I had a ticket for the long way ‘round today, making the Tour de Pike. Leaving Cripple Creek–my latest departure, 8am, to avoid the worst of the cold–I climbed back over 10,000 feet, heading due north. This opening 10 miles was the day’s highlight, mostly off-road through scenery that, while not as spectacular as yesterday’s, was made all the more enjoyable with the encroaching fall colors.
From there, though… woof. The bulk of the next 14 miles, continuing northward for the first seven to the small town of Divide and then veering northwest for the rest to Woodland Park, largely followed Highway 24. And this could have been fine! However, this was an early-October Sunday, with pristinely blue skies, just as the colors were starting to turn. It felt like everyone from Denver to Pueblo decided to drive up to enjoy the day. Traffic was among the densest I’ve experienced on this walk, on some of the last roads I would have expected it, and the shoulder was hardly made for walking.
In Woodland Park, half of those people apparently had decided to stop for drinks and food. Breweries were overflowing, nearly every slot at Sonic was filled with a car, and a general air of merriment prevailed–except for those stuck in traffic. The McDonald’s drive-in, two lanes wide, was around 10 cars deep; outside, a man rested next to his shopping cart. He saw me, immediately identified an affinity as a fellow walker, and told me that his situation was harder, given that he’s walking with three dogs. And a wife. (His words.)
Leaving Woodland Park, I turned southward, having made it to the eastside of Pike’s Peak, beginning a descent that will extend through tomorrow morning. Mercifully, the bulk of this walk was off-highway, though still close enough to see the persistent traffic. After a short pitstop at Walmart, I was on my way to my final destination, Green Mountain Falls, in the shadow of those big mountains that caused my clockwise perambulations.
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While this area is famous as a gold rush hub, that’s not to suggest that gold mining is purely a thing of the past. On the contrary, the Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mine produces the most gold of any mine in Colorado. I met Tim, a heavy machinery operator at the mine, at Walmart as he did his Sunday shopping. He made it clear, though, that gold nuggets are indeed a historical artifact; today, only tiny particles remain. Fortunately for the mine operators, though, there’s a whole bunch of those particles. The most efficient way to separate those from the surrounding earth is through a “heap leaching” technique. Ore is piled up on a liner and then chemicals are added; one of the most prominent chemicals involved is cyanide. Is that safe? “To hear those guys talk about it,” Tim says, “you could drink it by the time they’re done with it.”
I think I’ll pass.
