Camp Hale Colorado, CO August 31, 2003
We took yesterday off as we had planned it as a day of rest and mountain relaxation. We were going to do the 2 miles or so we cut off at Highway 91 but it was pouring down rain so we will come back to it. Today, we drive back to the barricade and walk the road back to the trail in Camp Hale. We get started at 8:45 AM. The day of rest and hot tub yesterday was welcome and we are all feeling good today. On top of that it rained all day yesterday which has softened the ground, making the hike easy on the feet. We climb out of Camp Hale into the woods. Eventually, we cross Highway 24 and walk along a huge meadow with mountain views to the west. We exit the meadow and start our climb towards Tennessee Pass. It is a bit cool in spots due to all the moisture rising off the ground. We stop for lunch after a climb where the trail joins an old jeep road. A sign of the changing season, we get cold while we eat. We start walking again looking for some sun to warm us back up.
As we get closer to Tennessee Pass we stop and look at some old coking ovens just off the trail. They were used to turn coal into more useable materials like charcoal. We reach Tennessee Pass, the official end of Segment 8. We are continuing another 2.7 miles into Segment 9 and stopping at the Wurtz Ditch Trail Head. This will enable us to start next year with a 12.2-mile hike instead of a 14.9 mile one. We walk through forest all the way to Wurtz Ditch Road. We covered a total of 10.3 miles in 4 hours and 50 minutes. Our moving average was 2.7 miles per hour, our overall average was 2.1 miles per hour, and our high point on this section was 10,512 feet. September 1, 2003 Before we drive home today, we go back to complete the beginning of Segment 8. We begin at Highway 91 and hike 2.0 miles along Copper Mountain to our starting point from last Friday. It only takes us 40 minutes. Section 8 is now officially completed. Segment 8 Miles Hiked – 29.6 (includes 2.0 miles extra from the barricade)
C.T. Miles Hiked – 130.7
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