12.8 miles hiked, highest poin t12500ft, camping at mile 116.9 @ 9767ft
Oh glorious wonderful sleep. How I have missed you! Thank you thank you bed from heaven!
I wake up before 6, but lie in bed as long as possible. Despite the early wakeup it was an awesome soft sleep. I reluctantly get up and get coffee from Starbucks, then microwave the tofu scramble burrito I bought yesterday for brekkie.
All my things are once again stuffed in my bag and we climb aboard the bus to take us back to the trailhead.
Today we are climbing for 8 miles up 3000ft in elevation. The first 4ish goes nice and fast with a stop at water to drink a bunch as it’s a hot day. Then the altitude starts getting spicey. I feel like there are thousands of tiny people with ropes tied to every muscle fibre in my legs that are pulling me backwards and down into the ground. I think for every extra foot of altitude, there has been a dose of extra gravity. Legs. Won’t. Move. Forward.
At a little stream I stop to drink a litre of the cool yummy water. My bottle this morning was filed with town water and the chlorine in it was overpowering. Mountain water plus my sawyer squeeze beats any other water ever. I march on, listening to the last of my audiobook, going so so slowly.
Another stream break with Grizzly, then up up up. We are both draaaaagging today. We come across a big rock pile with marmots and pikas galore! I love fluffy bummed marmots! I love the pika call! Then we spy some mountain goats in the far distance on patches of snow. Mountain goats!
We switchback up over a bunch of false summits, looking down at Breckenridge below. Up across a snow chute, then finally at the top of the pass.
WHOOSH! We are nearly knocked off the mountain by the wind on the other side. Amazing views, much wind. Across a ridgeline then down down down a skinny trail clinging to the side of the mountain. Finally below trees we have some relief, and I finally am able to eat something- my breath was too shallow on the way up and the wind was too strong coming down to eat.
Through the pine trees, across little streams. Podcasts entertain me as I head down to the river and across a bridge to our campsite, a mere 12.8 miles from when we started. That’s what happens when you leave town late!
It’s a bizarre little spot next to a winter carpark for the copper mountain resort, looking up at the gondolas on the mountain with a river rushing by on the other side.
Hmmm….finding a private spot for a ‘bathroom’ in the morning wiĺl be interesting!