This morning the trail followed a rarely used dirt road as it contoured around the mountains above tree line. The weather is crisp and clear and views of the valley below are fantastic. Eventually the trail descended to Mirror Lake.
Mirror Lake is full of trout with almost constant circles in the water being formed as the fish rise up and eat insects. After winding along the shores of Mirror Lake for a half mile, I reached the head of the lake where the trail follows a long and rocky road up and over Tincup Pass. This road gets quite a bit of use by the off-road crowd. The funny thing is that I can hike up this horrible road about as fast as the ATV’s can. This one family played hopscotch for quite a bit and it turned into a friendly little competition to see who could reach the top first (I did :)). I could see how regular hikers could get annoyed by all the ATV activity, but I really don’t mind. I guess it’s because so much of this trail is lonely and quiet that it’s a pleasant change to see other people out having fun.
At around 4:00 I passed the remains of the Alpine Tunnel – the site of a railroad tunnel that connected Como to Breckinridge. It was once the highest railroad tunnel in the world and employed up to 10,000 men (at various times) in 1880. The harsh climate and economic conditions caused it to close in 1910.
After descending some steep switchbacks the trail followed the old railroad bed. The tracks were long gone, but every now and then you would see the remains of some ties. I love walking on these old railroad beds. The grade is gentle and flat and the views from the slightly elevated bed are usually pretty good.
After traversing 4 passes today I’m beat. The last pass was because I had planned to camp at Hancock Lake but when I got there it was above tree line and it was very cold with a strong wind blowing and no sheltered spots. I continued over the pass with the intention of descending the other side and camping in the trees. I didn’t realize the trail was going to hug the side of Mt Aetna for miles and it was too steep to pitch my tent anywhere. I kept going for miles after dark until I finally found a spot. It’s not perfect – there is a dirt road nearby and there’s dead beetle-killed widow makers all around, but I’m exhausted. I saw no thru hikers today and appear to be in a hiker bubble of one. 🙁
Oh, when night hiking with my powerful spotlight it really lights up the eyes of critters. I had no idea there were so many creatures out there watching. Lots of deer and smaller animals, and one large unknown creature with very wide-set eyes. A bear? I don’t know – I just kept going.