CDT Part 8: Leadville to Breckenridge – End of The Colorado Deli Blaze

Miles This Section: 41.5

Total Miles Hiked: 1,022.0

June 26 – 29, 2024

So, I hiked the Continental Divide Trail from Mexico to Canada. Boda-bing, boda, boom. The attempt (as thru-hikers say to avoid jinxing before or during a hike) has turned into reality. Over 2,610 miles hiked in four months and three weeks. A total of 143 days on the trail with a footpath slightly broken only twice.   

It will never be said that I thrived on the CDT. There’s much to say on the highs and lows of this trail experience. A new landscape, compared to the East Coast, with lessons on river crossings, snow travel, wildfires, and living at high altitudes. Homesickness, shoulder pain, and nerve damage in my feet plagued me daily. Community and friendships, lots of wonderful time hiking in tramilies. Great conversation with hikers and non-hikers. And some of the most wonderful hospitality.  

I love the West. I don’t think I’ll ever re-hike the entire CDT. 

This section from Leadville to Breckenridge perfectly compares to how the CDT feels as a whole experience. This is a short section continued from CDT Part 7: Creede to Leadville, The Colorado Deli Blaze. The analogy here is that the CDT is a trail built of many ‘short’ sections, each with so much to say! Compared to the Appalachian Trail, where each day is a variation of the day prior with a few changes, the CDT is much the opposite.  

First, Let’s Talk About Blogging 

Blogging was one activity that kept me connected to the CDT during the hike. From New Mexico through Colorado, I enjoyed finding distinct storylines and lessons from sections of the trail to re-cap the miles. Following the line on a map offers a microscopic view of an area that often can’t be fully appreciated until you zoom out to analyze the macro of why.  

However, when things get stressful, it’s important to find priorities. 

I was pulled to sleep and relax when possible, and a desire to live in the moment while in town, instead of staring at the small electronic rectangle in my hand. I never stopped writing. I did stop publishing to make room for core memories. But now it’s time. It’s time to work through the last two months of my CDT thru-hike to solidify that… yes… it really did happen.

Back to Colorado

Leaving Leadville 

After two nights of sleeping on random floors in the historic mining town of Leadville, Double Dip, Bus Driver, and I are more than ready to get back to the trail. Not so anxious that we miss getting one last chai at Zero Day Coffee, resupplying at the Safeway, and getting fantastic tacos for lunch. But by early afternoon we catch an easy hitch from a nice trail angel couple enamored by three female thru-hikers, arriving back to Tennessee Pass as it starts to rain.  

The trail from Tennesee Pass heading northbound is peaceful. The wide trail first follows an overgrown roadbed before singletrack along the edge of a misty green valley. Peaceful and borning, with the reminder to be cautious when wandering off-trail due to this Wilderness Area’s history as a military training ground. I walk and talk with a fisherman spooked from a bluff charge from a moose. My hike, unfortunately, remains moose-sighting-free. 

In a quick seven miles we arrive at our major landmark for the day. The valley opens back up to highlight vacant concrete bunkers of the Camp Hale National Historic Site hidden under earthen mounds. Constructed in 1942, CDT hikers pass by a small section of this camp developed by the United States Army during World War II for mountain and winter warfare training. A few concrete ruins and informational signs remain along the abandoned roadways of Camp Hale. This National Monument now includes a permitted campground, footpaths, and motorized recreation tracks.

We see the southeasternmost extent of the compound before finding a small opening to set up camp under the trees. The hiking ends by 5pm as rain begins, again, perfectly situated to hit Copper Mountain Ski Resort for lunch the next day.

Kokomo Pass and Elk Ridge

Switchbacks and short willow thickets lead the way through the open rocky landscape of Kokomo Pass and Elk Ridge. It’s gorgeous territory. Looking back, it’s almost unimaginable that this place is situated near such developed areas. That’s just how it is out there – communities pocketed in vast mountain ranges – endless wilderness until POOF! You’re back in town eating fries again. 

We pass by sassy marmots digging in the alpine soil. They are unphased by the stream of CDT and Colorado Trail (CT) hikers passing through. In the foggy mist, we are slightly more phased with the CT hikers hiking south. We chat with a few and exchange questions on upcoming conditions. They are fresh onto the main drag of the CT. We are worn out – the peach rings pulled from the baggie in my shirt pocket being the sugary calories needed to pull forward. 

Copper Mountain 

When the landscape changes from remote mountain views to a ropes course, ski lifts, and mountain bikers barreling by, I know we’ve arrived at the overdeveloped destination of Copper Mountain Resort. 

The streets are lined with condo buildings complete with street-level gift shops selling t-shirts and bougie trinkets. At Ten Mile Tavern, we cave to ordering $9 sides of fries and soda – the only items our wallets feel justified to cover. (I’ll find Cheetos later.) In one ski shop cafe, I’m quoted almost $8 for a bottle of Gatorade! To which, I politely said no thank you. 

With bumper boats in a pond and summer vacationers everywhere, this was not the intimate ski resort experience I was expecting. But… it is ‘town’. We’re in the deli blaze. And the CDT is literally routed through the resort. So I find a chair to relax in while sipping on my (less expensive) convenience store Gatorade. I people-watch, write, and dry my socks in the sunshine while Bus Driver and Double Dip scribble postcards. That’s how I’ll remember Copper Mountain.

Breckenridge 

From Copper Mountain, it’s 15 miles to the ski resort town of Breckenridge. This is the height of the deli blaze. Relatively leisurely mileage with uncomplicated mountain passes in between. 

That night we camp at one of the first campsites out of Copper Mountain (in the rain and hail), myself having officially walked 1,000 miles along the Continental Divide. It’s an early morning start for the 15 miles to Breckenridge, including five miles above 11,000 feet along the Ten Mile Range, before skirting back down to the busy streets surrounding Route 9.  

Our early afternoon arrival to Breckenridge is met, with light rain, as Bus Driver and I wait for the free bus to Downtown Brek. This isn’t a resort, like Copper Mountain. This is a full-blown ski resort town. Complete with packed streets of vacationers shopping and eating. By being unshowered and carrying a 20-pound pack, I am definitely in the minority.

However, there are a few things that make this town memorable:

• The free bus system from Breckenridge to the surrounding communities of Frisco, Dillon, and Silverthorne. It’s perfect for commuters, bikers, and hikers. The CDT/CT route crosses the bus route. Free busses are a lovely accommodation in northern Colorado ski towns. 
• A picnic of fancy cheese, meat sticks, and Italian sodas that Bus Driver (a cheesemonger by trade) and I share in front of The Cheese Shop of Breckenridge. Here, we are luxuriously hidden from the hustle of the main street.
• A dinner full of laughs, hosted by Double Dip’s parents who are visiting for the weekend. 

 

It’s a quick stop in Breck for me. The several hostels in town are expensive, priced at $65 or more for a bunk. There’s also a no camping or van-life ordinance. However, those who did overnight shared rave reviews of relaxation and hot tea in front of a fireplace.

The town in-and-out is successful. Successful, with the assistance of Double Dip’s parents who drive me to the grocery store to resupply and then to the trailhead by dusk. I’m able to avoid the town vortex and start climbing uphill into the Colorado Front Range just as a quick thunderstorm rolls through. Oh, how I love Colorado weather.

Sleep is peaceful beneath the Lodgepole pine. I’m happy to have this solo night and long morning of hot tea and writing to myself.

Mountain Bikes of the CDT/CT

No Colorado saga would be complete without mentioning the mountain bikes.

The day out from Breckenridge is spent dodging day-use mountain bikers on otherwise cruisy terrain. Mountain bikers and hikers – traveling at much different rates – don’t always interact well. (Mountain bikers shouldn’t be confused with bikepackers. Bikepackers are slower moving and also worn out. We like bikepackers.)

Multi-use trails can be controversial and sometimes a safety hazard. In this region, CDT hikers, CT hikers, and mountain bikers all use the same, thin, single-track pathway. It’s high use. It’s high-speed. It’s almost too much. 

I can’t blame everyone for wanting to be out on these trails on a sunny Saturday, recreating in dense mountain greenery. It’s a beautiful area and the bikers seem to be having a blast. Good for them!

Cranky CDT hikers are selfishly used to having the trail to themselves, not being forced to yield every 100 steps. So when Bus Driver catches up at lunch, we’re thrilled by the presence of deadfall trees across the trail. Deadfall means the trail isn’t as well maintained. Deadfall act as ‘speed bumps’, the number of fast-moving bikers whipping around switchbacks reduced to zero. Deadfall means that we can relax. We can catch a pace. We can start ticking down the miles again.  

In our case, I’m happy that it’s only one high-traffic section of pathway. ‘Cause it’s about to get lonely and chaotic for other reasons, out in the Park Range of the Colorado backcountry. 

A Bittersweet End to the Colorado Deli Blaze

The days of a light pack out of town were over. I’d sent my ice axe home in Leadville (keeping microspikes till after Grays Peak). But that reduced base weight was replaced with at least five days of food to get us to Grand Lake. The luxuries of the Colorado Deli Blaze, where you can plan for quick meals ‘in town’ or at ski resorts, were behind us. 

I was ready for the bittersweet goodbye, anxious to dive back into high-mileage days of pure wilderness. Long food carries and entire days over 12,000 feet awaited. We were edging closer to Wyoming; some of the most challenging Colorado Terrain still to cover.     

Critical Gear 

• An umbrella. I remain strong on this hill. When light rain and short thunderstorms are a daily occurrence, the quick shelter of an umbrella is unparalleled. Especially so, when you can avoid digging out a rain jacket. 
• Nose blindness. This one’s more for the vacationers, not expecting their summertime dinner on a patio to be interrupted by an eau-du-thru-hiker.
• Patience. These ski resort towns are the most crowded of the CDT. Find that special spot away from the main drag.  
• A wallet (or credit card). Try as you might, it’s hard to avoid the pull of town food. Just a ‘lil snack. Or… a fun cold drink *drooly face*. You won’t need lodging at every stop along the deli blaze. Just enough for a bag of Cheetos. Budget accordingly.