Collegiate Loop Thruhike: Day 3. Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail. Lake Ann Pass

Day 3. Mile 15.3 on the Collegiate West, up and over Lake Ann Pass, and on to camp at mile 30.9 on the upper part of Texas Creek. Chatted with some more CDT and CT thruhikers today, dodged a few dirt bikes, explored some old cabins and had a blast. Upped the mileage to 15 today, feeling fit bit also tired.
Brandon completed a thruhike of the Collegiate Loop route in mid September 2021. Backpacking the Collegiate Loop circumambulates Colorado’s Sawatch Range, covering 160 miles largely between 10,000 and 12,000 feet of elevation. The Loop is a combination of the Colorado Trail east route, and the Continental Divide Trail from Twin Lakes to Monarch Crest.
This series of videos chronicles Brandon’s journey: hiking, camping, tenkara fly fishing, and prospecting new creeks for Colorado Gold Guide. Brandon is a very experienced backpacker, with more than 10,000 miles of thruhiking under his belt. In addition, he’s trained as a mountain guide and EMT.
Choosing equipment for a shoulder season thruhike is challenging. Every extra pound slows you down. Even with the gold prospecting equipment, Tenkara fly fishing gear, and a big battery and video tripod, my base weight is still only 16 lb. Not Bad.