Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 177.5 I woke up too early but a nice, relaxing day with few distractions. Enjoyed a tasty pastry and coffee at the Lodge with a nice chat with a NOBO couple from Bend, Oregon, both retired geology professors. Their kids have an outdoor clothing company, Jolly Gear, and think the Purple Haze hoodie would be perfect for me. Maybe I’ll put that on my Xmas wish list. My biggest achievement of the day was taking…

Daily Miles: 4.4, Total Miles: 177.5 A pretty quick hike down through tall, majestic aspen groves to Hwy 82. Then a short road walk into the small village of Twin Lakes. My first stop was a food “old VW van” for a breakfast burrito and a large coffee. I picked up my resupply box, a few snacks and an isobutane canister from the well-stocked General Store. I was grateful for the early check-in at the Twin Lakes Roadhouse Lodge. No…

Daily Miles: 16.6, Total Miles: 173.1 Shortly after leaving this morning and starting to climb, I looked down through the trees down to unmistakable Turquoise Lake. Not far out of Leadville, we’ve camped there a few times. Not much further along, I entered the Mt Massive Wilderness, one advantage being no mountain bikes allowed. Passed by two 14k ft peaks, first Mt Massive and then Mt Elbert. A really pleasant, enjoyable hike all day, high on the side of the…

Daily Miles: 17.6, Total Miles: 156.5 I didn’t really want to get up this morning, tough to put on wet hiking clothes when it’s already chilly. What forced the issue is I definitely have a leak in my air mattress. My butt and hips were hitting the ground by morning. On the plus side, clear skies – nice way to start the day! A brisk climb continued up the South Fork Eagle drainage to Tennessee Pass on Hwy 24, the…

Daily Miles: 19.5, Total Miles: 138.9 Checked out of the motel and caught the first bus back to Copper Mountain. The only thing open that early was Starbucks, tempting, but I kept going. With overcast skies, I hiked up through several ski runs and under a few chairlifts and gondolas. I eventually reaching a more pristine Guller Creek. The sun came out for the rest of the climb to 12,000 ft Searle Pass., beautiful views in all directions. Above treeline,…

Daily Miles: 15.6, Total Miles: 119.4 The first bus of the morning got me to Copper Mountain by 7am. Just me and a section hiking couple that had the same bright idea for a slackpack. The Copper Mountain area has been much more developed since I passed through here in 2016. A cloudy, misty, cool morning – just perfect for a 3,000 ft climb to 12,500 ft elevation. A bit steep in parts but overall a good trail. By the…

Daily Miles: 10.5, Total Miles: 103.8 Such a quiet, still night after the rain and hail last evening. I did hear something snuffling around the tent early in the morning. I banged on the tent and whatever it was scampered away. Always an early start for me when going to town so a bit dark initially. But being at the summit crest early means the sunlight comes quicker. Now in the White River National Forest, I hiked mostly downhill along…

Daily Miles: 21.3, Total Miles: 93.3 Relatively clear skies this morning on the 2,000 ft climb to Georgia Pass. First through aspen groves, then a pine forest, then predominantly spruce, and finally above treeline at the very top. Leapfrogged with a young hiker from Norway today. Incredible views at the top and great phone reception so touched base with Mrs. Haze. Down the other side, the CT joins the CDT so really hard to get lost now. Now a 2,000…

Daily Miles: 22.8, Total Miles: 72.0 The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I could see the moon – this meant clear skies! The second thing I noticed was that it was much colder and I had to put on wet clothes. I set out on a brisk pace up the misty North Fork Lost Creek all the way to the headwaters. Leapfrogging with Amin and Petra, a hiker couple I met yesterday. Took awhile for…