Bikepacking the Colorado Trail (COVID Edition)

It’s interesting trying to tell a story that ended before it was intended. But, as with all the best stories, it’s the unscripted and unexpected that makes for the best memories.

I had originally set out to bikepack the entire Colorado Trail over a 12-day stretch in late July, a pace that is neither race-pace nor casual; but instead what I kept referring to as a “motivated tortoise” pace. I have found this go-slow-all-day and take time to eat and see the sights pace has served me well through the years. On a trail like the 530+ miles Colorado Trail, this usually means waking at 6-6:15 AM, and being on the move (aside from stops for snacks, water and meals) for about 10-12 hours. Big days, for sure, but also many meaningful and engaging hours each day spent reflecting on life, negotiating tricky terrain, eating food, searching for water and staring endlessly at the scenery that unfolds before you as you travel through the landscape on two wheels.

This trail is seperated into 33 “segments” and traverses through 6 Wilderness areas. On foot, it’s a 30-35 day backpacking dream. However on bike, it’s a slightly different beast due to bicycles NOT being allowed in Wilderness. Included in the route are 6 “Wilderness detours” that bypass the Wilderness sections and mostly travel over secluded, beautiful and lengthy gravel roads with a few paved miles thrown in for good measure. It’s not perfect, but it would turn out that those Wilderness detours would provide some much-needed reprieve from the relentless trail and allow for convenient re-supply and food stops!

In the end *spoiler alert*, I ended up contracting COVID somewhere in my travels (likely a hostel in Breckenridge) and had to end my trip in Silverton. You can read more about the final 2 days cycling through the rain at over 11,000 ft. with COVID in the Days 9 and 10 recap. Suffice to say, it was a harrowing experience I never wish to experience again.

This was also a new experience for me because it was the first “major” adventure I have embarked on since the birth of my child. Ames came into our lives in April of 2021 and to say life has been different would be a massive understatement. This child has absolutely upended any pre-conceived notions of how much I thought I could love and care for another human. The thought of leaving him for 13 days was honestly the scariest part of the entire trip.

However, the promise of exciting landscapes and memories, the knowledge that he would be safe and happy with my wife and family, combined with my unsatiable desire for new experiences drove me out the door and onward.

So sit back, crack open a beer and follow along on a day-by-day recap of my ill-fated Colorado Trail Bikepacking Adventure. Because let’s be honest, even failure can be fun!

Day 1: Chetfield Reservoir -> Cabin Creek

55 miles, 8,000 ft. of climbing, 7:30-8:30

As with most first days, be it the first day of school, the first day in a new job, or your first day in prison; your emotions are at an all-time high. You don’t quite know what the next few days have in store and all I had, in my case, was a loaded bike, a map, and a general plan on how far I wanted to ride each day.

I was fortunate enough to have been brought to the start by my good friends Mario and Stef, so it was a short ride from our campsite at Chetfield Reservoir to get a quickie breakfast and start the trip in earnest at the Waterton Canyon Trailhead.

From there it was a casual 6-mile ride along a pleasant gravel road ride along the S. Platte River as I passed joggers, walkers, some cyclists out for a morning ride, and a handful of thru-hikers setting out on their own CT adventure.

Then, abruptly, at around the 6-mile mark, the trail narrowed into a singletrack trail and the path led UP! The past 30-45 minutes had been casual and carefree and it now felt like the adventure had truly started. Within minutes (maybe not minutes, but wayyyyy too soon) of hitting the singletrack I was greeted by the beginning of the CT’s most dreaded experience, hike-a-bike, Basically, hike-a-bike (HAB) is a fancy way of saying “pushing a loaded touring bike up hills that are impossible to ride while covered in sweat as you fight off mosquitos and try and make sure your bike doesn’t topple backward onto you while cursing enough to make a sailor blush”. It sounds bad, and it is, but it’s an essential part of the experience. So I resolved then and there to accept all the HAB as part of the experience because the beauty of getting high up is that soon, the views REALLY start opening up.

As I climbed into the forest and went up, then down, then up, then down (a constant theme of the CT!) I eventually emerged onto the Buffalo Creek fire-scarred landscape. This was the result of a 1996 wildfire that utterly devastated a huge swath of land SW of Denver. Having lived in the Sierra for almost a decade, the landscape-transforming power of wildfire was nothing new. Sad, for sure, but expected. However, riding a loaded touring bike through an exposed and shade-less area in 80-90 degree heat was HOT. Luckily (or not?), there was a small afternoon storm forming, so there were small moments of shade as rain and lightning began to chase me for the first of many times. Luckily, I was able to escape and make my way back into the trees and towards the end of my first day.

As I emerged from the trees to the junction of a dirt road, I came to the first of 6 Wilderness detours. This one was a roundabout dirt (and short highway) detour that skipped 21 miles of Wilderness in exchange for almost 80 miles of non-wilderness. Ugghhhhh……

I stopped at the trailhead and made dinner and chatted with a nice Welsh woman who was hiking the CT before continuing on and trying to beat the setting sun as I found a nice spot to camp for the night. A long day was behind me, and a loooong gravel road lay ahead. So I settled in for the night and instantly passed out.

Day 2: Cabin Creek -> Johnson Creek

63 miles, 7,200 ft. of climbing, 7:30-7:30

The next day began with an early start and endless miles of beautiful gravel road riding (up, down, up, down, rinse, repeat) and big-sky vistas. I was back in the fire scar and I knew I had a HOT and long day ahead of me. So I popped in the headphones and cruised along all day always on the lookout for a stream to dunk myself in and occasional shade to rest in. This section would be an amazing route to ride on its own in the Fall, something I intend to go back and do, but by mid-afternoon, I was ready to be done. The heat and highway miles were beginning to wear on me and all I could think about was the Stagestop Saloon and the pizza, beer, and soda waiting for me.

Eventually, I found the end of the pavement, ate an unhealthy amount of greasy food, and cycled the last thousand+ feet on a dirt road to rejoin the CT and camp for the night.

All in all, it was a big day and it felt good at day’s end to settle into camp, back on the CT, ready for more riding the next day as I began to climbing into the “real” mountains.

Day 3: Johnson Creek -> Breckenridge

38 miles, 6,500 ft. of climbing, 7:30-5:30

Ah yes, back on the trail and ready for my first major mountain passes. Day 3 was going to be my first day “up high” and also had the benefit of ending in Breckenridge where I had booked a hostel for the night. My first objective upon leaving camp was Kenosha Pass, which was easy enough and set me up for the next big climb and the beginning of dramatic alpine scenery unfolding all around me.

I purposely tried to set up my days so I ended on a downhill. Partially because the stoke of ending with a massive shit-eating grin after a long descent is good for the soul. But also so that I could begin the high pass early in the next day, thus avoiding the ever-present Rocky Mountain afternoon storms.

I finally rolled into Breckenridge at a reasonable hour, checked into my hostel, showered (man that felt good!), and went out for a meal. A couple beers later I was in bed, fast asleep, ready for another big day.

Day 4: Breckenridge -> Leadville

49 miles, 5,800 ft. of climbing, 9:30-7

This day began later than usual due to breakfast and food re-supply delays. It was also the first day I decided to “edit” the course and take a self-imposed detour. Rather than cycle up and over a 3,400′ hill (Gold Hill) only to just drop down into the next valley (Copper Ski Mountain), I decided to take the bike path (same mileage but only 1,000′ of climbing) around the ridge and enjoy some casual people watching and sigh-seeing. Was this cheating? Do I care? Not really. I’m not racing and I’m not aiming to get a gold star or a pat on the back from “coach”; I’m out here to maximize my personal fun and enjoyment Plus, this is yet another segment I look forward to riding, on an unloaded bike, in the future. Purists be damned, I’m in it for me!

Eventually, I started to climb, and climb and climb. Also, I encountered more HAB and storm dodging than I initially expected to see, but it was all good and fun

The sketchiest part of the day was between Searle and Kokomo pass, where I was caught in a rain and hail storm as 12,000′ and hurriedly tried to get through before I got zapped. Luckily it all worked well and before long I was pointing my bike downhill ready for an AMAZING descent.

At the bottom, I ended up at my intended camp for the night, Camp Hale.

Camp Hale was a US Army training facility constructed in 1942 for what became the 10th Mountain Division. Soldiers were trained in mountain climbing, Alpine and Nordic skiing, cold-weather survival as well as various weapons and ordinance. When it was in full operation, approximately 15,000 soldiers were housed there. -Wikpedia

However, it was far too early to stop for the night so in the tradition of creating my own route, I decided to bolt straight for Leadville and try and find a hostel and hot meal.

I was settling into a nice rhythm, eating lots of food and enjoying the sights along the way and after a meal and beer, it was lights out as I prepared for a short ride and afternoon off the next day.

Day 5: Leadville -> Buena Vista

41 miles, 525 ft. of climbing, 9:15-2

I was in no rush today since I had decided that I was in need of a “rest day”. However, in order to achieve rest, I needed to pedal the relatively short highway section to Buena Vista where I also had a hostel reserved for the night. As with the day prior, I decided that the wilderness detour that essentially paralleled the highway was unnecessary since my objective for the day was an afternoon spent relaxing. So I pedaled some highway miles, all downhill (!), and arrived in Buena Vista in time for lunch and beer at a brewery, a quick resupply and an afternoon spent washing clothes, showering eating food, and watching Stranger Things as a rain storm raged outside. Not the most “exciting” day, but a much-needed pause.

Day 6: Buena Vista -> Butterfly Hostel

50 miles, 5,400 ft. of climbing, 8-8

After a restful night spent at the hostel, I was off for another big day on some great singletrack. The day began with a long’ish road climb up to the Cottonwood Pass trailhead, then it was off onto flowy (and at times gnarly) singletrack all day long.

About halfway through my day, as I stopped at the Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort for a snack, I was chatting with two tru-hikers from TX and they mentioned the “German Doctor” who was just ahead of me. I decided I would try and catch up with this man and share trail notes. It wasn’t too long before we ran into each other at a campground where we were both making an early dinner before planning to cycle a few more miles to camp. After a quick convo we both realized we were both on roughly the same schedule for the day and I managed to convince him to follow to me the Butterfly Hostel instead. It meant a few more miles, but in the end, it was WELL worth it!

After a great day of riding and some broken English/German convo’s, we were both in agreement that we would ride together for a few days. The rest of the night was spent chatting with thru-hikers, drinking beer and playing games until we both passed out in the bus ready for another big day. The hardest was yet to come….

Day 7: Butterfly Hostel -> Sargent Mesa

37 miles, 7,400 ft. climbing, 8-8

Today was going to be a big day, and we were mentally prepared to take it slow and, as Martin put it, “Be each other’s motor” as we left the comfort of the hostel and pedaled into the dreaded Sargent’s Mesa

After a bit of a slow start spent grinding up the final 6 miles (and 1,400′) to the Monarch Summit, we celebrated with some food, snacks, and rest before launching off onto the Monarch Crest Trail. We had opted to bypass the grueling (and silly) Foose’s Creek HAB and instead ride one of CO’s finest alpine MTB rides instead. Great choice indeed!

Eventually, we moved through Monarch Crest and slowly started approaching the oft-cursed “Sargent’s Mesa”. for those who are unaware, this high-alpine section of the trail has some of the finest views on the trail, but is cursed with miles and miles of softball to melon-sized rocks (called “babyheads”, or as Martin liked to say “babyskulls”) that make any forward momentum agonizingly slow and frustrating. Even with a downhill-trending elevation profile, it was SLOWWWW going. However, our plan was to tackle the first bit of this on this day and save the rest for fresh legs on the next day. All in all, it was a good plan. Even though we were passed a few times by a thru-hiker (hey FedEx!), we tried to not let that bruise our egos too much, especially when we would blast by him whenever the terrain allowed!

Eventually, we got as far as we were going to make it for the night and settled in for the night. It was this evening that I began to notice myself feeling fatigued (maybe more than usual) but I just chalked it up to a rough trail and long days…..

Day 8: Sargents Mesa -> Catherdral Ranch Cabins

69 miles, 5,900 ft. of climbing, 8-7:15

My trail notes for this day were short and to the point, “Holy crap, big day. Drained. …Only 12 miles by Noon”

As with many days on the trail, it’s never a good idea to stare at the odometer and see how many miles you have traveled. Today, this was especially true. By Noon, we had only traveled 12 miles; which is truly disconcerting when you have a 65+ miles day planned……..

Luckily, around mile 24 we were going to be getting onto the La Garita Wilderness detour and I was sure we could make up some miles once we hit gravel. However, I had no idea what was in store for me.

It was while on this detour that things started to unravel fast. I was feeling a sore throat coming on and again chalked it up to exhaustion and dry weather. Martin and I also agreed that since we were moving at different speeds we would meet at the Catherdal Ranch Cabins, our goal for the night. Once on my own, I lowered my head, pushed on, and got lost in my head as the miles flew by. Eventually, still miles away from my finish for the day, I heard a car passing and look over and see Martin’s head sticking out the passenger window! He had hit his limit miles before and opted to hitch a ride to the cabin and shouted an apology out the window as he passed. I didn’t judge him for one moment, since we were each on our own ride, but this was the perfect ego boost I needed to dig deep and find the energy for the final few miles. At this point I was beginning to feel a bit frustrated at my lack of energy and drive, cursing myself for not being in better shape. Little did I know that my body was slowly succumbing to a virus that would radically alter the next few days….

I eventually made it to the cabins and after a meal, re-supply and conversations, we settled in for the night. What I had hoped would be some well-deserved and replenishing rest turned into a restless night of body chills, night sweats, a raging sore throat, and body aches. Shit, this can’t be good……

Day 9: Cathedral Ranch Cabins -> Colorado Trail Yurt

34 miles, 5,700 ft. of climbing, 9:45-5:30

After a horrible night, we decided to take a slow morning and get me hopped up on drugs and coffee to make it through the day *Note to future self, any time you decide that the best option is to drug yourself into painlessness and energy-jitters, it’s likely best to stop and go back to bed!*

We began what would be 2 days of non-stop rain, elevation, and the trippy and disconcerting mental state that comes with a full-on COVID infection, physical exhaustion at elevation and minor hypothermia.

It wasn’t all bad though as we were cycling way up high in such beautiful terrain. However, my exhaustion and overall state of mind did not allow for as much riding as I might have preferred and I was finding myself HAB’ing on way more terrain than expected.

All was not lost however as we happened upon the Colorado Trail Friend’s Yurt and as we watched a storm RAPIDLY approach decided to stay there for the night, nice and cozy with 6 other thru-hikers. In retrospect, it was a horrible decision on my part to share an enclosed space with these people, and I deeply regret this decision. However, the raging storm all night would have been absolute hell given my current state. All I can say is sorry to the other hikers, I REALLY hope I was able to keep my cooties to myself, I REALLY did try.

I also decided this night that I may end up bailing in Silverton, I just had to get there first…..

Day 10: Colorado Trail Yurt -> Silverton

39 miles, 4,600 ft. of climbing, 8-6:45

This would prove to be my final day on the trail, and one hell of a day spent battling COVID, exhaustion, elevation (12,000+’), rain, and relentless terrain. Honestly, minus the COVID, it was exactly the kind of knock-down-drag-out relentless experience I usually love. Not every day, of course. But there is something truly beautiful and zen-like about those days where you have to find the inner peace and hidden energy to stay upright, push on and maybe crack a smile. Sounds crazy, I know, but those who know, know…..

This, of course, would not be the case. Instead, it was a stressful and scary day spent VERY high up, in really bad shape, spent desperately trying to hold on with everything I had so I could make it to the safety and warmth of Silverton.

Eventually, after a detour down Pole Creek and up a rough dirt road (520) to avoid the rain and lightning on the ridge, we began the relentless slog uphill to the last pass. After a couple hours of watching me struggle to stay upright and mumble incoherently to myself, Martin insisted I stick out my thumb and try and catch a ride from the off-roaders who passed us every 30 minutes or so. Eventually, I did as advised by the good doctor but decided I would only hitch a ride to the pass, I was determined to ride the final 10 miles (all downhill) into Silverton. If I was going to bail, I was going to do down fighting!

The downhill was harder than expected, mostly due to my exhaustion, but also due to my total loss of body heat and I spent the next 45 minutes shivering to myself as I rolled into Silverton, totally spent.

Once in town, I opted NOT to stay with a friend who had offered their apartment to me and instead booked the first hotel room I saw and ask them to deliver a COVID test to me. Sure enough, I had COVID.

FUCK!

This of course confirmed my fears and also cemented my decision to make arrangements to bail and go back home, where I could get a motel room and self-isolate.

Honestly, at this point, I felt ok with the decision. I was pissed I had to stop riding, but I understood the health concerns of staying on the trail, in 2 more days of rain with hard riding ahead of me. What hurt more than anything else was the realization that I was going home, but would be unable to see my family for another 5 days as I headed straight into my COVID prison of self-isolation.

So here I am now, many days out from the fateful end of my trip, one more day away from returning home (masked for another few days). Thanks to my incredible wife and community of friends and family, I have had a motel room to stay in, endless snacks, and a meal train of fresh food every day. I’m truly grateful for their support.

So that’s it, that’s the trip. Would I do it again (if I could find time again), HELL Yes! Would I change a few things, yes! So read on if you’re interested in what I might change if you’re considering this trip. And if you’re on the fence about attempting it, just do it! Trust me, it’s an unforgettable adventure!

Next time?

If I were to attempt this again, what might I do differently?

• Not get COVID! Seriously, it sucks! And minus the COVID infection, I would have felt confident finishing in the 12 days.
• While a 12-day timeline is absolutely manageable, if I did this again I would either:
  • Aim for a 14-day timeline to allow for a couple half-day rests and a little more time to go slow.
  • Aim for a 10-day “push” and ride into the night a few times.
    • These are both vastly different timelines each with their own pro’s and con’s, but this trail somehow both begs you to go slow and push your limit simultaneously and both options seem enticing.
• I would consider a hardtail (no rear suspension) bike simply to allow for more packing space in the frame bag and a lighter overall bike. It’s hard to say which would be better, but given the lengthy detours and the overall strain of pushing a heavy bike while wearing a pack, it might be worth it.
• Related to the above point, I would strive for a lighter overall load and strip away even more weight:
  • You only need 2 days of food (maybe less) if you’re willing to ride a little faster/longer and plan out the re-supply spots better.
  • I would go with a full-size seat bag and forgo any dropper-post travel. As it was, I only had a tiny amount of travel left anyways with my micro seat-bag, and it would have been space better spent with getting weight off my back.
• As much as I value solo travel, I would do it with another person and be able to further reduce weight by sharing group items (tent, cookset, repair kit, med kit, etc) and ensure a constant source of motivation when the trail got tough.

Well, that’s all for now. Time to finish recovering, get back to my family, and start planning the next big adventure. I’m thinking about a 2-week blitzkreig ski-mountaineering tour of the Cascades next Spring.

Anyone in?