Friday, November 28, 2014

day twelve: Miner's Creek to Copper Mountain, 8/23/14

8 or so miles

got a late start due to rainstorms.  today's hike will take us up and over the Ten Mile Range and down into Copper, and hopefully even further past the resort.

with the rain we considered hiking back down the Peaks Trail and taking the Summit Stage over to Copper, skipping the mountain pass.  as nice as that sounded, our goal is to complete the entire trail and we didn't want to skip this part.

we started the day's hike when the rain stopped for a bit.  the trail up to the top of the Ten Mile Range is steep, definitely the hardest thing we've hiked yet.  it also doesn't help that our backpacks are super full and heavy.

this day was my low point on the trail, I was having a hard time climbing, breathing, and just keeping my shit together emotionally.  the weather was windy and rainy, but without thunder and lightning so we kept trucking, actually C trucked - I cried and moved way too slowly.

as we got to the top of the ridge, the wind picked up and it started to downpour.  I was in a horrible place both mentally and physically, C had to push and yell to get me moving - and it worked.  I shut my head off and hauled across the ridge and down the other side of the mountain.

I was miserable, but thankful for C, and for my new sturdier raincoat.  we made it down to the parking lot at Copper and had a snack and discussed the plans for the day.  we decided to make it to the resort, get lunch and pull it together.

after a few miles of hiking across Copper and next to their golf course we make it to the resort and settle in to eat lunch.  we decide to get a room for the night, there's still more rain, and the temp is almost freezing.  we feel bad about this decision at the time, but in retrospect it was a turning point in our trip.

 
I wish I had been able to take pics at the top of the range, but this is all I got for the day.

I'm looking forward to hiking from Breckenridge to Copper in the future, with less weight and on a sunny day.  this terrain was amazing and I want to be able to enjoy it and reverse my negative memory of it!



day eleven: Breckenridge to Miner's Creek, 8/22/14

6 miles

had a nice slow and warm morning at the Fireside Inn.  ate breakfast, grabbed sandwiches for lunch, and made all final preparations for departure. 

the weather has started to change and this will be the beginning of a couple weeks of lots of rain.

we dropped off a package to send home to the post office and got on the Summit Stage bus by the gondola.  the trail picks up at Gold Hill.

at this point I'm feeling cold and nervous about the incoming storms and sad to be leaving the comforts of town with a HEAVY backpack.  I might have been fighting back tears the entire hike.

the trail out is pretty miserable, there is lots of beetle kill trees and deforestation, along with giant construction vehicles clearing out the forest.  luckily, C is motivated and is keeping me moving and trying to keep my head up.

our campsite is underneath the Ten Mile Range.  we get to sleep early, due to rain. 

not my pic (if I had taken one it would've been grey and wet and sad)