July 4, 2017
It was cold when we woke up. Cold, cold. Getting out of my warm sleeping bag soo early on the cold mornings was not always something I looked forward too, but the trail was my motivation to get the day started.
As we continue down the trail as a group, there is less and less we have to talk about with each other except for the random thoughts that cross our minds. Our time walking on trail is now starting to be spent in our own thoughts… reminiscing, reflecting and taking in the beauty of the trail.
Today, we have about five miles of Segment 4 left to complete. Then the plan is to continue riding through Segment 5 all the way to Jefferson Creek in Segment 6. It would be a long day, but a moderate one with no major climbs. We wanted to set up camp at Jefferson Creek, because the next day would start off with a climb up to Georgia Pass.
Segment 5
Segment 5 is 14.6 miles long. The segment has a few water sources, but it was a little more scarce than the last few segments we rode.
Though our days often started out in the cold like this morning, it warmed up fast in the mountains. Parts of this segment opened up out of the aspens we were getting used to riding in. The views of the mountains we would be riding soon were in front of us, but the lack of shade did make it a fairly hot summer day.
Segment 6
Segment 6 is the longest segment of the Colorado Trail coming in at 32.7 miles. Just like Segment 5, water sources are there, but a bit more spread out. Jefferson Creek was six miles into the segment, bringing our total day’s mileage to about 26 miles.
In the morning, we had the big climb up to Georgia Pass, which is the highest point of Segment 6 coming in at 11,874 ft. This would be the first time on trail we would get above the treeline, so we wanted to make sure we started our day early enough to make it up and over the pass before any potential thunderstorms rolled in.
I did not take any pictures on trail today. Keeping the electronic devices charged was becoming difficult. I definitely need to add in some extra portable batteries when I get the chance.
