Seek protection on trail: If you can not find a suitable shelter on trail seek protection by immediately reducing elevation, find a valley or depression in the area and avoid isolated trees or tall structures. 5 tips for surviving a lightning storm in Colorado. Includes recent trail reroutes in … If lightning moves in, try to avoid being within 100 yards of any body of water. She’s recognized as the “Mother of the Colorado Trail” and has received several honors for her efforts, including awards from both Ronald Reagan and George H. Bush. How to thru-hike the Colorado Trail from end to end complete with a detailed and zoomable interactive map of the entire 486 mile long distance trail. The Colorado Trail is divided into 33 segments (including the five that make up the Collegiate West alternative route) and each is accessible at the beginning and ending trailheads as well as at other points along the way. Gudy served as the first president of the CTF through 1998. The summary is, you don’t want to end up in an electrical storm on high exposed peaks or ridges, because your risk of getting struck by lightning is higher. The Colorado Trail Foundation was founded in the same year, and still serves as the trail’s primary steward. The Databook tells you to water up at one point in Segment 26 because it is the last reliable water source for 22 miles. Thunderstorms in Colorado have a propensity to build up steam between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Realistically, if thunderstorms are in the forecast, you should never be above timberline after 1:00 p.m. When preparing to hike the Colorado Trail, warnings about lightning loom large. The Colorado Trail promised much that would be new to us — chances to summit fourteeners (mountains over 14,000 feet), days in the backcountry … Music: Cherubs by Josh Woodward. The Colorado Trail has tons of water, but there are still stretches of maybe 20 miles where you do not find any drinkable water without leaving the trail. A summer to remember on the Colorado Trail. A lightning strike killed a Denver man and injured his wife while the couple was hiking Sunday on a Colorado trail, police said. The Colorado Trail Map Book: A map set available on the The Colorado Trail Foundation website for $46.95: CT Topo Map Book: Detailed, up-to-date topographic maps and waypoints help you navigate The Colorado Trail and plan your trips. Nor has anyone been killed by lightning on the trail, and lightning is a real and major danger. Structures like trail shelters, patios, tents, or sheds are not safe during a lightning storm. They were on Bear Creek Trail on Flagstaff Mountain when another hiker called the Sheriff’s Office to report the lightning strike. Rescue crews respond to freak incident on Bear Peak trail near Boulder. 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