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[gwb]

I am getting ready to take a hike on the Collegiate Loop and will start at Mount Princeton Hot Springs and finish in Twin Lakes. I have been so excited that I've been dreaming about the hike almost nightly. But, on the other hand there are a few things I am nervous about.

Everyone says the first week or two of September is great weather. If I check weather.com and look at the temp data for Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area it tells me to expect highs in the mid to low 60s and lows in the mid 30s. I wonder what elevation that is at?

What about water? Where is the best place to check for current water levels?

Anyone familiar with the area willing to look at my itinerary? I Just want to make sure I am not missing something or planning to camp somewhere less that ideal.

This is my first "Western" hike after thousands of miles of hiking on the east coast, so I know I am over thinking things a little. It is reminding me of how I felt before hiking through the White Mountains on the AT. I was really anxious about it, but it turned out to be one of my favorite sections of the trail.

[MuddyWaters]

typically theres no lack of reliable water. Ask on CT foundation facebook page if worried, or just read.

Consider terrain to be about equivalent to AT. If you hike 15 per day on AT, you will hike 15 per day on CT.
Unfortunately, no one can tell you what you can hike.

The below treeline parts will be meh. Lotsa beetle killed forest, with trees down, very dry. Above treeline is great.
Unfortunately, the design of the trail is trailhead-to-trailhead. Go up, come down to a trailhead. I really wish they had tried to keep trail higher, and run side trails to trailheads. Might not be possible, because even though CO is sparsely populated, its crisscrossed with lotsa roads.

[Slo-go'en]

I was on the north end of the CT the first 2 weeks of Sept last year and the weather was great. Only had one T-storm and I was down low at the time. My only real issue was the elevation, the air is thin at 10K+ feet and that slowed me way down. If the trail was down around 3-4K feet, I would have sailed along it. You won't be there long enough to really acclimate to the elevation.

Don't forget there is little shade on this trail, so be sure to bring a wide brimmed sun hat and sunblock.

[Venchka]

Guthook's app will have water pinpointed on the map.
I was in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado last year from September 1-11. Zero rain during the day. I slept through a couple nighttime sprinkles. Morning lows 35-40. Highs not high enough to be uncomfortable. I hiked all day in a very light wicking long underwear long sleeve shirt under a 100% polyester ventilated long sleeve shirt and long 100% pants. Barely broke a sweat. I'm taking the same clothes to Wyoming in 2 weeks.
That said, we could both see floods and blizzards this year.
Good luck! You will be back.
Wayne


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[Venchka]

PS:
I hiked between 10,500' and 12,100'. No problem coming from 400' in east Texas.
Wayne


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[Mags]

Beautiful time to hike. My favorite as a matter of fact. The Atlas (Guthook) CT guide is nice, but for a quick at a glance info such as water and some campsites, the CTF Databook is very useful. Has the water sources listed by miles and some campsites, too. At less than $10, small enough to fit in a cargo pocket, very good item to take.

[saltysack]

Did loop starting Sept 19-28 last year...plenty of water. Buy the entire CT as you will be back...yea I made that mistake had to buy twice....dumb. Be prepared as I had to back track and take a zero as got caught in a white out on divide past MC....east wasn't great but west was amazing! 9 days wasn't too difficult if you like to walk and not camp. I did the first 104 miles of the CT this July and will not go back any other time besides September...July was miserable......be sure to check out Simple hostel and moonlight pizza....

These pics of same CDT make were taken less than 24hrs apart....be prepared...


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[saltysack]

Oops.... wrong pic



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[Spirit Walker]

Be prepared for snow. September can be gorgeous but the first storm(s) of the season are usually then as well. Carry some extra food in case you end up snowbound in your tent for a day or so.

[gwb]

Oh boy. Yes, I'll prepared for cold weather and light slow conditions. When the weather changes like that do you have any warning in a forecast or do these storms just pop up at these elevations? Salty, in those pictures what kind of temperature swing did have from one day to the next and does the snow typically stick around at that point?

[map man]

1) Weather in early September: All my Colorado hiking has been in August, but I can tell you that all three nights I camped above 12,000 feet in mid-August got down to freezing. So I would be prepared for lows in the 20s in early September when you are above 12,000' and for lows around freezing any time you are above 11,000', and you will often be at those elevations on the west side of the loop.

2) Water: It's been a rainy summer so far in that part of the mountains and every water source the CTF Databook listed as questionable turned out to be plenty reliable in my just-finished hike of the loop this August. It's hard to imagine things suddenly drying up in the next two or three weeks. The longest waterless stretch is the eight miles heading north from Monarch Pass -- be sure to tank up at the Monarch Crest Store -- they are very friendly toward hikers there and you can fill up on water for free at their two water stations right inside the store (the store is open 8am to 8pm). If the store wasn't there the waterless stretch would be 14 miles from the upper reaches of South Fooses Creek all the way to the lake just south of Hunt Lake, so be sure to get water at the store.

3) Your itinerary: since my trip is so fresh in my mind I would be happy to look at your tentative plan for campsites if you want to post that here in this thread (just don't list specific dates if you are concerned about privacy). A couple of things I would like to mention -- the Databook says that all camping is well off and below trail in section 3 on the west side, but I noticed a great camping spot just a few feet off the trail at about mile 6.9, less than a tenth of a mile from where a creek crosses the trail. I saw a father and daughter camped there when I walked by and there was room for two or three more tents. And second, if it works at all with your schedule consider camping at Lake Ann in section 2 on the west side -- it's just .2 miles off trail and is stunningly beautiful. It didn't work out for me -- I walked by it around 10am on my second-to-last day -- but I would happily camp there some day.

[heatherfeather]

Hey gwb, I am planning a hike around the loop starting the 31st of august, maybe I'll see you on the trail!

I have the CT guthook app, which I have used on shorter hikes in the area with great success. There will be plenty of water, and you can always judge how much to tank up by glancing at the app to see how far away the next source is. My plan is generally to have no more than a liter carried during the day, and use an extra bladder for my last water source before setting up camp.

Be prepared for night time temps below freezing. I sleep quite warm, and will have a katabatic palisade (rated pretty conservatively as 30deg) with overstuff, and will be carrying a lightweight puffy I can add to my sleep system if needed. Don't forget that you'll also need a well-insulated sleeping pad! I'll have a sea to summit insulated ultralight, rated at R-value 3.3, plus a 1/8 inch ccf pad I use as the back panel in my GG gorilla pack.

Just some general camp site selection tips: try not to camp in low-lying areas like near creeks or meadows. Cold damp air tends to collect there at night. There are often great sites in these areas, but try to pick ones that are higher up, even if you have to pack extra water and not be right near a source. Also, you will stay warmer if you camp under tree cover, though watch for beetle-killed pines and try not to camp underneath them.

Though afternoon thunderstorms should be less common in early September, they can still happen, so keep an eye on the sky if you are heading to high elevation in late morning, which will be more of a concern on the west side of the trail. Head below tree line as fast as you can if you hear any thunder.

You may know all of the above already, just wanted to hit some highlights. Wave if you see a tall chick in a dress and calf compression sleeves and a dog that looks kind of like a coyote with an orange pack.


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[saltysack]

Oh boy. Yes, I'll prepared for cold weather and light slow conditions. When the weather changes like that do you have any warning in a forecast or do these storms just pop up at these elevations? Salty, in those pictures what kind of temperature swing did have from one day to the next and does the snow typically stick around at that point?

I'd say avg day temps were 55-60 and nights around freezing. The snowy pic had gail force winds and temps around 20...prob 0 with wind chill....it was actually about 36 hours later when second pic was taken near 50*. I wore shorts most of the trip but carried Mags famous ballets wind pants for colder temps...needless to say I had every layer on except for my sleep layer when white out hit on divide...be prepared....love the fall weather!! Have fun...


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[gwb]

Flying into Denver then to the Amtrak station where I'll pick up a bus to Salida. I'll have a few hours between arriving at the airport and getting on a bus. Planning on walking around and stopping at an outfitters to get a fuel canister, get lunch and see the town a little bit.
I have a room booked in Salida and plan on getting a ride from there to Mount Princeton Hot Springs. It looks like I would start off with some road walking, but I though that would be a good way to start opposed to the Chalk Creek TH where it starts off climbing up right away. I am hoping that starting here on the East side of the loop will ease me into the elevation.

I listed areas that I am considering camping at, but would be flexible based on the day and conditions.


-Mount Princeton Hot Springs to Sec. 14 MM 6.8 (9.3mi)
-Section 14 MM 19.5 (12.7mi) I wonder if this area would be an overused spot as it looks relatively accessible
-2 miles to Route 50 and hitch to Monarch Pass then continue to Sec. 5 MM 0 (12.8) This seems too close to a TH to me?
-Section 4 MM. 0 (15.9mi)
-Section 3 mm 2.1 (13.8) Guide book says steep trail to camp?
-Section 2 MM 8.9 (16.1mi)
-Section 1 MM 5.6
-Twin Lakes via Willis Gulch Trail (6.7mi)

From Twin Lakes get a ride into Leadville where I'll spend the night before getting on a bus the next morning to get back to the airport.
I am extremely excited and feel well prepared for the trip, but sometimes the best parts of an adventure are the unexpected things that can pop up and how you adapt. That's been my biggest lesson over the years. Remain flexible so you can easily respond to unexpected circumstances. If it was that important to stick to an itinerary I suppose I would book a cruise or something. Ugh...

[saltysack]

Confused why are you hitching to monarch pass off 50 vs staying on trail and hiking there? I assume you only have a few days I'd simply start at monarch to TL....east isn't great esp that miserable road walk...


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[MuddyWaters]

Confused why are you hitching to monarch pass off 50 vs staying on trail and hiking there? I assume you only have a few days I'd simply start at monarch to TL....east isn't great esp that miserable road walk...


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When i did ct, some young ladies ( late 20s)were hiking that i met at hostel. I was shocked they were taking ct east. I couldnt convince them to go west. Only reason they gave was that they didnt know west was an option ( really???) And they was afraid it would have snow. Maybe they just didnt want to go same direction as me....

[gwb]

I planned on starting at MPHS so it might ease me into the elevation. Hitching to Monarch Pass from Route 50 cut out a little mileage to fit the trip into the time that I have off.

[saltysack]

When i did ct, some young ladies ( late 20s)were hiking that i met at hostel. I was shocked they were taking ct east. I couldnt convince them to go west. Only reason they gave was that they didnt know west was an option ( really???) And they was afraid it would have snow. Maybe they just didnt want to go same direction as me....

It's a no brainer....Looking back through pics I didn't hardly take any on east vs west.....should tell ya something...east was nothing special. Not sure why they don't make the west the official route?


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[MuddyWaters]

It's a no brainer....Looking back through pics I didn't hardly take any on east vs west.....should tell ya something...east was nothing special. Not sure why they don't make the west the official route?



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Most thru hikers take the west route today I think. For good reason.
I think its transitioning from alternate to main route for thru hikers by default.
Thru hikers are still small part of CT users, couple hundred per year. Their opinion might not be that important on a multi use trail.

[saltysack]

Most thru hikers take the west route today I think. For good reason.
I think its transitioning from alternate to main route for thru hikers by default.
Thru hikers are still small part of CT users, couple hundred per year. Their opinion might not be that important on a multi use trail.

I spoke with several thru hikers this July who were taking east as were leery of leftover snow....I'd take my chances with lil snow...


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