Red Mountain and Lake San Cristobal, Segment 22, Colorado Trail, CO
CO (Hinsdale County)
Day 2 near Yurt to near Cataract Lake - Segment 22/23
Frosty but not too cold. Tossed and turned all night. At least 3 more hikers arrived at camp at some point.
I was hiking by 0715. The sun was shining so that is always a bonus. The day started off with a climb but it wasn't bad. Shortly thereafter, I left the last of the trees for about 35 miles. The rest of the day is all above treeline. The Colorado Trail is often above treeline but this section is probably the longest stretch.
The highlight of the day is at 13,271 feet. This is the highest point of the Colorado Trail. The theme of the day would be 'wind'. It was windy all day, sometimes extremely windy.
Getting to the high point wasn't too difficult but there were some slow moving moments. I took a very short break at a saddle that I thought was just 1.2 miles from the top. There were great views all along the way, including a look at Lake San Cristobal and the very prominent Red Mountain. After the short break it took almost an hour to finally reach the hi-point. One mile an hour is very slow, so I might have miscalculated where I had stopped earlier. It was windy and the views were not as spectacular as expected. Good, but not great.
Although the Colorado Trail has many miles above 10,000 feet in elevation, I have never had a problem with the elevation, even at 13,271 feet. I usually acclimate for a couple of days before hitting the trail. The weather, however, especially above treeline is always unpredictable. Afternoon thunderstorms are a constant threat during the summer. It is difficult to determine the perfect time to hike. Start too early in the season, thunderstorms; start too late, snow. A few times I thought I saw snow but it wasn't quite cold enough. It might've been hail or sleet or something. Otherwise it was mostly sunny.
Red Mountain and Lake San Cristobal, Segment 22, Colorado Trail, CO
CO (Hinsdale County)
Day 2 near Yurt to near Cataract Lake - Segment 22/23
Frosty but not too cold. Tossed and turned all night. At least 3 more hikers arrived at camp at some point.
I was hiking by 0715. The sun was shining so that is always a bonus. The day started off with a climb but it wasn't bad. Shortly thereafter, I left the last of the trees for about 35 miles. The rest of the day is all above treeline. The Colorado Trail is often above treeline but this section is probably the longest stretch.
The highlight of the day is at 13,271 feet. This is the highest point of the Colorado Trail. The theme of the day would be 'wind'. It was windy all day, sometimes extremely windy.
Getting to the high point wasn't too difficult but there were some slow moving moments. I took a very short break at a saddle that I thought was just 1.2 miles from the top. There were great views all along the way, including a look at Lake San Cristobal and the very prominent Red Mountain. After the short break it took almost an hour to finally reach the hi-point. One mile an hour is very slow, so I might have miscalculated where I had stopped earlier. It was windy and the views were not as spectacular as expected. Good, but not great.
Although the Colorado Trail has many miles above 10,000 feet in elevation, I have never had a problem with the elevation, even at 13,271 feet. I usually acclimate for a couple of days before hitting the trail. The weather, however, especially above treeline is always unpredictable. Afternoon thunderstorms are a constant threat during the summer. It is difficult to determine the perfect time to hike. Start too early in the season, thunderstorms; start too late, snow. A few times I thought I saw snow but it wasn't quite cold enough. It might've been hail or sleet or something. Otherwise it was mostly sunny.