“Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” ~Henry David Thoreau 

Long Gulch Colorado, CO Segment 5-Long Gulch to Kenosha Pass August 2, 2003

Carol at Our Lunch Rock

We spent last night in Denver to reduce the driving time this morning. We began our hike from Long Gulch trail head at 8:55 AM. It is just Carol and I on this segment. Shortly after starting, we meet two backpackers hiking from Denver to Breckenridge. They had camped just past the trail head and were still packing up. We quickly start climbing and reenter the Lost Creek Wilderness. We cross Rock Creek at about mile 7 and descend to 9,500 feet. We have lunch in a meadow with aspen groves, rock outcroppings, and nice views. The sun is out but there is a nice cool breeze as we enjoy our surroundings. Lunch for us is typically peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and some fruit. We find that the first 9 miles is fairly easy and only takes us 3 hours and 15 minutes.

Charlie Just Past Rock Creek Road

We cross a Forest Service road and come to a sign that tells us Kenosha Pass is 6 miles. The terrain is rolling meadows and hills as we start to climb back over 10,000 feet. The views are great both behind and in front of us. As we get over 10,400 feet and the miles add on, we both start dragging. Perhaps the pace for the first 9 miles caught up to us. It is amazing how the body can feel so good and then just hit a wall. This is when hiking starts to feel like a chore and things become slightly less enjoyable. The up side is that when you work through these periods and tough it out, you feel a greater sense of accomplishment at the end of the day.
We talk to some backpackers who ask us about the water situation up ahead and possible camping spots. They are fully loaded and say that they are on the Breckenridge to Denver diet. They actually started in Denver and now are on their way back. We end up by walking through a long stretch of Aspen trees and emerge at Kenosha Pass. We hiked a total of 15.0 miles in 6 hours and 30 minutes reaching Kenosha Pass at 3:25 PM. Segment 5 Miles Hiked – 15.0
C.T. Miles Hiked – 70.6