Colorado Trail 2011 - Part 4, Creede to Silverton

I was lucky to get a ride back the 15 km from Creede to the CT. Resupply options are often a long way from the trail on this, and most, of the major US hikes. Hitching is the only realistic option and is generally very safe outside of cities.

Colorado Trail 2011 - Part 3, Buena Vista to Creede

Heading out of Buena Vista, and back to the official CT, was via Highway 306 and then a mixture of tracks and roads around Mt Princeton.  Mt Princeton is known for its hot springs and a resort has grown up round it. For the hiker it has a useful store. 

Colorado Trail 2011 - Part 2, Frisco to Buena Vista

The section from Frisco to Buena Vista is a taste of what's to come on the CT. Much less forrest with wide open alpine vistas from the summits. Those vistas have to be earned and it starts with a quick hop-over to Copper Mountain ski resort. Unfortunately that quick hop-over Tenmile Range (3900m) is brutal with a 950m climb to its ridge. Altitude makes these climbs much harder. Slow and steady is the key.

Colorado Trail 2011 - Part 1, Denver to Frisco

In 2011 I hiked the Colorado Trail. I chose the Colorado Trail (CT) because I had little experience of high altitude hiking, and I wanted to get a feel of what to expect on my future Continental Divide Trail (CDT) hike. Both trails share the same route for nearly 300km, but so as to not spoil the CDT experience I hiked the CT from north to south. I'm sure when I hike the CDT in 2014 it will all look fresh from the opposite direction.

The CT is staggeringly beautiful for most of its 782km length. It starts just outside the city of Denver and finishes in Durango. With an average altitude of over 3047m (10000ft) and with many peaks over 4267m (14000ft) easily accessible from the trail it looked ideal for my needs. I expected the hike to take around 35 days but, unfortunately, not all went to plan and I failed to finish due to illness. To have to pull-out, only 4 days from the end, was tough but it didn't dampen my feelings for the CT, and I learnt a lot from the trail. I would recommend it to anybody looking for a challenge that includes altitude, jaw dropping beauty and  miles of wilderness hiking.