A Cushy Cabin and Marmot-Filled Meadows

Colorado Trail Day 9 – Copper Mountain Resort to Janet’s Cabin, 6.6 miles

I decided not to rush my last morning in Breckenridge. I slept until about 7 am, did some yoga, enjoyed breakfast and coffee, then packed up.

Even though it was clear blue skies in the morning, the forecast was calling for rain and storms throughout the afternoon. I was a bit concerned about getting through the next segment as about five miles were above tree line. Looking at the trail map

I noticed that there was a mountain hut right before the first pass. That would be a nice spot to weather out the storm! I booked a bunk for $50, aware that I had something unique to look forward to.

Once again using the local free transit system, I finally made my way over to Copper Mountain Resort, arriving around 11:30 am. A late start wasn’t a problem though because I was only going about 7 miles to the cabin.

I started up the trail and quickly caught up with some other hikers, Jumanji and DJ. We had a really similar pace and hiked together for the afternoon. It was really nice to have company and conversation for some miles.

One of our main topics of discussion was how wrong the forecast ended up being. We had sunshine, blue skies, and white puffy clouds above, and not a trace of rain.

I guess I didn’t have to book the cabin after all, but I was going to embrace the experience either way. When we reached tree line, Jumanji and DJ continued on to the pass and I walked the few hundred foot spur trail to the cabin.

Cabin isn’t exactly the right word for the building. It was a three-story lodge with a workroom and hutmasters accommodation in the basement, kitchen and great room on the main floor and four bedrooms on the top story. It could accommodate over 20 people, and I was the only one there.

The other perk of staying at the mountain hut was the sauna. After dinner I got the sauna stove fired up and enjoyed an incredibly relaxing evening.

It was also the first clear night since I’d started my hike and I took the opportunity to stay up and stargaze. The Perseid meteor shower had just peaked the day before and I was lucky enough to spot some meteors shooting through the sky. It was a treat to stargaze and then head inside to a warm bed for the night.

Day 10 – Janet’s Cabin to No Name Creek, 19.4 miles

I didn’t have to stuff a wet tent away! That was the real treat of staying at the cabin. Instead I got to take a few extra minutes to cook oatmeal and have my coffee in a real mug, not straight out of my pot.

I hit the trail just before 7 am, getting to enjoy beautiful post-sunrise colors on the meadows. It was less than a mile to Searle Pass, where I was greeted by a family of marmots – a mom keeping watch over her three young ones.

The next few miles involved some ups and downs through marmot and pika-filled meadows. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many busy pika. I even had one run right in front of me with a mouthful of grass!

The trail went up and over a ridge then descended to Kokomo Pass. From there it was a steady descent back to tree line and onwards to the valley floor.

I caught up with a couple other hikers, Bambi & CJ, just after lunch and got to enjoy some walking and talking the rest of the afternoon.

We reached Tennessee Pass mid-afternoon, a spot where some hikers hitch into Leadville. We were leaving Leadville for later in the week though and so continued a few more miles.

It was about 4 pm and I was trying to decide whether to go one more mile. The weather made the decision for me as a storm came over and it started to pour!

We got our tents set up quickly and spent 45 minutes or so relaxing and waiting out the storm. Thankfully that was it for the rain and we were able to sit out and have a sociable dinner.

I feel like I’ve got a small trail family starting to form. We might not hike or sleep together every day but I’m hopeful our paths will continue to cross.