Kokomo

I had to take a few days off after the last hike. The days off were planned. We had to take my mom to the airport in Denver. She was off to Vancouver in order to go on a cruise to Alaska. So it is now me hiking with just my dad hanging out as my support. I didn’t plan to start hiking again until the weekend was ending. This was good because my blisters were able to heal during the break.

On Sunday, July 31st I started hiking again. I would do an overnighter from Copper Mountain to Camp Hale. This was a makeup hike from a section I skipped last year. It was after 3 PM on Sunday before I started the hike. My plan was only to hike 6 or 7 miles that day. The plan was to get close to tree line in order to hit the above tree line stuff first thing in the morning. Due to rain, I ended up with a later start than planned but it still fit within parameters I needed to get to the spot I had picked out in the databook. It was raining when we arrived at Copper Mountain. It is hard to start in the rain. Fortunately, I was able to wait it out. I got to my campsite and got my tent set up just before another rainstorm. I had a good campsite. There were some trees next to it that blocked the rain. So I was able to cook dinner in a dry spot.

Copper Mountain - Traffic going to Denver

Trail through meadow

The next day, the skies were bright blue. The day started with about a 1.5 mile hike to some meadows on the edge of tree line. The next 6 miles of hiking were absolutely gorgeous. I hiked through two high passes, Searle Pass at 12,043 feet and Kokomo Pass at 12,023 feet. The high point on the trail was Elk Ridge at 12,282 feet. The hiking was pretty easy since there weren’t any steep climbs. I had all of this to myself. I didn’t see a soul until I got to Camp Hale unless you count the marmots. I saw a couple of pikas, but this alpine area was dominated by marmots.

Colorado Trail marker

Trail going to Searle Pass

Flowers and views

Janet's Cabin at tree line. The trail up is in the valley below.

Me at Searle Pass.  The trail I take is behind me and is all above tree line.

Northeast view from Searle Pass

View to the southeast from Searle Pass

Looking back at Searle Pass

Marmot

Looking toward the mining at Fremont Pass from Elk Ridge

Looking back at Searle Pass from Elk Ridge

Mt. Massive

Kokomo Pass

Trail leaving Kokomo Pass

Mount of the Holy Cross

Approaching Tree Line

I made it down to Camp Hale without issue. My dad was already waiting as always. We went down to Leadville and had lunch. We then drove to Buena Vista where we stayed. That evening, I prepared for my next hike that would take place the next day.

Coming into Camp Hale

Cataract Falls