Fun in the Snow and Mud - Tanner Trail (just south of Canon City CO)

This weekend I chose a trail out of an old copy of Hiking Colorado (1997 version):  Tanner Trail.  The weather was forecasted as rainy and cool.  I figured I better get used to backpacking in less than perfect conditions.  The directions in the book said the trailhead was about 12 miles south of Canon City after I turned onto CR 143.  The book also said the trailhead sign was hard to see with no parking but I could park along the road.  But less than 5 miles was a nice trailhead with big sign and parking lot.  I guess I need to get an updated book.

View at the beginning of the trail

RikSak under my O2 Rain Jacket

It was drizzling when I started hiking.  I put my RikSak backpack underneath my rain jacket as the foam mattress and sleeping bag liner weren't inside a plastic bag (lesson learned).  My sleeping bag and tent were inside plastic bags.  My O2 Rain Jacket also covered my fanny pack.

Land between Pueblo, CO and the mountains

There were lots of cacti, yucca, scrub oak and pinion trees (I don't know if they are called that in Colorado, that is what we called them in New Mexico) at the beginning of the trail.

Yucca starting to flower

The trail was muddy in a few places and almost completely uphill.  That is the reason I like hiking the Colorado Trail segments.  The terrain goes up and down which gives my lungs a rest when I'm going downhill and my knees a rest when I'm going uphill.  If it is uphill the entire trip in, I get pretty winded. Then the return trip is brutal on my knees and the bottoms of my feet.

From the trail toward the Southwest

The clouds started rolling in and it got darker as I went.  I almost waited too long to try to set up my tent as it was getting completely dark.  From where I pitched my tent on the ridge, I could see the lights of Canon City until the clouds rolled in completely.  The picture wouldn't turn out but it was pretty for me.  The rain started turning into freezing rain and ice so I was happy to be in my tent.  I had wondered how my ZPacks Hexamid would do in the rain.  I set up on a mound so the rain would run away from the tent and nothing splashed in.  With the bug screen underneath with the groundcloth on top, the rain would soak into the ground before it got to my ground cloth.  Since it was freezing rain, I don't know how much it would splash.  When I packed everything up in the morning, it was dry underneath the tent.

ZPacks Hexamid Twin with Extended Beak and Bugscreen (Front View)

At the last minute, I hadn't added it to my gear list but I decided to bring my GoLite umbrella that I bought at least 10 years ago.  I didn't really turn out needing it except it was very convenient to put my gear underneath it as I was taking down my tent.  I strapped it onto the top of my fanny pack.

ZPacks Hexamid Twin (Side view)

The Hexamid uses your trekking poles for support.  They worked a lot better than the tree branch I used two weekends ago.  The tarp/tent is pretty easy to put up.  I can lay it on the ground, open the bug screen, toss my gear inside then start putting it up without my gear getting wet.  I usually start with the center front guy line that helps hold up the front pole and then secure the two front corners.  It isn't as easy as tents with the long poles that connect to opposite corners but it weighs over a pound less.  I forgot to put the bottom of the second trekking pole into its sleeve so in the middle of the night when I slid down to one end of the tent and stretched out, the back pole fell over.  I was able to fix it without going outside.  Sorry that the picture is blurry.  It was about 6am so the light wasn't the greatest.

Fog with snow on the trees as I continue to hike west

I really liked the convenience of not having to cook.  I just started eating my food inside my tent and didn't have to fuss with the stove, fuel or cook pot.  I was quickly finished with my meal and ready to start packing up.  I did find out after I bought my PowerAde Zeros that the 1 liter bottles don't fit in the pockets of my Outdoor Products Fanny Pack.  I had to run back into Wal-mart and get 20 oz water bottles.  They fit, but now I was carrying 24 less ounces of water.  I wondered after I bought the water if I would be ok because the trail didn't seem to have water sources.  I decided to drink one of my PowerAdes before I started my hike and hoped the 40oz I was carrying would be enough.  I would drink the other PowerAde when I got back to my car.  I remembered running out of water on Segment 2 of the Colorado Trail, eating snow and hiking for several hours without water back to my car so I thought I would risk it. 

I I also liked the weight savings of the "No Cook Gear List" that I used.  The weight of the 20oz bottles was significantly lighter, almost 25oz if I did my math right.   It was a lot easier to hike uphill and the fanny pack didn't slide down over time.  It stayed snug to my back, which really helps with reducing torque on my lower back.

Snow and fog increased as I gained altitude

As I walked further west toward Tanner Peak, the snow and fog got thicker.  It was just starting to get muddy on the trail as the snow was starting to melt.  I was glad to have my trekking poles with me.  I really like the Black Diamond Z-Poles.  The Hexamid is pitched a lot better with them.  They allow me to include my upper body in the hike.  I can use them to pull myself up while I'm climbing.  They cushion my descent and save my knees.  With the mud, they saved me from falling 10-15 times.  I know I would have gone all the way down without them.  As I hiked through snow covered limbs that were leaning into the trail, I used my poles to push the limbs out of the way but the snow dumped on me several times.

Thick fog and snow near the top

The trail got extremely steep about 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the top.  The mud was extremely slippery.  I would have gone "off trail" if the scrub oaks weren't thick around the trail.  Even with my poles, I couldn't get up.  Summiting peaks has never been that big of a thrill to me and the fog was so thick that I couldn't see anything anyway so I turned around.   On the return trip, the snow was melting fast and the trails were a lot more muddy and slippery.  I had times where the mud was caked onto my shoes.  I was glad to have Gore-Tex now.  It was just above freezing and my feet would have been soaked.

Normally, I put my phone on Airplane Mode to save battery then go to normal mode to check every hour for text messages (I did have service most of the trail) and to see where I was on the map.  I got a text that the daughter (Hannah Luce) of my best friend in college, Ron Luce, had been in a plane accident and was seriously burned.  I quickly emailed and texted Ron to let him know I was praying for his daughter.  I spent most of the remaining hike praying for her and trying NOT to fall down.  Please be praying for her.

Descent finally got back under the clouds and out of the snow

I made it back to my car at 1pm after hiking since 6:20am in the morning.  I have found that I like hiking in the early hours of the day.  In the shoulder season when I'm still encountering snow, the snow is usually harder/firmer in the mornings.  In the summer, the sun isn't quite as hot.  I also don't sleep well while camping so I get up when I first start seeing sunlight.

Even though the tracking didn't get turned back on until about 11am on Saturday morning (I'll have to figure out what I did wrong because it worked perfectly on my last trip), I tried to draw the path I took.  Here is my trail route (augmented by my drawing), thanks to my DeLorme InReach:  

Tanner Trail

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