CT 7.11.15 Day 9

Days on the trail: 8

Days total: 9

Miles today: 9

Miles from Denver: 117.2

Approximate elevation gain: ~2800

Location:Gold Hill trailhead to Copper Mountain Segment 7:3.5 to 12.8

In my honest opinion, this is way too steep to be a trail. 

I had a hard time sleeping last night. We placed our backpacks under the vestibule and on top of a plastic sheet. We are still trying to figure out our system of what works best. On a training trip we brought the backpacks inside the tent, and after putting pressure on a platypus bite valve and causing a flood we decided not to keep them inside. Three times in the middle of the night I was awoken to the noise of plastic shuffling near my head. What the heck? I tried shooing whatever it was away, and went back to sleep. Whilst packing up, I examined my gear and noticed that I had tiny little bite marks all over my bite valve. Gross. I have no idea what it was that felt like chewing on the valve. I cleaned it off really well with several Wet One's and water. I didn't want tularemia or rabies. Suggestions?

Lake Dillon.

Thinking I'm almost done with the hard part, I stopped to take a picture of David.

This was the hardest day of this hike and yet we did the shortest amount of miles yet. On the elevation profile map, it looked uphill and difficult, but I was not prepared for how challenging it would be for me. It rocked my faith in my legs, heart, lungs and ability to hike uphill. I got tired of going up, but then I would see these sections that appeared to just be straight up and I thought, "How is this considered the trail!?". I saw an end in sight with the pass. What pass? The book doesn't say anything about a pass, and it doesn't say "It's over, it's all down hill from here" once you get there. I must have been delusional to think so. In the meantime, the view of Lake Dillon and Breckenridge were really awesome. Once we went over this pseudo-pass we started heading on flat/downhill trail and I was super happy. Three more miles to go! Ah, that didn't seem so bad. But then it kept going, and creeping upwards, and there appeared to be no end in sight! We walked over snow three times, and the trail kept going up. Where the hell were we going? Why didn't the makers of this dang trail make it easier. I was running out of energy and super hungry. I had 2/3rds of a pop tart for breakfast. That was dumb. I pulled out a "cashew cookie" Larabar that sounded good when I bought it and when I took a bite I instantly felt nauseous and spit it out. I had to take so many breather breaks to do this, and several times I wanted to just sit and throw a fit at the trail gods who made this trail and not take another step forward.  

So happy to be done with the hard part, or so I thought. 

There were several other hikers doing just fine, and about 10-15 mountain bikers who carried their bikes up a huge portion of this section. I swear to you, mountain bikers are the craziest people on the planet, and perhaps the most in shape masochists in existence. Who wakes up in the morning and says, "Hmm, I think I would like to torture myself. Let's go from Breck to Copper this morning"? Apparently a lot of mountain bikers. 

View towards Breck. Off in the distance I could see the tiny switchbacks we did yesterday. They seemed so much bigger then. 

View towards Gore Range Trail and Copper Mountain is hidden, on the left. 

We reached the top, a crest between Peak 5 and Peak 6 at 12,495 on the ten mile range and at the Breck ski boundary. I was ready to go down. David, my masochist husband, saw a peak and decided to go to the top of it "real quick" after dropping his pack. I had permission to move on, so I left him. I didn't get too far away and always had my eye on him while enjoying the scenery of Copper, the Gore Range trail we did two weeks ago and some other mountains I don't know the names of. It sure was pretty, but it got cold. Before I knew it, I crouched down and put on my polar fleece, rain jacket, winter hat and gloves while I waited about thirty minutes for David to meet me. Now we only had three miles remaining and it was all downhill. We stopped for lunch once we reached tree line. I made a PB&J on a tortilla that sounded good, but I could only eat 2/3rds of it. 

Waiting, and freezing. =)

Looking towards Copper Mountain.

From the top we could hear music playing in Copper. Some guy on the way down said there was a Bluegrass festival going on and we should try to make it. We had been salivating over the idea of fatty burgers all day and it sounded like a great way to go out to eat without a shower required. 

As we got to the trail head, we looked to the left and saw some people setting up a tent in a vacant parking lot, as well as a green trailer with the Colorado Trail symbol on it. Volunteers! We had heard that such people existed and wanted to take the opportunity to thank them. They invited us to join their camp for the night and have some food with them. Not wanting to impose when we didn't volunteer, we pitched our tent with them and walked into town, about a mile and a half to get food. We spent a bit of time talking to them and getting to know the amazing people who hike up and lug up supplies to build bridges and walkways that make our hike easier. They are saints and some of the nicest people. We stayed up late talking and watching fireworks with them.