Waiting to leave...

Backpacking the 50 mile Gore Range Trail...Gear testing for the upcoming Colorado Trail...

For all the preparation we've done for the Colorado Trail this year, we had yet to actually backpack and camp with our gear.

So we picked a 45 mile (turned out to be a 50 mile) trail close to Summit County to test our packs and to have a fun mini-trip before the 500 mile Colorado Trail.

Since the Gore Range Trail is a point-to-point hike, leaving from Green Mtn. Reservoir outside of Silverthorne and going to Copper, we were very happy to have Mom and Dad join us for the beginning of our trip, thus removing one leg of a car shuttle!
We got off to a not-so-early start of 10:45am last Thursday, because Hal had just come from a shift at work. We hiked in from the Surprise Lake Trailhead, thus removing unnecessary driving on a dirt road and cutting out maybe a mile or two of the actual Gore Range Trail. The two trails joined up later on and then we were on the Gore Range Trail for the remainder of the hike.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Mom and Dad left us at Surprise Lake and then we were on our own for the rest of our 15 mile, 9 and a half hour day.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that we also got lost on Day 1, adding about 1,000 ft. elevation gain and a few miles to our total. Calling the Gore Range Trail a 'trail' is a stretch. Here's a picture of Hal looking out over said 'trail'... Tell me if you can see anything that looks even remotely like a path...!!!



The trail is where, exactly?!


The horrific mosquitoes and dead-fall all attributed to this being about the hardest trail I have ever done. The first day alone we did over 3,300 feet of climbing!


Deadfall and Delta!





And we brought Delta! Our little Chihuahua is such a trooper! She was right at home in the middle of the wilderness. We found a campsite that first night around dusk and were able to rinse off in a nearby creek and be in bed by dark.

 

After Day 1, we assessed all our gear and food and decided that everything was working perfectly, we had plenty of food, and water was never far from the trail, which was a nice commodity. 

Our packs weren't giving us too many hot spots, trail running shoes were light and comfortable, sleeping bags and tent were warm enough and dry, and mosquito headnets were the best Walmart purchase ever!

Fashionable mosquito head gear...





 Day 2 consisted of more varied terrain, more climbing, and the most amazing high alpine meadows and views I have ever seen. We were surprisingly fresh in the morning, considering all the bushwhacking we had done the day before. We kept up a smoking pace of about 2 miles per hour, including all our stops. I think this is about what we will be capable of on the Colorado Trail. We may be able to average 3 mph on the CT because the trail is well marked and there is actually less climbing. My Garmin watch showed our average moving speed to be a tiny bit higher than 3 mph, but all the stops slowed us down to 2 mph.

Delta and I trekking-the hiking poles were AMAZING!

But the stops were also probably what kept us going all day. We tried to stop for roughly 10 minutes every hour, with longer stops at lunch and dinner. 

Great dinner stop!

By the end of Day 2 we had gone another 12 hours, 21 miles, and 5,500 ft. of elevation gain. Whew! This trail was steep! We had the best campsite that night, on a bed of soft pine needles in a little clearing of pine trees. We found that camping on pretty much anything other than grass keeps you much warmer and drier. Plus I like to think that a bobcat/lynx led us to our campsite that second night....We were coming down from the last pass at dusk and looking around for a good place to pitch the tent when I saw a small, tan/brownish colored animal with a short bobbed tail close to the ground off to our left. I went 'quietly' running after it, proving that I clearly had more energy even though a few minutes before I was trying to pretend like I was exhausted ;)  I never saw the animal again but that led us to our sweet camp spot!

 

We hiked out on Day 3, which was supposed to be roughly 8 miles, based on our map, but which turned into 13 miles and 6 hours of hiking. We kept thinking we were 'almost there' and so we made dumb mistakes like not stopping to completely fill our water reservoirs and not taking the time to stop and have a real lunch. This made for a harder finish than was necessary, but it proved to me, yet again, that I learn something each time we go out!

 

Hal and Delta...



The last part of the trail was an unceremonious hike in the exposed sun right next to I-70. The trail comes down by Copper and then turns left, toward the actual Gore Range TH. It was nice to have our car waiting there, and not have to drive back up to Green Mtn Reservoir. Thanks again Mom and Dad!

 

Are we done yet?!

It was a successful hike and a good confidence booster for the CT. Never mind the fact that I still feel like I am recovering from the effort, some 3 days later...I will just try not to think about how 18+ days of 25+ miles will feel...Everyone says that after the 3rd or 4th day you forget about being tired...We'll see if that's the case!

Either way we are excited for the Colorado Trail!
Stay tuned for brief trail updates. We will try to blog when we refuel in towns and have service!

Thanks for reading!

Colorado Trail Gear List

This is our partial gear list for the Colorado Trail. It is composed of gear that we think is the best for the budget we had made. This is not a no expense spared list but it is also not the most frugal gear list. I will mention with each piece, a less expensive or free item that would have worked in place of the more expensive item and vice versa, an item that is better, lighter or smaller but will cost more.

This is Kasey and her Osprey Talon 33 liter Pack.

 

This is a fully loaded pack. It is capable of carrying four days of food consisting of 3700 calories per day in addition to what is shown in the picture. She chose this pack mostly for comfort and took into account the weight. It weighs in at about 1lb and 7oz. She will carry roughly 18lbs with 3.5 days of food.

 

Here is a list of the stuff we are taking with a small explanation.

 

Pack:  Hal Osprey Exos 48 2lb 7oz. It is a wee heavy but is very comfortable. I have tried some of the others like Go Lite Jam Pack etc. There are a few more ultra light companies like (Z packs) that make packs in the 14oz range that I did not want to try, mostly because they are made to order and it seems the lighter they are the more uncomfortable they are. I have not tried most of them but I may in the future. Imagine losing 1lb 5oz on just the pack! WOW! My pack cost about $175 on sale - too much.

 

Shelter: 2 person fully enclosed tent by Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2, 2lbs and 4oz ish. We chose to use this tent because Kasey is afraid of bugs at night and would rather be fully enclosed. I am secretly happy with this choice also. This tent was not cheap but it is one of the lightest Free Standing tents around, roughly $300.00  We have a 1lb tent tarp option from Go Lite that we may try when we want to lose another pound.

 

 Ground pad: Therma Rest Neo Air X Lite. 12oz or 14oz with sack and repair kit. Noisy for others in the area, but it is air and about 2.5 inches thick. Makes for a great night of rest. Another option would be the Ridge Rest 3/4 length which weighs in at about 8-10oz and is a hell of a lot less cash. $35 vs. $129. This could also be used to give some rigidity to a lighter pack without an internal frame.

 

Cooking and drinking: Jet Boil Sol $120. This will boil enough water to just fill a dehydrated backpacking meal for two. A 110g canister of isobutene fuel should boil 10 liters of water. You can stretch that by not bringing the water to a complete boil and waiting a little while longer for your food to come back to life. I have also built a small cat food can stove that costs almost nothing using fuel that is about half the cost of the canister fuel. Write me and I will give you directions to build it. It is very simple and uses fuel found most places which makes it great. It has cost savings but minimal weight savings after getting pots and all the other parts. Jet Boil is fast, safe, easy, and packs well.

 

 

My pack fully loaded minus food. It weighs in at about 11 lbs. My pack will weigh in at about 21 lbs with 5 days of food.

 

Sleeping Bags: Go Lite 1 season 30 degree. These are 850 fill down with Pertex Quantam fabric that is water resistant yet breathable. We will supplement these bags with very light down jackets if needed. They weigh in at 1 lb 9oz each and pack to about 8"X 5" compressed in a Sea To Summit 1.3oz compression sack. Western Mountaineering makes very good bags that last for a decade if you treat them right. The equivalent to ours weigh 1 lb 3oz. They cost about $450 vs. Go Lite costs us $260 and $290.  

 

These items will put Kasey and I at just under 6lbs each for the BIG FOUR:  Sleeping, Shelter, Cooking and Pack. This is a respectable weight that could be much lighter.  

 

We have used big box manufacturers, like REI, because they carry most of these things along with the ability to return anything if it sucks or we just don't like it. That is a great benefit to us. It is also difficult to acquire small suppliers goods and make sure they will work for us. Although the smaller suppliers offer the very best in light weight, reasonable prices that would make your trip very enjoyable, it will take some time to research. Most of the big manufacturers build packs and other items that will last under heavy abuse making them bulky, heavy and overkill for the most part. There are tons of products that are crazy light that will stand the test of time. Take the time to find these and you will not be sorry! 

 

We will post more details later. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have other questions or ideas.

Thanks again!