STATS: 28.6 miles; +4,080/-4723 feet
During the night, I had to get up and pee three times. I suspected it was from the bounty of drinks Cate brought for us, but I also wondered if I was experiencing the diuretic effect of ascending to a higher elevation. I’d also woken a few times in the night with slightly erratic breathing, but a deep breath while sitting up quickly resolved the irregularity.
Unless it was accompanied by more symptoms, such as headaches or nausea, I figured it wasn’t a big deal. And the pulse oximeter feature on my Garmin watch, while lower than my norm of at least 98%, didn’t cause any alarm (it was 94%, but I think it measures on the low side). But still, it made me anxious wondering what might happen at higher elevations since we were just a tick below 10,000 feet where we were camping.
As we started climbing out of our campsite that morning, Chris said, “So I’ve been thinking, Breckenridge is only twenty-nine miles away. If we pushed today and got there, we might beat the worst of the weather and even get a zero day out of it.” I laughed while explaining, “I was intrigued by that idea yesterday and hinted at it last last night. I figured you weren’t interested since you didn’t bite.” And like moths to a flame, I knew we’d be in Breckenridge by day’s end, even after we agreed to, “just see how the day goes.”
While long, the climb to Georgia Pass proved to be manageable with a reasonable grade–much easier than I expected after watching various YouTube CT vlogs. If they’re all like this, I thought, I’ll be fine (silly girl, this little ol’ pass was like a gateway drug for things to come!).
When we arrived at the pass, I had Chris take my photo standing in front of Mt. Guyot making a heart shape with my hands—a tribute to my Georgia roots. The Smokies have their own Mt. Guyot (although the Smokies version stands at a mere 6,621 feet compared to Colorado’s Guyot which is 13,376 feet), and it’s one of my favorite summits in the national park, reached only by off-trail travel. I marveled at this much younger, yet significantly taller version.
We began our descent down the other side of the pass and reached the spot where the CT hooked up with the CDT for the next 250 miles. Chris completed the CDT (and the Triple Crown!) last year, but his thru hike took twists and turns due to a late snow in Colorado. For the length of these trails’ pairing, he’d have to constantly reexplain where and when he detoured from the CT—good thing he’s a patient friend with a great memory.
At a rocky outcrop below the pass, we encountered Tambo and Polar Bear having a snack. They too were still pulling big miles to get to Breckenridge, and we were all excited at the prospect of enjoying dinner on a plate instead of spooning it out of a Ziploc bag. They would not, however, have the same dinner show in town that they’d had in their campsite the night prior–a big moose walking right through it before heading into the woods!
The miles grew more challenging as the day warmed up and we hiked through steep and exposed areas where I suspected invasive pine beetles had overtaken the forest. Closer to Breckenridge we had cell reception, so we passed the time calling Jamie and Larry, sharing our plan to get to town a day early. Neither were surprised—they probably both wondered what took us so long to increase our mileage, given our hiking history.
We passed the 100-mile mark of the CT late in the afternoon and took a photo with our feet beside the stones someone had arranged in the shape of “100.” The hike was already flying by, even if this particular day was beginning to feel like it would never end, especially the last four miles. We began leap frogging with Tambo and Polar Bear, and we eventually hiked to the highway in unison after descending an especially long series of narrow switchbacks whose tiny pebbles were like ball bearings under my feet.
Chris remembered how the free bus system worked that would take us into Breckenridge, and we arrived in town just in time for the storms to unleash their fury in the mountains above us. We were grateful to watch it from a restaurant window, gorging on burgers, flatbread pizza, and salad. Chris even ended up with his salad, smothered in blue cheese dressing, in his lap, after a server tripped delivering it to him! I indulged in a beer and felt liked I’d had three when I stood up from our table after eating. “Oh my God, I feel drunk after one beer! I think the altitude is making me feel loopier than usual,” I giggled as we walked back to the Fireside Inn, the hostel where we were staying the next three nights (yep, three…you’ll see!).
I scored a private room with a bathtub while Chris had a bunk room to himself the first night and his own private room the following two nights. This was my first stay in a hostel, and I was initially tentative about the endeavor. As much as I love meeting people on trail and hanging out with Chris, I need equal parts alone time to recharge. I’m an introvert through and through. So when I found out they had private rooms in this one, I was willing to pay extra for it (and that’s sayin’ something because I’m also super frugal, especially on trail, and Breckenridge ain’t cheap!).
The hostel even provided laundry service with your stay along with a small selection of loaner clothes. So I slept in one of the inn’s branded T-shirts and took a long, hot bath before turning in for the night. I had trouble falling asleep though–I was so excited to be in town instead of out in the storm…and then I got hungry again. So I pulled out my leftovers from dinner and ate them while I watched a cooking show I enjoy on PBS–pure bliss!
Colorado Trail Planning Tips
Fireside Inn was a great place to stay and we made so many wonderful friends there. The bunk rooms are significantly more affordable than the private rooms. The private rooms book up fast though, so I wouldn’t wait until the last minute if they are your preference–we got very lucky.
The bunk rooms are co-ed, if that matters to you. Also, if you book a bed in one of the smaller bunk rooms, the owners may shift you to a room that already has people booked in it. This was a bit annoying, frankly, since Chris and I booked different rooms intentionally and were told we were in the same one when we inquired about the availability of private rooms. Chris and I are always mindful of optics and being respectful of our spouses when we hike these trails together–sleeping in the same room if we were the only two in it wouldn’t have been an option. Perhaps a proactive email to the owners if you’re in a similar situation would help them understand and mitigate a potentially awkward situation.
Breckenridge is such a cool little town! I’ll be back there skiing next Feb. My MD friend recommends dexamethasone for altitude sickness prophylaxis and I’ve used it a couple of times, game changer! So much better than the acetazolamide which makes you pee so much! Thinking of your pulse ox, I remember being in a hospital in CO with a broken leg and being shocked when I was at 89%. The nurse said “honey, you’re from the low country, you won’t get over 90% up here!) Enjoying your posts!
I really enjoyed our time in Breckenridge, and I bet it’s really fun in winter! And so funny what the nurse said to you in the hospital–my saturation definitely dipped lower as we continued to get higher (and ugh to your broken leg–what a mess, especially so far away from home)!