August 29, 2013

August 29, 2013
6 miles North of Georgia pass to Breckenridge
26 miles

It was an early morning today. With my limited remaining food I wanted to get an early start and get to Breckenridge as soon as possible so I could binge on food!

The miles to Georgia Pass were a little dark and a little up/down along the divide, but once there it was smooth sailing along the Colorado Trail (CT) to Breckenridge. At the beginning of the shared trail section I ran into a CT hiker from Pagosa Springs, CO and gained some valuable intel about the bus from the pass into Breckenridge, most importantly that it was free! I love me some free public transportation, especially when it eliminates my need to hitch a ride.

My meager rations for the day included granola for breakfast (~500 calories), one CLIF Builder Bar (270 calories), one CLIF Bar (250 calories), two Nature Valley granola bars(2x 190 calories), and one packet of powdered Gatorade mix (~200 calories). Needless to say, it was not an ideal situation, especially when you need to hike 26 miles to get to more food. The last few miles I definitely felt sluggish. What's life without a little bit of a challenge?

Once in town I ate all but one slice if a large deluxe veggie pizza, complete with avocado. It was amazing and felt so good to feel completely full. After the food binge I made my way to the Fireside Inn where I procured a room for the night. Also staying at the inn were a couple of CT hikers, one going each direction. The older gentleman, Shamrock, was only doing a section of the trail, but was close to completing the entire thing. After finishing the section to Cooper Mtn tomorrow he was driving back to his home in Cheyenne, WY. The other hiker, Venture, was from Arizona and I'd guess he was about my age. He had about 100 miles left to get the the NE terminus on the outskirts of Denver. The three if us talked trail for a while before going a out our own business.

After taking care of my town chores, I reconnected with Venture and we walked down to the Breckenridge Brewery for a beer. Turns out, like most long distance hikers, he is an interesting guy. We talked about the high cost of housing and how much more economically one coil live out of a trailer or a van, the latter of which Venture was planning to do after finishing his hike. Apparently there is a subculture of folks who just park their trailers on National Forest land and live there rather than deal with house payments or rent. The idea is somewhat appealing to me in the freedom it allows. Similar to a hiker, it is easy to pick up and move from one locale to another without having to deal with selling a house or having a moving truck full of all your stuff. It would certainly provide a finite limit for possessions, perhaps not a bad thing, as long as my skis fit inside :)






Alex