Great Colorado Loop Started (sortof)

Technically I suppose, I've begun my thruhike of the Colorado Trail and thus the first half of the Great Colorado Loop. Because of dredging in Strontia Springs Resevoir, Denver Water has the first 6.2 miles of the Colorado Trail (which follows the maintenance road) closed for most of 2010 & 2011. Right now though the road is open to the public. Last year I decided to use this narrow window of opportunity to start the Colorado Trail at it's traditional beginning. Later the official trailhead will be moved to an alternate spot at Indian Creek. So I'm calling this day -1 with day 1 to be the Indian Creek start. Like normal I'll do a journal entry for day 0, Thruhike Eve, on the day before.

The goal was Lenny's Rest a spot on a ridge top 7.9 miles from the start so it would be a 15.8 mile roundtrip though only 7.9 miles "down the trail" which is the reason for the weird mileage above. Alana came with and bagged a new distance record for herself. I've done this hike a couple times so it wasn't anything new or exciting and the road certainly isn't glamorous, but there were big horn sheep to be seen. Unfortunately for me the boots I chose had bad insoles and I blasted my right heel. I'm gimped up for the next couple days. At least I get to work from home. Aside: I also got the VPN working on my primary computer at home so I don't have to work off my little 12" Mac. Cool! Anyway I'm glad to have done this and that I'll be able to claim both the traditional and alternate CT starts for my thruhike. Since my loop will take me back this way, I'll also be able to claim the alternate, alternate of the Stevens Gulch and Carpenter Peak trails when I exit at Roxborough State Park.

Annoyingly, we didn't see the big brown Colorado Trail sign that most thruhikers have their picture taken at (it was behind a closure sign) so I'm in front of different signage. Also annoyingly, I accidentally had the camera on 640x480 resolution.

Lastly, I've started journaling for the Great Colorado Loop of which the Colorado Trail is the first part. You can read my few pre-hike entries over at Trail Journals: Great Colorado Loop. Somehow it had 216 views before it was even linked to within the site. I don't understand how that is possible. Now it is mid February and that number is over 900.