Biking/Fat Biking, New Moon News

Elijah Heads West – Exploring the Colorado Trail

Posted on August 25, 2021by Judy Young

Remember Elijah? We sure miss him around here but are really appreciating these fantastic pics he’s submitted for his most recent photo essay. Tag along with Elijah and his friend as they explored the Colorado Trail and made stops in Leadville and Sedalia last month. Enjoy!

Getting all packed up and ready to go.

Planning the route.

Planning the route.

At the start of the trail

Long climbs made for some pretty amazing descents.

Start the morning right with some coffee and a little extra.

After 8 miles of hiking we finally came up on Peak 6.

And over the edge again.

Some pretty hairy descents led to a number of mechanical problems on the trip from punctured tires to broken pedals.

For bikers, there are several gravel road detours around Federal Wilderness areas as bikes are not allowed in the wilderness. It made for an occasinal nice change to have roads under our wheels.

After a bad sprained ankle we made our way into the town of Leadville, the highest city in the US, for a night at the Colorado Trail House. We got to hang out with other thru-hikers taking a zero day and rest up with amazing food cooked by the hosts.

After getting off the colorado trail we went for a few days of fun riding with no packs on Salida’s local mountain bike trails. With numerous bike shops for such a small town, the whole town is focused around biking with miles and miles of trails right outside of city-center.

As the trail led towards Buena Vista, the terrain became quite desert-like for a while with cactuses poking our tires and temperatures in the 90s.

At a long trip’s end.

Thanks again to Elijah for documenting this epic adventure. Until next time!