Description
My first Colorado 13-er -- and what an introduction to high-altitude hiking. Mount Hope sits at 4,246m (13,933 ft - soo close to a 14-er!) on the Continental Divide Trail near Leadville, just 24m (80 ft) short of the coveted fourteener status. To put that in perspective, it's nearly double the height of Australia's Mount Kosciuszko at 2,228m.
This was a solid full-day hike, and I'm glad I acclimatised the day before with an easier walk on the Timberline Trail [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCqtnXs4QTI]. My sea-level lungs needed that preparation.
October delivered the goods -- aspens exploding in the brightest yellow against impossibly blue skies. Lovely local hikers I met along the track taught me about the Continental Divide and the fabulous thru-hike, the CDT - (Continential Dividing Trail 4,990kms), of which this is a part. The sense of wonder at this landscape was immense, and my body felt all the feels from the altitude.
I followed the T.R.E.K. safety framework:
**T**ake what you need (link: https://lotsafreshair.com/product/day-hike-packing-checklist/)
**R**egister your trip (locals and my contacts back home knew my plans, where I was parking, and when I'd return)
**E**mergency comms (I carried my PLB and ZOLEO 2-way satellite device tracking my location)
**K**now your route (using the official CoTrex app). I also sought local advice on weather, trail conditions, and bear awareness.
At 4,000m during lunch, I chose to turn around based on my own risk assessment. A couple of people passed me continuing to the summit, and that's fine -- my goal was a fabulous day out, not necessarily the peak. I achieved exactly that.
CoTrex app: https://trails.colorado.gov/places/na~1459800
**Plan Your Visit:**
Tourism Leadville: https://www.leadvilletwinlakes.com/
Tourism Colorado: https://www.colorado.com
Timberline Motel: https://timberlineleadville.com/
#ColoradoHiking #ContinentalDivideTrail #Leadville #Bushwalking