So I am going to be heading out on Take Two of the Colorado Trail this Sunday. I'm calling it Take Two because there will be somewhat similar conditions in the high country, namely snow; or at least in this case the possibility of snow. The differences now are the season (fall vs. spring), fitness (I'm not in what I call great shape, though better than most people I know) and I gotta dog; I think I'm a bit more knowledgeable about what I'm getting into as well.
I will be starting from Copper Mountain and heading toward the town of Twin Lakes, about twelve miles west of Leadville. The trip will be about 50 miles and I plan on doing it in 5-6 days; if I'm doing good on time and feeling well I'll probably climb Mt. Elbert as I get close to Twin Lakes. Originally I was going to head out today, but my intertibial band started hurting really bad last week and I felt like I needed to rehab it a bit. Plus a bunch of things that I hadn't done during the summer session at school needed done. So if I had headed out today I would have made it to Mt. Princeton Hot Springs out side Buena Vista, which is roughly another 50 miles from Twin Lakes.
I am planning on moving fairly light and quickly with a 10 mile per day average, carrying around 25 pounds, which is actually a lot heavier than I would like, but the pup and I will be in the 'third' season or the 'shoulder' season here in Colorado and had to pack accordingly. The intense rain and snow of last weekend really demonstrated just how rough this fall and winter might be; though that was probably just an isolated incident. Here is a list of what all I'll be bringing
So for those of you who are thinking of meeting me in Twin Lakes and going packing that weekend I will probably get into town Saturday morning and I will meet you in town. It is a tiny little town with less than two hundred people.
I will meet you at the place marked by the pin on the sat photo, but its a tiny place so there shouldn't be to much confusion. Hopefully there will be cell reception though, so I'll keep everyone attune to the changes. As far as the trip goes, a lot depends on who all comes. If there are at least two vehicles we could do a traverse and continue along the CT to a shuttle vehicle. If that opportunity does not present itself then some sort of loop or out and back could be thought up.
So if your up for coming let me know and we can work something out! Don't hesitate to ask questions.
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