Today’s hike was supposed to be partway along the Silverthorne Alternate, ending up tomorrow in Silverthorne, where Ed will meet me. But this alternate route has two huge climbs up to nearly 12,000 feet (3,658 m). Once again, rain was in the forecast. I did not want to get caught at elevation in a storm.
So I came up with a back-up plan. Luckily, about 10 miles in (16.1 km), after the first huge climb, the trail intersects with Tenmile Trail, a path that runs into Frisco. To be safe, I planned to take Tenmile Trail, camp along it, then head into Frisco tomorrow morning. From there, I’d hike along a recreational path leading into Silverthorne.
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Now Departing Copper Mountain
I was lazing around in my motel room this morning, as rain was predicted for 8 a.m. I figured I’d head out as soon as the rain stopped. Well, by 7:30 a.m. the forecast had changed and no rain was predicted. So I hit the trail at 8 a.m.
It took me nearly five hours of climbing to reach Uneva Pass and the first summit. It was tiring, but the scenery was great and the trail was pretty nice – lots of soft dirt.
Afternoon Showers
After stopping for lunch under sunny skies and feeling quite positive – maybe I’d hike the whole trail after all! – I saw rain was now predicted for 2 p.m. So I hurriedly finished lunch, put on my rain gear and covered my backpack. Then I was off.
As (bad) luck would have it, although I was now going downhill, the lovely path of the 
morning devolved into one that was very rocky and rooty. So I couldn’t go any faster than the morning’s uphill slog.
It rained at 1 p.m., so I decided I was taking Tenmile Trail no matter what happened during the afternoon. Luckily the rain wasn’t too hard or too long. While I got reasonably wet, I did dry out when the sun popped back out.
Winding Down the Day
When I hopped on Tenmile Trail, I was expecting to see loads of primo campsites. Various websites talk about how this is a popular hike, as it’s along pretty Tenmile Creek. People often hang out and picnic here. I did see one great site as soon as I got on the trail, but it was too early to stop.
After an hour or so of hiking, it started to drizzle. I hadn’t seen any other great campsites, so I found an OK one and set up for the night. I thought it would be pretty warm for a while, as I’m at a lower elevation. But it’s actually pretty chilly already at 5 p.m.
Snowshoe
Today’s Miles: =11 (17.7 km)
CDT Miles to Date: 917.3 (1,476.3 km)
CDT Miles to Go: 2,182.7 (3,512.7 km)
