Google Earth View of Hike:
(click on image to make it larger)
The hike from 10th Mountain Hut to Uncle Bud's hut is a classic "hut to hut" trip, and is also quite a challenge. Traversing across multiple ridges makes for a more strenuous hike (however there are some nice downhill sections), and there is a major ascent late in the hike that tires you out. However, you get to cut through the Colorado Wilderness, and the views are simply amazing. Below is the elevation model for the hike.
I have also included the trail overlaid on the topo map:
A particularly difficult part of this hike is the transition from the traditional tenth mountain hut blue diamonds to the blazes found along the Colorado Trail in the Wilderness Area. Depending on a variety of issues, it gets difficult to dependably find these marks and stay on trail. For this reason, I recommend downloading the included gps file and input it into your GPS.
Also, there is a very steep climb towards the end of the hike. From a distance, it doesn't look bad, but as you approach it, it becomes very intimidating. Considering that we did the hike with over 18 inches of new snow, there was no visible trail, so we broke trail the entire way up. My recommendation is to stay away from the more open areas, and stick to the trees as you make this ascent.
(click on image to make it larger)
The hike from 10th Mountain Hut to Uncle Bud's hut is a classic "hut to hut" trip, and is also quite a challenge. Traversing across multiple ridges makes for a more strenuous hike (however there are some nice downhill sections), and there is a major ascent late in the hike that tires you out. However, you get to cut through the Colorado Wilderness, and the views are simply amazing. Below is the elevation model for the hike.
I have also included the trail overlaid on the topo map:
A particularly difficult part of this hike is the transition from the traditional tenth mountain hut blue diamonds to the blazes found along the Colorado Trail in the Wilderness Area. Depending on a variety of issues, it gets difficult to dependably find these marks and stay on trail. For this reason, I recommend downloading the included gps file and input it into your GPS.
Also, there is a very steep climb towards the end of the hike. From a distance, it doesn't look bad, but as you approach it, it becomes very intimidating. Considering that we did the hike with over 18 inches of new snow, there was no visible trail, so we broke trail the entire way up. My recommendation is to stay away from the more open areas, and stick to the trees as you make this ascent.
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