Very safe. Pat is a fan of the race, at least he was a few years back...greeted me by name out front of his store! His mercantile was pretty well stocked with the basics to get you through to Breck/Copper. Plus if you get there in time, you can get a nice steak dinner. He may even let you crash in his 'beer garden' out back.
I'm planning for an ITT starting Aug 6th and I pre-rode the start of the trail Friday evening and Saturday. Its safe to say that Pat is still a fan of the race. He greeted me at the bar and told me I was a few weeks early. He sounded excited to see everyone stop through at the start of the race. It certainly is a great thing to look forward to after 60 miles on the tarryall detour.