This morning I revisited a trail that I ran last year May in preparation for PPM. Conditions then were cold, windy with lots of snow and I fell well short of reaching Kokomo Pass. However I saw the potential the trail had so I was looking forward to this mornings run.
Searle Pass and Kokomo Pass may not sound familiar but I'm sure the Colorado Trail Segment 8 does. Don't know the specific stats for this segment, but I think it's like 25 miles one way starting just east of Copper and finishing around Tennessee Pass. The highlight of this trail is the 4+ mile section above treeline. Absolutely sweet single track.
Started out the run just after 7am. Temps were in the upper 40s and felt oh so good considering the hot temps in Denver lately. Not sure where exactly the trailhead is located but I started my run just under the American Flyer lift. A quick switch back and 0.5 miles into the run I'm off the service road and running on the CO Trail.
The trail within the Copper Mountain boundary is beautiful. It's all single track, mainly hidden within the trees and just zig zags up, down, left and right for just under 3 miles before it enters the Gueller Creek Valley. From here the single track continues and doesn't waste its time with switchbacks. It just cruises up the valley along the river. At times it's steep, sometimes it's downhill, but it gets you up to treeline quickly. Finally the switchbacks appear, but are few and before you know it and 7.5 miles after you started, you're at the top of Searle Pass.
(Looking north of Searle Pass into the heart of the Gore Range) 
(Looking directly south towards a hidden Kokomo Pass) Conditions were perfect. Slight haze in the sky, no wind and extremely comfortable temps for being at just over 12,000 feet. Over the next 3+ miles the trail takes you on alpine single track I thought only existed in the San Juans. The terrain is rolling and never gets above 12.3K or lower then 11.7K. Steams were flowing and the wild flowers were in full bloom. I honestly should have eaten shit here as I was on a mission to find my favorite flower. Pink Elephants everywhere where water was flowing!
I continued on to Kokomo Pass soaking in the views and keeping a pretty good pace. Once there and 2 hours after I started, I took my only brake. Got a nice seat that offered up so many views.
(Looking south towards the end of the 10 Mile Range and I'm sure a few 14ers I can't point out)
(Mt Massive - I want that summit badly for some reason)
Not shown were the Whistle Pigs running circles around. Not sure what those fat little fockers were doing but they were highly amusing as it appeared one was trying to get it on with the other one. After 10 minutes of laying low, I was back after it heading back to Copper Mountain. I made quick work back to Searle and began the long decent back to where it all started.
On my way to Kokomo Pass, I saw one hiker. Didn't see anyone else till I started my decent of Searle. Even then I only counted 14 total folks I crossed paths with during my whole run. A far cry to the hundreds I had seen on Grays/Torreys. The decent down the valley was uneventful. It was starting to get hot and my legs were starting to feel it for the first time. Finally back in the Copper Mountain area, I was only miles away from being done. Temps were even hotter here even with all the pine trees covering the trails. Hitting that stop button in front of Jacks Bar & Grill felt good. What felt better was sitting in the middle of the creek just outside of the village for a good 20 minutes.
Goal for today was to go at a easy long run pace while focusing on hydration and fuel. Goals were met though I did get lazy with hydration and fuel during the last few miles. Figured I was close enough to being done that it didn't matter.
4 hours 2 minutes of run time and roughly powered hiked a quarter mile at most. A tribute to how runnable this route truly is. Just over 21 miles with some 3,600 feet of climbing. Far from fast but feeling really good right now.
That's a nice CO Trail segment, and it's never had many people on it when I've gone; of course I've always been there in the spring and turned around at the snow before the first pass. That high singletrack is awesome, that's just what I've been looking for.
ReplyDeleteIt's also kind of fun seeing the resort in the summer and how different it looks. The pine woods trails at Copper are some nice running, especially down :)
Out of curiosity what's your favorite running near Durango? I gravitate towards Coal Bank and Molas Passes when I'm there. Try to avoid bikes, or minimize.
Sounds like a great run, Jaime. I've really been wanting to do some exploring in the Eagle's Nest Wilderness across the highway from Frisco in the Gore Range. Seeing you pic reminded me that I need to take a day off work some day soon and run some miles in the Gores.
ReplyDeleteHey Mtnrunner. I can think of 6 different trails of various lengths between those two passes. Coal Bank to Engineer Mtn for a shorter run is very nice. My favorite. Molas all the way to Coal Bank. Shade under 20 miles and well worth the effort. Or you can head towards Mineral Creek (near Silverton) and hit up Ice Lakes Basin. My favorite area by far.
ReplyDeleteJim, I hear you on Gore Range. Only trail I've ever tackled out there is the Eccles Pass loop. I actually plan on running the area Saturday morning as my mini taper before pacing 30M at Leadville. Hope the taper for your double is going well!