Twin Lakes to Tennessee Pass, CO (Mile 1162 - 1196)

August 21st - August 23rd

Day 1: What a great day. I woke up this morning at the inn and went downstairs for breakfast. The Twin Lakes Inn and Saloon is a very cool place. It’s really like an old fashioned inn. In 1879 it used to be the brothel and Saloon. Each room is filled with Victorian style furniture. In the evenings you can come downstairs for dinner and have drinks because it’s the only place serving food in town. The food is excellent! Anyway this morning I ate my breakfast and chatted with another hiker sitting at the table across from me. I eased into the morning and learned from the other hiker there is a lady you can call who gives rides for hikers. I called the number and felt bad because I could tell I just woke her up. I was kind of feeling lazy and didn’t want to walk 2.5 miles down the highway from town to the trail. Around 9:30 she arrived. I got on the trail and planned to summit Mount Elbert. There was a junction on the CDT with a turnoff for Mount Elbert about 3 miles up the trail. Once I got there I set up my tent and threw everything I didn’t need or want to carry in my tent. I then proceeded to hike Mt. Elbert. Mount Elbert is the highest point of Colorado and the Rocky Mountains sitting at 14,440 feet. It’s the second highest point in the lower 48 states. I set off around noon and at 2:12pm I made it to the top. Once I got closer to the top it really became steep and rocky. I was out of breath once I passed 13,000 feet. I’m used to being at 12,000 feet, so I was fine till then. After sitting at the top and admiring the snow patched mountains all around I made my way back down. I was glad to find all my belongings still where I left them. I packed up my stuff and figured I’d go 4 more miles before camp. By this time it was 5pm. As I was getting close to where I wanted to make camp I was passing by some guys who already had their area set up. We said hi and I noticed there English accents. They asked if I was hiking the Colorado Trail and I told them I was actually doing the CDT. At that they told me they were impressed and “If I’m setting up camp close by come on over and have a chat.” I told them if it was alright I could set up next to them. They said that was fine. We introduced ourselves and I learned that, Ashley and Kim, were from Oxford and biking from Denver to Durango. They said once I set up my stuff they had some chicken they brought out from town we could share. The thought of chicken never sounded so good to me. Kim then asked me if I’d like a cup of tea, of course I accepted. Before long we were sitting on some logs eating chicken wrapped in a tortilla and having some tea. Then after that Ashley asked if I wanted some beer. Someone gave them an English beer from Oxford and we poured it in our camp mugs and all three split the can. Once we were done eating we sat around and talked for awhile then once the sun went down we went off to our tents. It was a unexpected but great way to end the day!

Day 2: I woke up this morning and said goodbye to Ashley and Kim. I got on the trail and started making some miles. I didn’t go far and I got some cell service so I decided to make sure I’d have a place to stay in Leadville by booking a bunk at a hostel. I continued on not much happened throughout the day, just a lot of rugged terrain. The trail went up and down in elevation a lot through some rocky landscape. Towards the evening it really became beautiful. I came over a saddle and all around were jagged snow patched peaks. The pine trees were all around and large boulders lay scattered across. Growing all around were wild flowers with different colors of yellow, purple, white, and blue. Off to my right was a pond covered in lily pads with yellow flowers growing. The water was reflecting the mountains around it. I made camp about a mile down the trail and set up camp along a stream. When I started walking up the hill where I planned on camping I saw another tent set up. It turned out to be an older couple and their friend who were doing sections of the Colorado trail. We started talking and it turns out they are from Tulsa, Oklahoma, about 2 hours from where I live. The campsite is beautiful with the jagged mountains circling around. I did 19.5 miles today and tomorrow I’ll be at Tennessee Pass and will hitch hike down to Leadville.

Day 3: After sticking my thumb out for about 20 minutes I finally got a ride. I got dropped off at the Pizza Hut buffet in Leadville and then walked to the grocery store to re stock my supplies. I then proceeded down the sidewalk to the place I’ll be staying. After doing some laundry and getting a shower I headed downtown to finish up resupplying. As I was walking past the Tabor Opera House I saw a sign on the sidewalk for Michael Martin Murphy. I checked my watch to see the date and turns out he’s performing tonight at 7:30. I went in and got a ticket. For now I’m enjoying the evening and tomorrow morning I’ll get back on the trail with some friends from church.