FKT - 10 Canyon Traverse

Colorado Trail Days 10 and 11

Colorado Trail Day 9

Colorado Trail Day 8

Colorado Trail Day 7

Unsupported FKT. Northbound via Collegiate West. 

Day 5 (8/30):
At dawn, I ascended Sergents Mesa. Views up top were shrouded by trees and travel was slowed by plentiful ankle-rolling rocks. Progress felt slower and harder than was appropriate. A Far Out review that described this section as combining all of the worst aspects of the Appalachian Trail into 20 miles of the CO Trail provided some welcome amusement. There were many raspberries along the trail, but I could not afford to stop to pick them. Water was infrequent; fortunately temperatures were reasonable. I was excited to reach the algae filled cattle tank that served as the first water source in many miles and the start of the downhill.

On the way down, I encountered a camo-clad Texan walking his mountain bike back to his pickup. It was a somewhat confused conversation, but he did mention encountering someone supporting another FKT runner. The climb back up to altitude at Headwaters Hill was up an exceptionally steep and poorly constructed trail – notable only because the Colorado Trail had been of such consistently high quality. Fortunately, road/trail conditions were far better as darkness fell and I traversed to Marshall Pass.

A herd of cattle blocked the path by the piped spring. They had to be encouraged to move. The trail appeared to have been the subject of recent trailwork – unfortunately much damage was done by the cattle. The constructed trail to the piped spring was an impressive bit of trailwork. I filled up water in expectation of a long dry stretch.

By this point, I had made the decision to switch to Collegiate West. My rate of travel had not been as high as I had hoped – I my daily pace was consistently at least 5 miles short. Beating Jeff Garmire’s Collegiate East FKT seemed unlikely and would only be possible if I could run significant portions during the last several days. Fortunately, it appeared I had sufficient food to take the longer, higher, and harder western route. As a bonus, Collegiate West is also far more scenic.

At the Collegiate West/East junction, I turned left and followed the Monarch Crest Trail towards Monarch Pass. I hoped to make it across the road, but battling exhaustion, stopped short. I passed by a few marginal camp spots heading toward a spot marked on my map. That turned out to be a mistake. My bivy spot ended up being sloped and lumpy. Sleep came quickly nonetheless.

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Nathaniel G

Colorado Trail Day 5

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FKT - 10 Canyon Traverse

Colorado Trail Days 10 and 11

Colorado Trail Day 9

Colorado Trail Day 8

Colorado Trail Day 7

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