Day 10
Miles hiked today: 6.2
Miles from Denver: 124.1
Elevation: 10,600 ft
Segment 8
Landmarks: Copper Mountain Ski Area, Tenmile Range
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I have been looking forward to today for a while because my dad will be joining me on the hike for a few days. We have made a tradition in the last couple of years of going on hikes together, starting with him joining me on two different sections of the Appalachian Trail. The reason I stayed in Breckenridge again was because he was driving down to meet me, and this made it easy.
In an amazing bit of trail magic, my friends Melissa and Scott, who so graciously took care of me when I landed in Denver and got me to the trail with food and everything else I needed, are in town. Furthermore Melissa says they would be HAPPY to assist my Dad and I with a little logistic problem we have, which is how to get the car at the end of the segment if we park it and hike 25 miles. They are in exactly the right place on the right day to help, and more than that, they are willing. They have been up here for a wedding, so are in no big hurry to return to Denver on this Sunday afternoon.
Thus started a day which consisted mostly of driving all over the heart of Colorado, probably making an 80 mile loop between Copper Mountain, Leadville, Tennessee Pass and Vail to place my Dad's car at the far trailhead. This is so immensely helpful to us I can't even describe it. Finally we end with a nice plate of burgers at a restaurant in Vail, and it is time to get on the trail.
We are on trail by 3:00, which doesn't really matter because we only have 6 miles to walk. My Dad will be here for 3 days, and we will be doing the next 25 miles to Tennessee Pass. Right in the middle of this section is an above tree line pass that we will need to cross tomorrow, so for today we just need to camp as close as possible to the pass, which is that 6 mile mark.
It is interesting walking on a long distance trail right through a ski area. Copper Mountain has turned its lower slopes into a golf course, and the village is hopping with a big concert, trampolines and I'm sure lots of beer and food. It is even stranger being on a long distance trail, seeing all of this, and not stopping. We were still full from Vail, and were anxious to get on the trail.
After navigating through the confusing network of ski runs and mountain bike trails, we finally left Copper Mountain behind us and started up a steady climb along a stream. We camped in a big meadow next to a collapsed and long-abandoned cabin. The best guess is this was a cabin for mine workers, as mines of all sorts perforate these mountains like swiss cheese.
Tomorrow will be a much longer day, and as I packed up after dinner the temperature was falling fast. This looked to be a cold night.
