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 9 (9/3):
I stopped at the bathroom at Tennessee Pass and then continued down the hill to Camp Hale. I had passed through here on my way to Jackal Hut in February, but had not seen the ruins or asbestos warnings from the old military encampment.

After pausing to down some drink mix, I headed up the hill to Kokomo Pass. Some bikers and a lone trail runner passed me along the way. Views from the top were expansive. I headed along Elk Ridge to Searle Pass. 

Having finally eaten most of my food weight, I decided to try running down from the pass. The downhill grade proved less consistent than I had hoped. But regardless, I quickly bonked and concluded that running would not be feasible given my caloric deficiency.

As a passed below treeline, an exceptionally violent and loud thunderstorm moved in along with heavy rain. I was glad to be in a deep valley and not envious of the people I had passed who were likely caught out above treeline. I donned full rain gear and continued toward Copper Mountain. The rain ended as I approached the ski resort. Following the mountain biking trails across the ski runs felt odd. I took the official detour down through the village where some sort of festival was occurring and headed across the road.

As the sun set, I took the nicely graded trail up toward the ridgeline and the top of the Breckenridge ski resort. I saw oncoming lights above treeline and soon encountered a pair of hikers, one of whom had an inflatable lantern strapped to his chest. They seemed to be having some difficulty navigating down, but were cheerful. Once on top of the ridge, the quality of the trail deteriorated markedly. Route finding became challenging. I could see the lights of the cities and I70 below me. 

I reached the trail down to Breckenridge and was disappointed to find that it was also of poor quality. I descended and soon ran into Melinda and Doug who were paused in a clump of bushes. A short while later I was backtracking while trying to figure out a section where there trail had been rerouted when Melinda and Doug caught up to me. We would leap frog several more times as we headed down to Breckenridge and I took several brief naps. The trail was rocky and, for me, very painful. Initially I had been hoping to make it across town, but I stopped a few miles short under a tree.

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Nathaniel G

Colorado Trail Day 9

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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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