Colorado Trail beta

[Dean F.]

So, I’m retiring from the Army this summer.  Yay me!

Anyway, one possible job opportunity that I’m investigating might leave me the opportunity to bump off a life-list hike.  I think I know the answers to these questions, but I thought I’d ask the hive-mind.

Hiking SOBO you hit all the lower elevation parts first.  So, is the Colorado Trail doable with a start around June 1st assuming a 6-week hike, or will the passes not be clear?

If not, about where should I mail my snowshoes and crampons?  :)

Is the CT <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>practical</span> (not merely possible) with a hammock?

If you think I’m insane to even consider this, what other approximately 6-week life-list quality hike would you propose?

[Dean F.]

PS- this not being able to edit an OP thing is annoying.  I clicked the underline button, it showed as underlined, but when I posted it it looked like that.

[Greg Mihalik]

Yes, the forum software sucks.

June 21st puts you around Monarch Pass, up the road from me.  You may have to negotiate around a few snow fields but 95% of the trail will be clear. Collegiates East is now dry and will remain dry. If you are coming in from Collegiates West it may be a different story (Hope Pass, Lake Ann), one that won’t be told until the end of March when the weather settles down.  I won’t be doing West SOBO before July 1. Somewhere on the net is a site with CT/CDT hiker posts regarding the “percent clear”.

If I’m around I’ll provide whatever support you need.  PM, or greg att smgm dott org.

[Dean F.]

Thanks, Greg.  I may indeed PM you as dates get closer.

[Valerie E]

“Is the CT practical (not merely possible) with a hammock?”  IMHO, if you mean the ENTIRE CT, not really.

I did the full CT in 2015, and went back last summer to do the Collegiate Loop, because the weather in 2015 was so stormy that I chose the east side, and missed out on the stunning beauty of the Western Collegiate route (which I would recommend highly).

If you love hammock camping, you might use a hybrid approach, mailing your tent & hammock back and forth, depending on where you are.  Going SOBO, a hammock will be perfect (maybe better than a tent) until you hit the Western Collegiate route. At that point, it’s still fine, but you’ll have to be a bit more strategic than a ground dweller about where you camp.

The real issues occur after Lake City, where you’ll be above treeline a lot of the time (and the scenery gets pretty good).  Again, it’s *possible* to do this section with a hammock, but you would have to be constantly aware of shortening/lengthening your daily mileage so that you end up at a hammock-friendly locale.  You may find that it’s worth it, but the CT can be tiring, and you can encounter a lot of stormy weather, so I was happy to be able to stop whenever/wherever I wanted (above or below treeline).

Whatever you choose, it’ll be a memorable trip.  (Tip: definitely do San Luis Peak from the pass — it only took us about an hour from the CT, and the views were great!)

[Dean F.]

Thanks, Valerie.  That was my suspicion.

I would indeed prefer Collegiates West but fate has dictated that if I do this then it will be early in the season, so I may be forced to do Collegiates East.  Looking on the bright side, resupply is easier on East.  On the dark side, I’m going to hit the absolute buggiest time of year.  C’est la guerre.

I am getting so INCREDIBLY excited about this possibility.  I hope it works out and I can do this, because I won’t get another opportunity for a long hike in the next decade or so until I retire.

Hey, what was your resupply plan?  Which town stops did you use?

[Valerie E]

Nice to hear your excitement (almost as fun as the trip itself!).

I did the first half solo, met up with my husband in Salida and continued to Durango with him.

Resupplies for me were:  Fairplay, Breckenridge (I did Segment 7 as a slackpack from Breck, using the free buses to/from Copper Mountain), Twin Lakes, Buena Vista (didn’t really need to stop, but was too far ahead of schedule to meet my husband, LOL), Salida, Lake City, and Silverton. You could EASILY do it with fewer resupplies, but I was in no hurry, and enjoyed my near-o’s and zero’s as part of my whole vacation!

A more minimalist approach, with higher mileage for a quicker trip, would be to go from Denver to Breckenridge/Frisco, then Mt. Princeton, Salida, Lake City, and cruise into Durango.

My favourite town stops were Breck (Nicki at the Fireside Inn was my trail angel!), Twin Lakes (the folks who own the General Store went SO out of their way for me, but the place is up for sale, so that could change), and Salida (a bit spread out, but has any/everything you might need by the halfway point of your hike).

Paul’s guide is really helpful for organizing/planning: https://pmags.com/colorado-trail-end-to-end-guide-2

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