DESTINATION South Platte Cyn to Colorado TH FS-550 - CT #2 1 Photoset
2015-06-29 | |
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| Backpack | 11.50 Miles |
2,482 AEG |
| | Backpack | 11.50 Miles | | | |
| 2,482 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | At 4:00 AM my alarm rang, and 30 minutes later we were in the truck on our way back to the Colorado Trail. After a rough first day, and with people on Facebook saying Segment 2 was far worse than Segment 1 in terms of heat, I was slightly nervous about getting back on trail. Segment 2 is also a dry stretch, with no water until you reach the firehouse near the end of the segment.
We pulled up to the Segment 2 trailhead around 7:00 AM, I filled my water bottles up at the South Platte, said my goodbyes to my dad, and I was off on the Colorado Trail once again.
Segment 2 begins with a long climb through the Buffalo Creek burn area. I crossed under the Judy Gatskill Bridge and began the ascent. It wasn't long before views of the landscape opened up. Although the Buffalo Creek fire of 1996 had destroyed a large portion of the forest, it created an opportunity for spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.
As I climbed, I closed in on my first hiker of the day, Aaron Williams. We briefly spoke and reflected on our first day on the Colorado Trail. We had both been strained by the heat in Segment 1 and I would later find out that Aaron had also been attacked by wild poultry in Segment 1! Whether or not it was the same bird remains unknown. Both of our goals for the day was to simply to get through the 11.2 mile renounced "burn section" of the trail and to camp near the beginning of segment 3, so we decided to hike together.
As we climbed, we left the burn area for a short period of time and re-entered the trees. This section of the trail reminded me a lot of central Arizona forests. A very dry pine forest with predominately Ponderosa pine and shrubs. I even saw a prickly pear cactus along the trail. Home sweet home?
Every so often we would stop to break and get to know each other more. Aaron is a Denver highschool chemistry teacher who has always dreamed of thru hiking the Appalachian Trail, but due to time constraints and locality, he decided to hike the Colorado Trail.
After several hours of climbing, the trail levels out and we re-enter the Buffalo Creak burn area. This time the burn area was overgrown with tall grasses and wild flowers. The views of the surrounding landscape were spectacular, and with a slight breeze, this section of the trail was actually quite a pleasure to walk through. After a rough first day, this really lifted my spirits.
Our water was running low as we approached the unmanned fire station in the distance, and the mid-day heat was beginning to peak. We re-entered the trees and were thankful for the shade that they provided. We reached the highway and walked down the road to the fire station.
We filled out water bottles, sat in the shade near the fire station faucet and ate lunch. Before we left the firehouse, we stocked up on water for the night and finished up the last mile of segment 2. We entered segment 3 and immediately started looking for a place to camp. |
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