Georgia Pass, CO August 17, 2003

When we awake, it is raining in Breckenridge. We debate whether to go or not and decide there are no “fair weather only” hikers here. We will go for it. As we approach Fairplay, there are some patches of blue sky, which teases our optimism. But as we ride up the dirt road to Glacier Ridge we get back into the clouds.

CNC Southeast of Georgia Pass

At the trail crossing, we are in the clouds, where it is breezy, cold, and there is a mist like rain. A few degrees colder and it would be snow, as some of the higher peaks have fresh snow. We are at 11,800 feet here and it feels like a different world, or at least a different season. The good news is that we will be mostly descending in this whole section to the North Fork of the Swan River. We start at 9:50 AM. The girls take off, the cold driving them at what I consider a maddening pace. They have tree line and some relief from this alpine environment in mind. As we reach the trees and start to descend further, we break out of the misty rain. It is still very cloudy but other than drops from the trees above we are not getting wet. The world and colors look different in this light, beautiful in an ethereal way. There are no mountain range views to be had.

CNC at Middle Fork of South Platte River

There is lots of downhill and when we reach the Middle Fork of the Swan River, the sun comes out. We are amazed at this break in the weather. When we woke up, we figured we would be hiking in rain showers the whole way and we have hardly gotten wet and now the sun comes out. We warm up and have to shed some clothes for the last stretch. We end at the North Fork of the Swan River at 12:50 PM. We hiked for 3 hours and covered 7.0 miles. Segment 6 is now completed and higher mountains await us. We have also gone over the 100-mile mark on the trail. We had lunch in town and when we came out, it was pouring rain and never stopped again. Once again, timing is everything. The Colorado Trail hiking Gods have looked favorably upon us this weekend. Segment 6 Miles Hiked – 34.3 (includes a 1.8 mile route finding error)
C.T. Miles Hiked – 103.1