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!