August 12, 2024 30.5 miles, 5266′ gain/5466′ loss I slept in until ~7:15am. Before heading out, I checked the Durango car rentals one last time, since they’d been unavailable last night. I lucked out and snagged a car rental for Friday August 16th for Durango to Denver. I checked out of my room, and went … Continue reading Colorado Trail Day 15
August 11, 2024 12.0 miles, 775′ gain/4285′ loss I was awake at 4:15am after thunderstorms, wind, and rain for ~2 hours last night, and hiking by 4:35am. Everything was damp, with the tent being completely soaked. Once I packed up in the dark and started hiking, it rained for 2 hours this morning, too. I … Continue reading Colorado Trail Day 14
August 10, 2024 36.4 miles, 8071′ gain/6457′ loss I was up at 6:15am after a lot of rain overnight (~1 inch); the trail shuttle left at 7am and I was hiking by 7:30am. I’d shared the campground’s bunkhouse with O-Ring, Ghost, and Rookie. I was dropped off with Rookie (AT 2023) and Trippy (railway bridge … Continue reading Colorado Trail Day 13
August 8, 2024 36.8 miles, 7552′ gain/6532′ loss I was up at 5:30am and started out at 6am after saying farewell to O-Ring and Ghost. After a brief dirt road walk, I started walking along a very extended valley segment. The high grass soaked me even before I got to the Cochetopa Creek crossing, which … Continue reading Colorado Trail Day 12
August 7, 2024 32.3 miles, 4426′ gain/5771′ loss I started hiking by 6:15am. It was a hot and boring day, full of endless cows, dirt roads, and long water carries. I met River earlier in the day, and we hiked together for a few miles before she stopped to hitch into Gunnison. I was chased … Continue reading Colorado Trail Day 11
August 6, 2024 31.5 miles, 4934′ gain/4957′ loss The restaurant owner Panni gave me a ride back to trail at 7am after my zero day and I was hiking by 7:45am. I encountered 5 mountain bikers and 3 dirt bikers over the day, plus I passed 2 SOBO hikers and saw 2 NOBO hikers as … Continue reading Colorado Trail Day 10
August 4, 2024 19.9 miles, 4170′ gain/4160′ loss I was up at 5:45am and out by 6:05am with a spring in my step since I’d be arriving in town today, with a zero day tomorrow. I climbed two mountain passes (Chalk Creek Pass, Hunt Lake/Bald Mtn) and the 2nd one was super steep – 35%+, … Continue reading Colorado Trail Day 9
August 3, 2024 29.3 miles, 7228′ gain/6047′ loss Up at 5:45-6am, hiking by headlamp by 6:30am. The trail was a bit hard to follow in the valley by Waterloo Gulch, and it looked like Texas Creek had flooded and brought a lot of detritus onto the trail. I managed to keep dry feet crossing the … Continue reading Colorado Trail Day 8
August 2, 2024 On trail: 23.7 miles, 6598′ gain/5873′ loss; Cutoff: 2.0 miles, 215′ gain/100′ loss. I slept in until 6am. My gear was a bit wet from the morning dew, so I dried out my sleeping bag and tent as I waited for things to open. I chatted with Kay (the other CT thruhiker … Continue reading Colorado Trail Day 7
August 1, 2024 29.9 miles, 5860′ gain/6211′ loss (+2.0 miles, 70′ gain/905′ loss for Twin Lakes cutoff) I headed out from camp around 6:15am. The morning miles through Holy Cross Wilderness were rough. There was a lot of climbing, with much of it very steep (30%+) and above 11,000′. I was low-key dying, with a … Continue reading Colorado Trail Day 6
Transcending Mountains 