Tour de Colorado - Segment #2

Segment #2South Platte Canyon to Little Scraggy Trail-head

Riders: Chuck, Kristin

Date: May 24, 2012

Ride Type: out and back

Chosen Direction: South Platte Canyon trail-head to Little Scraggy trail-head

Mileage: 23 miles (11.5 each way)

Elevation Gain: 1702'

Average Pace: 13 min/mile

Total time includes breaks: 4.5 hours

 Trail description: Stays within the Buffalo Creek Fire area for 80% of the ride and is mostly flat, gravelly and flows well. 

Interactive GPS track recording:

 

Buffalo Creek Fire (1996):

Burned for 1 week, scorching 10,000 acres of forest covering a distance of over 10 miles with a 2 mile width.  The fire also destroyed 18 homes.  More details

here 

Section 2 Trail-head

A partial survivor

- Raleigh Peak  (far background)

its summit is actually part of the burn line

The CoT loops just behind the peak among the unburned terrain (see next image)

Scorched Earth

Our GPS tracks overlaid onto Google Earth

Note the fires damage as captured by satellite

Elevation with corresponding speed profile

New growth

Lunch break

The Remains

Drive-by

Historical Hotel

passed on the drive to the South Platte Trail-head

Our first section of the CoT in the books!