Colorado Trail Trip Report
Segments 1 & 2
29 miles
June 5-8, 2012
Google Maps Terrain
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The Colorado Trail has been on my "bucket" list for some time now. I don't plan to thru-hike the trail, but to complete it in segments.
Since I was visiting my daughter and son-in-law in Castle Rock in June, I took the opportunity to do a short hike on the CT!
Although it was a low snow year, it was also June, which usually means snow on a lot of the trail. This drove my choice of which segments to hike.
Segments 1 and 2 are at the lowest elevation on the trail, so I chose those sections to avoid any snow that might still be lingering.
My trail research showed that this section of trail, especially segment 2, was pretty dry. I brought 2 one liter water bottles and a 2 liter water bladder, so a total potential carrying capacity of 4 liters. I planned on dry camping on day 3 and 4 to cover the 14 mile dry section on Segment 2.
The temps were forecasted to be unusually high during my hike, so I brought a light sleeping bag and less layers of clothes on this trip. It made my base weight the lowest of any trip yet! Except then I added 6-8 pounds for the extra water...
On this trip, since it was such a short hike, I decided to really splurge on my meals. Heavy, but sooooo good.
Pizza on the first night (real pizza). Quesadillas on night 2 (real chicken quesadillas) and stew (not freeze dried) on night 3!!
Yum.
New gear for this trip:
Tarptent Notch
24 ounces, silnylon, 2 vestibules, 2 entrances, full interior netting, and more room than the Tarptent Moment. I wasn't unhappy with the Moment, but it did have more condensation issues than I was expecting. Besides, it is fun to try out new gear!
This tarptent is not freestanding, so that is a negative for me, but uses hiking poles, which reduces the weight somewhat. We will see how it does on this trip. If I like it, it will be my tent for my HST trip in the fall.
Kindle
I always bring a book on my trips, so I finally broke down and got a Kindle. The turning point was finding out that I can get current releases from the library delivered to my Kindle. Works like a charm! Since the battery has such a long life, it can last for an extended trip without needing a recharge.
And only 9 oz!
Doing without this trip:
Groundcloth (turned out to be a mistake!)
Resources and Links
Day 1
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