Day 23 to base of Peak Four

The morning brought another wonderful alpine walk this time over to Searle Pass. We passed Janet's Cabin, one in a series of backcountry lodges that are great destinations for hikers, mt bikers and skiers. We descended Guller Creek filled with beaver dams towards Copper Mountain. Being a summer weekend there were a lot of people and even a festival in town. The trail passed under chair lifts and within a hundred yards of the base but we wanted to preserve our illusion of being in wilderness. Actually, we were more afraid if we joined the party we wouldn't be able to pull ourselves away, so we kept hiking. We misplaced the trail for a bit, found it, then came to the golf course. It was surreal, to be walking the CDT next to people riding in golf carts.

Eventually we left Copper Mountain behind and climbed up into the 10 Mile Range. On mt bikes in 2009, because of snow and steepness, we'd bypassed this section and taken the bike path from Breckenridge. Cassi noted that the trail was actually 2 miles shorter than the bike path. Of course there was that little 3000 foot climb and descent in between.

The 10 mile Range was beautiful. The traverse from Peak 9 to 4 sublime. We camped at treeline watching the full moon rise in the east as the sun set in the west savoring the experience. Tomorrow we'd be in town. Tonight we were still in the wild.