Town Day in Breckenridge

Day 6 – Swan River to Breckenridge, 13.1 miles

Town day!!! After a full six days on trail I was ready for a shower, laundry and town food. Of course first I had to hike there.

Storms were forecast for the afternoon so I opted to wake up and hit the trail early. It also meant I could get to town sooner! I wasn’t the only hiker with that plan and so rolled out with a few other early birds on trail.

The morning started with a steady 1200 foot climb which had the benefit of warming me up in the cold morning. It was a forested summit though so no interesting views to enjoy.

The downslope on the other side was steady and smooth trail. At about my seventh mile of the day I reached an overlook with a bench. It was the perfect spot to sit and have my morning coffee!

From there it was six more miles of rolling trail to reach the trailhead. There was an important marker along the way – 100 miles! It felt extra special to pass that marker. I set a personal record this week, hiking over 100 miles in just six days. As a section hiker, I seldom have the chance to build up to that kind of mileage, plus I tend to choose the hardest sections of the long trails which slows me down a bit.

I caught up with a half dozen other hikers in the last half mile before the trailhead. We headed for the road, and then caught a free bus right into Breckenridge, about a 10-minute ride.

One of my town routines, if I’m in by noon or so, is to go for brunch and coffee. I managed to convince everyone that brunch was a great idea and our group made our way to BreckFast, a tasty and somewhat inexpensive breakfast joint.

Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Rain started to fall just as we were sitting down to eat, followed swiftly by a thunderstorm. I think we sat and ate and socialized for about 90 minutes, waiting for the rain to ease.

Once it did I split from the group to go get groceries and head to my hostel. I’d ended up booking at a hostel on the outskirts of town while everyone else was at a spot right in Breckenridge. Before I left, we made plans to meet up the next.

I was really happy to check in at The Bunkhouse Lodge. It was an old cabin that had been lovingly renovated and added on to, with comfy beds and great common areas. I was even happier when I arrived to find the owner, Mitch, has three wonderful dogs. Dog therapy at its finest!

I had a wonderful shower, my first in six days, and got my clothes into the laundry. The rest of the evening was for relaxing and chatting with some of the other guests as well as enjoying some time in the hot tub.

Day 7 – Breckenridge, 0 miles

The next morning was chill and lazy. It was my day off. Eventually I got out, heading into Breckenridge for lunch and wandering. I ended up at Breckenridge Brewing for lunch – beer is my favorite calories!

I had a really relaxing and enjoyable afternoon in town. Eventually I heard from some of the other hikers and we made a plan to meet for dinner at a taco restaurant.

It was one of the best zero days I’ve had. A great mix of relax time, town time and social time.