August 2, 2024
On trail: 23.7 miles, 6598′ gain/5873′ loss; Cutoff: 2.0 miles, 215′ gain/100′ loss.
I slept in until 6am. My gear was a bit wet from the morning dew, so I dried out my sleeping bag and tent as I waited for things to open. I chatted with Kay (the other CT thruhiker camped out nearby) and a few locals at the VW coffee van which opened up at 6:30am. I bought a breakfast burrito and mocha from the coffee van, and they kindly made me some boiling water for a few free instant meals I found in their hiker box. I managed to relax for a while, since there was nowhere else to be. I had time to decide that I’d take Collegiate West, and hope for good weather. The general store opened at 8:30, and I grabbed my package and bought a few sodas. After repacking my food bag and backpack, I headed out by 9am.
I took the Leadville/truck trail cutoff to get to Collegiate West and Hope Pass, but the trail had flooded portions and my feet were soaked to my shins. I just kept going, wading through the lake outlet as well. My feet ended up drying on my ascent of Hope Pass. It was nice to be ascending the Pass while acclimated, as a comparison to my first time during Leadville, though I was having trouble breathing on the climb and didn’t realize that I was dealing with wildfire smoke until later.
On my climb up Hope Pass, I saw hummingbirds, pikas, and marmots. I also ran into Addie Bracy, and we chatted together for a few minutes; she highlighted for me that there was wildfire smoke and that was likely why my breathing was rough. I stopped for lunch closer to Winfield, after hiking out from under a gathering thunderstorm, and an ultrarunner I’d seen in Twin Lakes sat with me for a few minutes to chat.
The 2nd half of my day was very rough. Lake Ann Pass was steep and rocky, with a large snow field still present at the top. It took quite a bit out of me, and took forever. Then as I descended, I couldn’t find a campsite for 4+ miles. I ended up hiking until 9pm to find a flat spot; I avoided the cow patties and set up my tent by headlamp, just happy to be horizonal again.
