- CT Day 6, July 5, Wednesday
- Start: S6 mile 32.7, CT mile 104.2
- End: S8 mile 7.0, CT mile 124.2
- Miles walked: 20.0
Most of the 6:45 bus from Breckenridge were hikers, returning to Gold Hill to resume the trail, including Jackrabbit and myself. J zoomed ahead, and I never saw him the rest of the day.
We start at 9.8k, climbing and starting to see a line of mountains.
As we get higher, we have to traverse some snow fields.
Up high on a ridge, some of the ski runs of Copper Mountain start to appear.
I meet Chopper coming the other way, slack-packing from Copper.
But we still keep climbing. About 7 of us keep passing each other as we pause for breaks or to adjust equipment, including Sunflower, Chair Guy, Stella, and the Wes’s.
Rain begins at the ridge summit at 12.5k, but does not last long.
Coasting down long switchbacks for hours, finally I reach Copper Mountain ski area. A big detour due to construction takes me off the mapped route.
At Center Village, I chat with GoodCat, who is about to head up. I see no other hikers. After a mid-afternoon junk food snack, I start up the mountain bike trail area.
After a few miles, the trail follows along the Guller River, and a series of beaver ponds.
I stop for the night at 11.1k, not wanting to sleep at higher elevation to stay warm at night. The sound of the river nearby brings sleep quickly.