Day 13 on the Colorado Trail. Monday, August 11, 2025.

We set up camp last night at 2,830 meters (9,285 ft), the lowest elevation we’ve camped at so far on this trip. You might think that would mean a warmer night, but it was just 2°C (36°F) when we woke up.

We had pizza for dinner the night before and had some cold leftovers for breakfast. It must have given us more energy than our usual breakfast because we hiked farther than normal before our first break.

We started hiking at 6:30 a.m. and even with gloves on, our hands were still cold. The first 1.5 km (about 0.9 miles) followed Twin Lakes before we started climbing. Once the sun came up, it warmed up quickly.

Almost immediately, we entered an area that had been affected by a forest fire a few years ago. We hiked for 3 km (about 1.9 miles) before the trail returned to a fresh forest.

Suddenly, a fox appeared on the path ahead of us. It was curious and unafraid, not intimidated by us standing still. We watched it for several minutes as it foraged in the grass before it disappeared in a series of long leaps.

We kept up a good pace in the cool morning, gaining 500 meters (1,640 ft) in elevation before the trail descended into the valley of Clear Creek. It was 10:30 a.m. and we had hiked 15 km (about 9.3 miles). We took our first food break of the day by the river.

We relaxed for an hour before tackling the longest climb of the trip so far: an 838-meter (2,749 ft) ascent. The temperature was 22°C (72°F) with no wind. The sun was high in the sky, and even though the entire climb was in the forest, we still got a lot of sun exposure, which made the climb feel extra strenuous.
We made sure to maintain a steady, calm pace so we wouldn’t wear ourselves out. We completed the entire climb with only short water breaks.
On the way up, we met a man coming down the trail with three mules.

At the top, still in the forest, we took a break before descending 350 meters (1,148 ft) into the valley where Pine Creek flows. We planned to camp there. The best spots were already taken, even though it was only 3:30 p.m. We had to settle for a spot with no trees to provide shade from the sun. We had to wait for several hours before we could comfortably get into the tent. Being in a tent that’s in direct sunlight is unbearable.

As usual, we took the opportunity to wash our feet and socks in the river that flowed next to our camp. There were fish in the river, not large ones, but they were actively feeding on insects.
A squirrel also came to visit, running almost between my feet.

The day’s hike was 25 km (about 15.5 miles) and we climbed a total of 1,340 meters (4,396 ft) in elevation. We are now camping at 3,180 meters (10,433 ft).