Colorado Trail - Part 2

Nothing on the Colorado Trail went as expected this year.  I didn't stick to the timeline I had hoped for, I got injured fairly early on in my first go at it but as always I learned a lot.

I'd gone out in mid-June to try and thru-hike around 250 miles of the Colorado Trail and developed achilles bursitis about 116 miles into it.  It was frustrating and something that I still feel now and then if I don't focus on taking care of my legs while I'm still recovering.  After our time on the TMB in August I felt strong enough to give it another go and try to check off some more of the Colorado Trail, so I returned to Copper Mountain and started my journey south again.

My second go at the Colorado Trail was as quiet as my first, I didn't see a single other thru or section hiker while on the trail.  Leaving Copper on September 28th was pleasant, it was still warm out but you could feel the bite of cold in the air, winter was pushing its way in.  As I continued higher, the brush finally turned the beautiful yellow that Colorado is known for and I settled in for the next 60 miles of my walk.  As I wandered up next to Guller Creek, heading to camp below Searle Pass, I silently hoped to see a moose or elk lounging off in the meadow.  I unfortunately didn't have the luck to see one but settling into camp I did see two hunters searching the higher terrain for them.

Searle Pass was a nice treat on day two.  The day started with a short climb to tree line and then a nice 5 mile ridge walk to Kokomo Pass, it would be my little treat of alpine before finding my way to a very boring forest section.  Far down below you could see the ant like cars zooming by on the highway between Leadville and Copper Mountain and somewhere in the distance you could hear the bugling of Elk, calling for some company at the end of the season.

As I headed down Kokomo Pass, the trail runners and the day hikers headed up past me.  My short bit of company for the day, a hello and how are you as we'd hurry on our ways for our various adventures in the mountains.  Luckily the terrain would have another treat for me hiding in Tennessee Pass.  I'd thought I might be behind the timing for the aspens, a little too late but instead I was right on time and the trees were on fire.

The second day ended cold, bundled in my tent near Tennessee Creek, tired but happy I was walking.  In the morning I awoke the the crunching of deer outside my tent, wandering for water and heading to the lower elevations.  My third day would be my favorite.  Although I didn't see another person my entire day of hiking, it was very fitting as I traversed the entirety of the Holy Cross Wilderness in a day.  The wilderness area was beautiful, several creeks starting their life to eventually turn into the Arkansas River further below me along with small alpine lakes and beautiful vistas of far off peaks.  The variety was awesome and the day was revitalizing.

On morning four I was excited, I'd have company that night and the next day as Kat was planning to meet me on trail to do Mt. Massive and closeout my season on trail with me.  The day was a tunnel of green, traversing the eastern slopes of Mt. Massive but I was at peace and enjoying every moment.  For the first time this summer a big plan was going according to plan, just how it had been set out.  As much as I've learned to go with the flow, I also relish when things go according to plan.

As I neared our meetup spot and made myself comfortable I couldn't help but feel there was still something ahead of me (besides going up a 14er).  In a few hours Kat would call and tell me the bridge to get to the trailhead (and me) was out and there was no way around.  We'd go back and forth on the phone for about 30 minutes before she figured out the way around and just before sunset we linked up for dinner in the tent and a cold night above 11,000', trying to stay bundled in our sleeping bags.

That final day we woke up with the sun and started our climb up Mt. Massive, it was both enjoyable and tiring.  The wind didn't know what it wanted to do and we went back and forth between too hot and too cold.  Mt. Massive is also known for its multiple false summits and they did not disappoint, every time we felt like we were getting closer, we'd turn a corner or go over a ridge and there was still more ahead.

Eventually, after chatting with a mountain goat and saying some choice words to the trail we found the summit.  Somehow it was wind free, the sun was warm and we were happy.  It was a great way to top off this section, bringing me one step closer to checking off all of the 14ers in one of Colorado's many mountain ranges.  Going back down the trail was quick once we got off the summit ridge.  Kat sang songs and we chatted about our relaxing long weekend planning ahead, soaking in hot springs in Steamboat and playing around in the mountains at our friend's family cabin.  We were happy to have had a very successful day right out of the vacation gate.

We'd hike the rest of the way out to the car talking about the week ahead and joking about the day we'd had so far.  We'd dream of (and eventually get) some delicious Taco Bell as a reward for the calories burned and we'd head home before planning to take right off again the next day.

Overall, this second section of the Colorado Trail was everything I had hoped the first one would be.  Maybe it was that I took things slower, maybe its that I knew what to expect or maybe it was that I had set the bar so low anything more than getting injured again would've been great.  I spent a lot of my drive back to Colorado Springs thinking about how I'll go out and finish the trip next year.  I thought about everything I still have ahead of me on my Colorado Trail journey but I also appreciated all of the miles I had behind me.

This trail has given me a deeper knowledge of the state I now call home and its given me an appreciation for the people around me because the silence on trail alone is louder than you'd expect.  I look forward to 2025's adventures, as always, thanks for following along.

In the soulful place where earth & sky meet, nature embraces one divine heartbeat.

​-Angie Weiland-Crosby