Colorado Trail Series

Colorado Trail Series
 Day 5 - Part 1

Dry Camp to Highline Trail Connection

Hiked: 2.25 miles
11,520 elevation

Day 5 was actually only about 8 miles of total hiking, but as before when the mileage is low the amount of pictures climb higher.  Day 5 is broken into three parts to accommodate all the glorious views we encountered along the way.  So join us on this day that was the highest average elevation of our entire trip.  I hope the pictures leave you as breathless as actually hiking with us would!

*as always - click to enlarge photos*

Sunrise in camp

A leisurely morning to stretch in the streaking sunlight.

It was brisk to be streaking in the stretching sunlight.

 

 Jim wasn't the only one stretching.  Maybe someday this little tree will grow to bear the mark of the Colorado Trail.

 

Scores in the trees is one of the ways the CT is marked, as you can see from this ancient gash.

 

Leisurely morning = Hot breakfast

Left over sausage and polenta from dinner the night before was just what we needed to fuel our morning.

 I guess Jim saw this coming before I even thought about it and got the camera ready.  For some reason as I approached this tree, I thought it would be a good idea to try to go under instead of over it.

 

Well Newton was right and gravity is a pretty strong force not to be reckoned with, especially with a big heavy backpack on.  I found the clearance was less than it appeared and after knocking my pack on the tree, I was knocked flat on the ground.  Laughing hysterically from my ignorance, I failed to produce the strength needed to get up.  Then every time I did muster the gusto I raised up with such force as to only hit the tree again and be slammed back to the ground.  Ohhhhh My!  This lasted way too long (15 min maybe) before Jim finally braced my feet for traction so I could Army crawl my way to the other side.  Needless to say, Jim learned from my actions and effortlessly climbed over the tree.  I was too tired to take a picture of how it should have been done.

 

A climb was the first thing on the agenda this morning and a side trip to a look out that was once the original CT route.  It was replaced by switchbacks in 1990.  Thank goodness!  Looking back to the North from whence we came just days ago.

 

 On a trip like this you tend to eat like a Hobbit; first breakfast, then second breakfast, first lunch then second lunch.  We enjoyed our second breakfast at the look point.

 The first "HIGHLINE TRAIL" sign.

Done climbing for the morning, we would start a wonderful traverse through the trees before we would eventually climb above the treeline.


 One last sweeping veiw to the northwest.

6 more miles in Day 5 to post and the veiws get better,
so stop back soon!