the temperature was quite cool. I wore my bandana like a babushka and donned my puffy jacket to stay warm. Leftover pizza made for an easy dinner and we relaxed for a bit. As we sat on a log in camp, I spotted an elk a few hundred feet away crossing the trail. The moment felt quite magical. It had been a good day, though my blisters were irritating. I popped a few of them that night, hoping they would heal up by morning.

Daily Mileage: 16.8 miles (but we hitched 2 of them)
Total Mileage: 52.3 miles

Day 4

Noah slept through his alarm and I woke up at 7:30am. A late start but we were ready by 8:15 to embark. The trail rose steadily until we were above the trees. The views were spectacular as we climbed up over Searle Pass. The trail and meadows around were carpeted with wildflowers and the mountains in the distance were awe-inspiring.

By midday we reached not Aruba, not Jamaica, but Kokomo Pass. We stopped for a moment but decided the flies were too annoying for a lunch break. The views continued as we began descending into a valley. We came across the friendly couple we had been running into with their solar panel and I nicknamed them the Suncatchers. They remarked how nice the trail was in that we don’t have to carry water with us since there are so many streams. This I found to be true and began leaving one of my two water bottles empty more often than not, and simply drinking at streams from my water filter. One liter of water weighs over two pound and who wants to carry more weight?

My blisters felt manageable after I popped them the night before, but the hot sun began tiring me out. I took several rests to catch my breath. Noah wouldn’t let me stop for long as he wanted to reach a waterfall for a shower. Our lunch break would have to wait until we reached his destination.

Cataract Falls was small yet beautiful. Noah was ready to go for a dip and I watched him spend all of half a second under the falls before scrambling away. The water was frigid! My turn was next and I waded into the stream and quickly stood underneath the falls before my body realized what a bad idea it was. The water was ice cold but I remained in the shallow area and did my best to rinse the dirt and sweat off. We lunched on the bridge across the stream and hung our clothes out to dry from our sweat. It felt nice to feel clean after our dip. 

After we hiked on, we played leap frog for a while with the Suncatchers. Thunder boomed in the distance but the sun continued to shine on us and there was no breeze. The heat was annoying as we hiked in full sun. The thunderclouds nearby never did pass over us or block the sun.

Tragedy struck when Noah realized he was missing a bag from his pack containing his stove, fuel, and spork. I reassured him we’d be in town in two days and I still had a stove and fuel. At least it wasn’t a water filter or his tent or something more important, I said, attempting to cheer him up.

The day dragged on as we hiked in the sun and heat, gently climbing back up. The water sources became scarce but Noah said there was a toilet and campsite with water at a road crossing in a few miles. I felt on the verge of collapse when we stumbled into the parking lot. There were indeed toilets but no water. I only had one bottle left. Noah checked his guidebook and realized he had been looking at the wrong section of trail. There was water in another 1.2 miles and I figured I could stumble on. Meanwhile the mosquitoes attacked relentlessly.

Just then, two guys walked into the parking lot and began chatting with us; they had been foraging for mushrooms along the trail. When we told them how we’d planned to camp nearby but there was no water source, they surprised us by offering us some of theirs. They had an entire ten-gallon jug in their car and we eagerly filled up our cache. After many thanks, we headed to the woods for a place to camp.

As I tried to set up my tent, the mosquitoes descended. I’d push in a stake, then walk away flailing my arms trying to draw them away from my tent. Then I’d return and quickly add another stake and repeat. After getting situated in my tent, I didn’t want to leave unless absolutely necessary. I debated if lighting my stove and boiling water in my tent was a good idea. Safety first, I returned to the swarm outside and boiled water for myself and Noah’s dinners. Without a spork, I suggested Noah could wait to use mine once I’m finished or very carefully use his knife. He chose the latter and said he only cut himself once.

 At last I returned to my tent and watched as dozens of mosquitoes crawled around on the tent screen, trying to get inside. Noah had been reading the book, Dune, on the trail and we felt like we were living it, doing our best to conserve what little water we had been gifted. It would have to last until the morning plus a mile of hiking before the next water source.

Daily mileage: 17.4 miles
Total Mileage: 69.7 miles

Day 5

We quickly packed up camp as the mosquitoes awakened. The trail started out flat before climbing steadily. The bugs were out and I had to stop and put on bug spray. An hour later I had sweat off the repellant and needed to reapply. The sun was out and there was no breeze, making for a hot and sweaty day. Eventually we reached the high point of the day, just barely above tree line. We stopped to have a long lunch and relax. There was a nice breeze which kept the mosquitoes away. 

My feet were quite sore from my blisters, but I knew I only had one day left. We began descending down once more and the bugs returned. At the bottom we completed Segment 9 of the trail and began Segment 10. Noah’s knee was pretty sore and he contemplated trying to hitch a ride into town. Instead, I convinced him to stick with our plan and hobble on four more miles.

We took things slow and climbed steadily but steeply back into the mountains. The bugs were a menace, even when it began to rain. The sun was out with blue skies above and yet it sprinkled for a 30 minutes or so. At last, we reached camp, but there already a few tents occupying the best spots. Exhausted, I found a place where we could both squeeze in our tents. I did my best to rinse off the sunscreen and bug spray in a nearby stream. Noah and I shared my stove to boil water for our dinners. Noah was reusing his the bag of last night’s dehydrated meal as a bowl to cook ramen noodles. Unfortunately, when he poured the water in, it began leaking out. Because he had been using a knife to eat his meals after losing his spork, he had inadvertently poked holes in the bottom. Poor Noah. He said the noodles were still edible and I gave him a wrap and some Cheezits to supplement his dinner. The rest of the night we remained in our tents to keep away from the bugs. 

Daily Mileage: 16.5 miles
Total Mileage: 86.2 miles

Day 6

Noah had us up early at 6am to start packing up. The bugs were quite annoying as we hiked off. The morning brought us an easy climb and we had a bit of a view for a moment, though we never made it above tree line. Mount Massive towered off in the distance with Mount Elbert nearby, both mountains over 14,000 ft.

After a short morning of 9 miles, we reached the parking lot for the Mount Massive trailhead. Noah’s plan was to wait around until we found someone to give us a ride into Leadville. After only a fe minutes, we encountered a couple returning from a trail run up and down Mount Massive. They were more than happy to drive us to Leadville, where they were already headed.

Soon enough we reached the downtown of the highest city in North America. We lunched at a Mexican restaurant before shopping for a new spork for Noah. This was the end of my journey and so I loaned Noah the rest of my fuel and my stove. From here, he would spend a night in town before returning to the trail for two more weeks. After saying our farewells, I hopped on the bus to Frisco and then took another bus to Denver. 

Mileage: 9.3 miles
Total Mileage: 95.5 miles

Final Thoughts

Overall, the CT was quite stunning. The trail was well maintained and offered some of the most amazing vistas with a good mix of challenging and intermediate terrain. I found the trail to be easy to follow and well populated with other hikers. It is a great starter trail for those wanting to try thru-hiking or shorter backpacking trips without committing to the multi-month treks like the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail.

As for Noah, he continued on hiking for ten more days, hiking a total of 220 miles. He followed the Collegiate West route when the trail split and stated that it was the most beautiful trail he’s hiked in the continental U.S. He had high praise for the rest of his journey and plans to return to the trail next summer to finish where he left off and make it all the way to Durango. Perhaps one day I will return as well to finish the entire trail!

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