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  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coffee View Post
    I might try the Bivvi this year. If I recall, it's a little further from the center of town. For some reason I have no problem walking hundreds of miles on a thru hike but somehow I really like to avoid lodging that's "far" from the center of towns!
    I have not stayed at either, but from what I have read Fireside is in the middle of everything and The Bivvi is about a 10-15 minute walk to town.


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  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coffee View Post
    I might try the Bivvi this year. If I recall, it's a little further from the center of town. For some reason I have no problem walking hundreds of miles on a thru hike but somehow I really like to avoid lodging that's "far" from the center of towns!
    I have not stayed at either, but I did visit Breck last summer and the Fireside is closer to the center of town. I think The Bivvi is about a 12 minute walk to the main part of town.


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  3. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ksatterwhite View Post
    I have not stayed at either, but I did visit Breck last summer and the Fireside is closer to the center of town. I think The Bivvi is about a 12 minute walk to the main part of town.


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    Yeah, it isn't far but weirdly that short walk is an impediment (for me at least!) on a town stop! LOL.

  4. #24
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by hipbone View Post
    My GF and I started our thru hike in 2014. We spent 3 days in Denver thinking we would adjust to the elevation over the next few days. We quickly did the first 6 miles of the CT in about 1.5 hours. When we started to gain elevation and hit 7k feet she looked at me and said "I'm gonna puke and pass out"...she did both. A local came by and said it was classic altitude sickness. We sat there for about 3 hours letting her rest and drinking a lot of water. After that we did another 15 miles.

    In 2016 we slowly adjusted to the altitude by staying in Denver, then Frisco, then finally Leadville. She had 0 problems after we started the CT that year.

    We are from NC so we came from a pretty low altitude.
    Denver isn't high enough to do you any good. Leadville is the place. The Casa Blanca Restaurant, 118 E 2nd St, Leadville, CO 80461 is AWESOME!
    Wayne
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  5. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by Venchka View Post
    Denver isn't high enough to do you any good. Leadville is the place. The Casa Blanca Restaurant, 118 E 2nd St, Leadville, CO 80461 is AWESOME!
    Wayne
    Hah we figured that out about 7 miles too late. In 2016 we spent 2 full days in Leadville and it was like we'd been at 10k feet all our lives...being at 5k feet didn't help at all...

  6. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ksatterwhite View Post
    I have not stayed at either, but I did visit Breck last summer and the Fireside is closer to the center of town. I think The Bivvi is about a 12 minute walk to the main part of town.


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    It's not far and the shuttle bus does run....... Like every 30 minutes or so.

    But it's just as quick to walk if the bus isn't there immediately when you want to leave.

    The bivvi is a pretty good place. A bit hot and stuffy, as are all. No one has AC . Lockers are big enough for my pack..bunks have USB charging ports. Don't expect to check in before 4 p.m. so no need to get there early. You're welcome to wait in the lobby but there might not even be anybody there to open the locked door and let you inside.

    Breakfast was great.

    Price was a deal.

    Get to meet lots of interesting folks not just hikers. Lots of bicyclers doing the trans-america trail also.

    I may stop back in this summer who knows..
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 02-17-2018 at 02:32.

  7. #27
    Registered User lonehiker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrumbSnatcher View Post
    thank you No dust.
    And thank you Colorado Rob, that was my hope to try and reduce the chance of rain and thunderstorms.
    I was thinking the last few days of July, i will think more around the 7th-10th or so of Aug.?
    thanks
    Whether you start later July or early August you will still encounter numerous t-storms.
    Lonehiker (MRT '22)

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by lonehiker View Post
    Whether you start later July or early August you will still encounter numerous t-storms.
    Yet statistically, T-storms start tapering off as you get later into August. And t-storms are less of an issue in the early parts of the trail. So by the time you get to the higher, more exposed parts of the trail, you're into late August when T-storms start tapering off. Again, just statistically. No guarantees!

    And just for the record, not to be snarky, but really, please do not hold a 4 MPH pace when you hit the trail, like the couple below said they did. Even though waterton canyon is a road for 6.5 miles, and fairly level, it behooves you to relax and stroll. Enjoy the river and keep looking around for Big Horn sheep. There is a nice camp at 9-ish miles or so, good goal for first day for low-altitude dwellers.

  9. #29

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    The thunderstorms aren't that big of a deal.

    It only rained half the time. The other half it hailed.

    If there's any reason to it to avoid july, it really probably be the heat and dryness in the first couple days from waterton at low elevation. But you get lingering snow fields if early enough. Very picturesque.
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 02-17-2018 at 13:10.

  10. #30

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    thank you Slo-go'en for the info. i think a few days around Leadville couldn't hurt.

  11. #31

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    thank you Miles 2 Go.
    it would be good to get out, been a few years! all my blood & sweat was left on the A.T.
    Be nice to go west

  12. #32

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    added to my notes! thank you Venchka

  13. #33

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    do you all do a soft/hard itinerary at all? i could see where the storms could throw a itinerary out the window
    Thanks lonehiker

  14. #34

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    any good maps,guide book recommendations?
    thanks
    Last edited by CrumbSnatcher; 02-17-2018 at 13:49.

  15. #35
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrumbSnatcher View Post
    thank you Slo-go'en for the info. i think a few days around Leadville couldn't hurt.
    I made a base camp and day hiked at Belle of Colorado CG. Tents only. On the lake. A bit under 10,000’. Very nice place. The backroad to Safeway in Leadville was convenient.
    Wayne

  16. #36

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    nice cheap stay and good way to acclimate
    Safeway food store?

  17. #37
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    Just some actual stats on the lightning thing, again, just historical stats, but the difference between a mid-July vs. early August can be quite, er, striking.... See pic below, 20 years of lightning strike stats in CO. Sorry, I cropped the image, the horizontal lines are "thousands of strikes" (per day).

    Notice that if you start on July 15, you're basically on the start of the big upswing on lightning activity, which peaks out at the end of July and just into early August. After early-mid August, it starts dropping like a rock, down 30-40% by the third week of August, then by early September it's down 60% or so. Just eye-balling the area under the curve (total strikes) between, say, July 15 to Aug 15, vs Aug 10 to September 10, I'm guess less than half, meaning you'll have roughly half as many statistical lightning strikes starting Aug 10 vs July 15. Rough numbers, but not that far off.

    Just FYI, there is free, dispersed and quite pleasant camping on Kenosha pass, right at 10,000 altitude, only an hour from Denver vs. the two hours to Leadville. These sites are "south" of the highway 285, I'm not referring to the NF campground to the "north" of the road on Kenosha pass. Just turn left at the pass and drive on the dirt road past the restrooms and keep going until you find a nice spot. Dozens of nice little spots in there.

    If you go to Leadville on a weekend, those campgrounds will be full. Also, please do not try to drive out Interstate 70 on a Saturday, nor try to drive back into Denver on I70 on a Sunday. It's a zoo these days.
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  18. #38
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrumbSnatcher View Post
    nice cheap stay and good way to acclimate o
    Safeway food store?
    West Coast supermarket chain. Possibly owned by Albertsons, a Salt Lake City supermarket chain.
    Corner of US 24 and Mountain View Dr. In Leadville. Google Maps knows.
    You’ll need a car for all of this.
    Have fun!
    Wayne

  19. #39
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Rob is right about I-70 west bound on Friday & Saturday and east bound on Sunday. East bound Friday morning wasn’t bad.
    Belle of Colorado is tents only and no online reservations. It didn’t fill up during the week when I was there. If it is full you can drive to the end of the road/CT trailhead and hike in a bit and camp.
    You’re killing. I’m missing Leadville. And Minturn.
    Wayne

  20. #40

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    Thank you Everyone...

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