The "20 miler"

One of my goals for 2015 was, in February, to get a 20 mile hike in.  I had this as a goal for a couple of reasons; 1) to see if I could do it and 2) thinking that if I wanted to make some progress on the Colorado Trail this summer, I would need to be able to get some days of 20 miles in.  There are not too many places locally where, in February, you can find a 20 mile hike without running into snow.  I wanted a normal hike, not a snowshoe or ice hike, so I chose a route from the Devil's Backbone Trail, near Loveland to Lory State Park, north of Ft Collins.

I estimated that it would take me between 9 and 10 hours to complete, so I wanted to start early.  I hit the trail at 7:13a and got off at 4:06p for a total of eight hours and 55 minutes..  I didn't take too many pictures because I've been up that route at least three other times this year.  Although an overnighter, I made a similar trek in the reverse direction in April, 2014.

Early on there weren't too many people on the trail, but there were a few deer.

Deer on the trail (1)

Deer on the trail (2)

They weren't too worried about me, just stood and looked on as I went by.  Later, I spotted a Coyote hunting in the valley about a half mile away.  I don't think he spotted me and was trotting off when my phone alarm went off.  I barely heard the alarm but he perked up and looked right at me.  Good ears, wish I had half as good hearing.

Later on in the trail as I neared Lory State Park, I found the Colorado equivalent of the Pillars of Hercules.  Well ok, it was just two sandstone markers that I was able to frame Arthur's Rock in, but it sounds good.

Pillars of Hercules

Overall it was a good hike and I learned that I could go 20 miles on moderate terrain without killing myself., although I'm not sure I could do two or three days in a row like that. Below is the track, elevation profile, and basic statistics.

Length: 23.2 miles

Starting Elevation:  5127 ft

Ending Elevation: 5528 ft

Start Time: 713 am,  End Time: 406p,  Duration:  8 hours 55 minutes

Average Grade: +/- 0.3%

Average Speed: 2.6 mph

Date of Hike:  February 13, 2015