Day 9- Nero Into Breckenridge

Monday August 18, 2020

Stealth Site(100.8) to Goldhill Trailhead(104.4) 3.6mi

Total Miles: 146.5

Elevation: 9,609ft

I chose my camp site last night really well. I didn’t have any creatures pestering me, the insects were minimal, and I didn’t wake up damp from a nearby water source. I slept really well and as a result I was packed up and on trail by 6:15. I’m sure that town being only a few miles away helped urge me along. Since I was so so close to town I didn’t even bother looking at the elevation profile before I left camp. Yesterday I waited too long to attend to a hot spot on my pinky toe, today I woke up with a pretty substantial blister there. I’ve had a few other hot spots on my feet, but I took care of them fast enough to prevent any serious issues. I switched shoe models for this hike and the jury is still out on if I like them. Usually I hike in Altra Lone Peaks, but I heard good things about a newer model called Timps. The foot box is a little more narrow that the Lone Peaks, but the Timps have a little bit more cushion. So far I haven’t noticed the difference in cushioning, but the narrow foot box is starting to cause problems. 

I have a picture of this sign from 2018 on the CDT

Love that early morning light 

I made it to the Goldhill Trail Head around 7:30am. From there I was able to catch a free bus to take me four miles to Breckenridge. I could have taken the bus four miles the other direction to the town of Frisco, but I wanted to check out Breck again. I went to the same restaurant for breakfast that my Aunt and Uncle took me to in 2018. I even ordered the same meal. For those of you that have followed my blog for awhile you can probably guess what I had to eat. Yup, a breakfast burrito. I am very predictable on my choice of breakfast food. My hiker hunger hasn’t kicked in yet so I had a lot leftover. 

Goldhill Trailhead- Look familiar BFG/Schoolhouse Rock?
Columbine Cafe- The Hangover Burrito 

After breakfast I limped down to the Post Office to collect my resupply box. The great thing about being in town is access to food, laundry, toilets, and showers. The annoying thing about being in town is not having a car. Breckenridge isn’t too spread out as far as towns go, but I’m not a huge fan of walking miles around town carrying a resupply box and my leftover breakfast. Check in at the hostel wasn’t until 4pm, but since my bunk was ready I was able to check in at 10:30. The Bivvi, is one of the nicest hostels I’ve ever stayed in. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, my bunk room of six could only have three people in it. Even better the other 2 occupants were not around. The room even had a shower in it. It was nice not to have to walk down the hall to a communal shower. For $6 the staff did my laundry for me. I called home and talked to my parents for a bit. I was clean, my laundry was being taken care of, and my resupply was done. I had no desire to walk around town so I took a nap. I’m usually not a napper, but today it just felt right. After about an hour and a half I woke up refreshed and some of my aches and pains were gone. 

Let’s play a game... dirty or tan?  (Pre shower pic)

I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging in an Adirondack chair looking at the mountains surrounding town. I talked to my best friend Jess for awhile. She just finished a half marathon in Yellowstone NP where she finished second in her age group! We made some plans to meet up farther down the trail. I chatted with some of the other guests staying at the hostel. Surprisingly there aren’t any other CT hikers here. I couldn’t decide what to do for dinner. I really didn’t feel like going into town and dealing with the summer tourist crowds. I finally discovered a delivery service and ordered something from a local taco shop called, Sancho Taco. They were well priced for a mountain town, the delivery service was quick, but more importantly the tacos were delicious. 

3 tacos, chips, salsa, and queso was too much

All of my essential town chores are done and I’m up to date on my blog. Today was a very productive nero day and I’m stoked that I’ll have a very relaxing zero day tomorrow. Hopefully my pinky toe will be mostly healed before I set out on Thursday. 

Answer to the question above.... mostly tan, only a little dirt (post shower pic)

 “ Thank you, hard taco shells, for surviving the long journey from factory, to supermarket, to my plate and then breaking the moment I put something inside you.” - Jimmy Fallon