Colorado Trail 7 Day Segment Hike Questions
Hello all,
My 7 day segment hike (Segments 1-7 of the CT) is less than a month away and I am super excited! I just wanted to post up here with my proposed gear list and itinerary and see what suggestions/input I can get.
I will be flying to Denver early in the morning on June 29th, and should be at the trail around 11:00 AM/noon. My itinerary for travel is as follows:
Arrive at 7:00 AM in Denver
Walk to DIA West Island #5
Take AF bus towards downtown (leaves around 8:20, arrives 9:02)
Walk to Union Station
Take C Line to Littleton-Mineral Ave. Station (leaves 9:19, arrives 9:47)
Walk to 7-Eleven across 85 for HEET/last minute food (call ahead)
Eat at Qdoba in shopping center
Call South JeffCO call n ride in advance and ask to be taken to Lockheed-Martin.
Walk South on Waterton Canyon Road .3 miles, trailhead is on the right (west), parking lot is on the left.
See anything that could pose a problem here? I think it should all work out as long as I reserve the Call N Ride system in advance. My gear list can be found here:
http://www.geargrams.com/list?id=14178
Everything looks good to me, but I would love some input from other eyes! Some interesting things:
In lieu of shorts, I am wearing Pearl Izumi Fly Short Tights. They are fantastic and have served me well; I’ve run a couple half marathons in them and a full marathon as well, so they will be chafe free for sure. This would be both my underwear and shorts. Anyone foresee problems with not having traditional shorts?
A Trailstar should be fine for this hike right? I originally opted for a Cuben Grace Duo from MLD but I already have the Trailstar and want to save some money.
I would love a suggestion on good gloves!
Here is my travel itinerary for the trail itself. I have one big push day of almost 20 miles, but I think I can do that, and if I don’t I can make both July 3rd and 4th 17 mile days. This is all tentative of course.
June 29th: 8.7 Miles
– Hike from Waterton Canyon (if not closed) 8.7 miles to Bear Creek and camp.
– 8.7 miles from Denver
June 30th: 14.6 Miles
– Hike to mile 6.6 of Segment 2. Should tackle the burned area later in the day and have plenty of water! Dry camp and hike.
– 23.4 miles from Denver
July 1st: 16.8 Miles
– Hike to mile 11.9 of Segment 3
– 40.2 miles from Denver
July 2nd: 14.8 Miles
– Hike to mile 14.5 of Segment 4
– 55 miles from Denver
July 3rd: 19.8 Miles
– Hike to mile 3.1 of Segment 6 (Longest Day)
– 74.8 miles from Denver
July 4th: 16.6 Miles
– Hike to mile 19.7 of Segment 6
– 91.4 miles from Denver
July 5th: 13 Miles
– Hike to mile 32.7 of Segment 6. Take bus into Breckenridge and stay the night at Fireside Inn.
– 104.4 miles from Denver
July 6th: 12.4 Miles
– Hike 12.4 miles if Segment 7 to end at Copper Mountain!
– 116.8 miles from Denver
I’ll be meeting some friends at Copper Mountain for a nice week of relaxation at the resort.
A few more questions:
As far as safety, I feel like I have the necessary skills to perform a hike like this safely. However, does SPOT work well on this part of the CT? It would make my family feel better if I had something like that, as I am solo hiking; but I don’t want to waste money on something that won’t perform.
How well travelled is the trail at this time of the year? Would it be safe to say that I will see a fair amount of other backpackers/day hikers along the way? (I would think so, especially since I am hiking around the 4th of July)
Should I expect to see any significant amount of snow around this time of the year?
Thanks for all the help! I am really looking forward to my hike. If all goes well I will be aiming to do the whole CT next year.
