What Makes A Thru-Hike

One of the big questions I kept asking myself along the way is what exactly makes this a thru-hike. While 486 miles certainly isn't a small trip it still doesn't even compare to any of the big 3 hikes in the US; the Appalachian Trail (2160 miles), Pacific Crest Trail (2,680 miles) or the Continental Divide Trail (3,100 miles). However one thing I've definitely learned is you don't need 2,000+ miles to count as a thru-hike. There are many other great trails across the country like the Pacific Northwest Trail across Montana, Idaho and Washington, the Long Trail of Vermont, the Tahoe Rim Trail in California and Nevada, the Arizona Trail in guess where, or the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevadas of California. Don't worry all of these are on m radar for potential future hikes and I've done parts of many of them already.

Thru-hiking doesn't have to be done in any one fashion either. Many think you must start in one location and hike a continuous line but sometimes you run into obstacles (like impassible snowy slopes or forest fires) that require you to reroute around them or skip ahead and come back to finish that section when its more suitable. While I prefer to hike it all in one season that also doesn't work for everyone and I've met many awesome section hikers who can only take off enough time to do a few pieces of the trail each year but are still committed to making the whole distance. I've also learned that you don't even need to be a backpacker to thru-hike as I met a number of folks who bike-packed or even llama-packed the whole trail. This just goes to show the old saying of "hike your only hike" could never ring more true. Below I wanted to share my thoughts about some of the things that differentiate a thru-hike from just a backpacking trip.

1) Resupplies

I think one of the primary things for me that distinguishes a thru-hike from a normal backpacking trip is the need for resupplies. A thru-hike requires hikers to plan out a strategy for acquiring more food to fuel them along their journey because they simply cannot carry enough for the whole journey. Don't get me wrong your resupply strategy will largely depend on your pace and you could potentially get a resupply on a 20 mile backpacking trip, but what I mean here is the fact that you can't just do it all in one go. Having to get a resupply shows that even though you could go back to civilization you have committed yourself to staying in the backcountry for another few days and truly embracing the backpacking spirit.

There are lots of creative ways to resupply. I typically will hitch a ride into nearby towns and just shop at the local grocery store and mail food ahead where you run into areas with no grocery stores for miles. Many others use mail drops the whole way and package their food before the trip and have a friend send it to them. For those of you who didn't know with just a government issued ID you can have packages send to any post office in the US "General Delivery" and pick them up when you get into town. Some folks with very generous friends will have them meet them at the necessary trail head. I have also see older folks who cannot quite do the miles or just choose not to, drive along with the hikers and supply them on the way to experience all the same areas without the hiking. I even met some section hikes who cache their food in the woods beforehand like a bunch of hungry squirrels. All of these strategies work great and make it more exciting for when you get a whole new batch a food and don't need to scrounge off the leftover granola anymore.

2) A "Thru" Route

Another things that I think really makes it a thru-hike is the thru part. Thru-hikes are about getting to pass through a range of ecosystems, environments and cultures along the way. Many other trips just showcase a single area but thru-hikes I have found are about the diversity across the entire trail. While some folks don't like the flatter, lower sections of the Colorado Trail I find it so cool getting to see how the terrain progresses from the fault thrust mountains of the Collegiate Peaks over to the volcanic mountains of the San Juans. It is such a cool experience getting to follow one creek all the way from the shrublands to the highest drainages by the peaks, then hop over the pass or ridge to follow another creek back down to the valley floor. I really like how the architects of the trail have been able to weave together so many incredible routes. I have profound respects for the advocates like Gudy Gaskill on the Colorado Trail or Benton MacKaye on the Appalachian Trail who were able to piece together hundreds of isolated trail into such and interconnected masterpiece.

3) The Destination

One of the biggest things that changes your mentality about a thru-hike is you don't really have a single destination in mind like many other hiking trips. You aren't just hiking to the majestic panoramas at top of the mountain, to a sparkling blue lake, or to see a cascading waterfall; you are hiking by all of these along the way! However not having a single end point can be tricky when the going gets rough and your body is aching. You cannot just say only 2 more miles when you know your trip won't be over for another 200 miles.

One of the things I have found to be important in completing a thru-hike is breaking it down. On this trip I wasn't hiking from Denver to Durango, but from Denver to Breckenridge, then Breckenridge to Twin Lakes etc. Its important to break it down in to manageable segments that you can focus on achieving since you won't reach your final destination for quite some time. Then within each of those segments you can study the map to find all the cool features along the way. The nice cool creek to stop and eat lunch by, or the peak just a few miles off the trail that you may choose to drop your pack and climb to the top (if you can find the energy). A thru-hike doesn't have a single destination but hundreds of destinations along the way.

4) The Dirtiness

I'm not really sure how to put this into words but there is just a certain satisfying griminess you gain while on a thru-hike that you simply cannot pick up on a normal hike or backpacking trip. Its amazing how I will go into town on a rest day and get all cleaned up but the first night back on trail I will feel just as dirty as when I left. Your body and gear will just become worn in a way that doesn't happen from any other backpacking trip. One of my favorite things to tell people is I had never been able to detect the presence of people by smell before my first thru-hike. Its so true though, after being out in the woods for a bit you really do feel like a bear and all of the strange fragrances people use in soaps, deodorants and laundry detergent will stand out from the fresh pine of the forest.

When you are out on a trail there are a few clues that can help you distinguish thru-hikers from the rest of the folks. First their clothes and packs are often a dead giveaway. When you wear the same T-shirt for weeks on end it tends to get a bit tarnished, faded and worn. Thru-hikers generally have a certain style of backpack too that had been beaten up by overuse. While many are on the lightweight side there are still some who carry a heavier load but it is generally quite compact. After packing the same pack morning after morning thru-hikers tend to have a strict way of organizing everything in their own compact way and would be completely lost if someone else organized it for them. For the men on the trail you definitely can pick them out by the scraggliness of their beards or in my case wanna-be-beards (but hey I think I may be able to make this work). Thru-hikers also will sometimes carry odd gear like umbrellas, ice axes or trekking poles through areas that don't really require them if they weren't able to ship them on ahead. Although then again sometimes you may catch a clean one when they just returned from town with fresh laundry. However overall they certainly call thru-hikers "hiker trash" for a reason and we bear that name proudly.

5) The Culture

While some thru-hiking trails may not have this as much, one of the things that is so cool about being out on one of these trails is many times you will pass others on the trail and say I'm hiking the Colorado Trail and even through they may only be meeting you at a junction with the trail they are on they automatically know what that means. These trails have their own identity and weight to what that name means. One of my favorite parts of that culture is the community that develops around that trail. This community doesn't just include the thru-hikers but the backpackers, the hikers, the bikers and most importantly the volunteers and trail maintence crews, and my favorite the trail angels. The trail brings together such a diverse group of people who all (at least most all) share a profound respect for this trail. The idea that perfect strangers will sit out and wait for passing hikers to pass out snacks and share their stories is such an amazing concept. Likewise that hundreds of volunteers will give of their time often traveling from far distances to create, maintain and restore various sections of the trail which they may never use is such a testament to the beauty of the trail culture. This community extends internationally and I have had the awesome experience of running into thru-hikers I had hiked with before out in the middle of the backcountry totally unexpected. Some of the trails even have gatherings to bring together former hikers, volunteers, trail angels and prospective thru-hikers alike to share their experience out in the backcountry and their love of the trail. Honestly this has become one of my primary motivations to thru-hike to become a part of such a great community and I will continue to support it throughout my life.

Trail Complete!

Hey everyone, I'm happy to say that at 10AM this morning I officially finished the Colorado Trail! I finished exactly one month after I set out on June 18 from Waterton Canyon just south of Denver. From what I can tell I think I may be one of the first if not the first thru-hiker to finish the trek this year (since I was pushing it a bit with my start date). I endured 486 miles of rugged terrain, snowy slopes, scenic mountaintop vistas, mosquito ridden creeks, colorful wildflowers, ridge top thunder storms and curious wildlife. While I hiked solo I was so happy to have some of my friends come out and visit along the way and met lots of interesting characters along the way. It was such an amazing experience and a great way to get to know this incredible state.

If you are still interested in hearing more please stay tuned as I have lots more stories and pictures to share over the next few weeks. Unfortunately many of the smaller towns along the way didn't have anywhere to get online so I couldn't tell my tales along the way. However maybe that was all part of the Colorado experience being away from all that. I will be posting more over the next few weeks so thanks for all your interest and support. I hope you've enjoyed hearing about my adventures thus far and there is more to come!

Colorado Trail Culture

When I first started the trail I wasn't sure what to expect out in the Colorado backcountry. Would I be hiking with lots of other thru hikers, mostly families and friends backpacking, just the occasional dayhiker or be out there all alone with the mountain lions? Well I'm happy to report its a good mix of all of the above. Below I've taken a bit of time to reflect on those I met on the trail.

Thru-hikers/Section-hikers

As I have mentioned before I am right at the front of the pack so unfortunately haven't gotten to meet a lot of the CT thru hikers this year. I have got to chat with a number of the Continental Divide Trail thru hikers who are hiking literally 6x my distance. While most of those conversations are fairly short since we are going different directions its always fun to hear about their trips and their favorite parts of the trail. I really like meeting all the different hikers and its surprising how much you can learn in those brief chats.

I also have met a number of folks section hiking. It sounds like a few folk have split the trail so they did half last year half this year. Others break it down in to a few sections of the trail and take it nice and easy. This year they officially opened up the Collegiate Loop which is a 160+ mile loop in the middle of the trail around some of Colorado's highest peaks. It has been great enjoying a break with a lot of these folks as they often have a great laid back mentality to the trail. They often know the area really well too and have lots of good recommendations for other trips in the area. So while I haven't been hiking with other thru-hikers the whole way I certainly get to experience a lot of folks with similar mentality.

Backpackers

While backpackers are very similar to thru-hikers there is a slight distinction due to the longer trip and general dirtiness of thru-hikers. I am always amazed how far some of the people have traveled to come backpacking out here. I've met a number of scout troops excite to get up to the real mountains and remember the feeling when I went on my first scout trip to the Rockies. You also get the backpackers who are just so blown away by everything out here and so happy. The backpackers aren't as restricted to the Colorado Trail either so again you get to hear about some of the other great nearby destinations. I love chatting with the other backpackers and hearing all their excitement getting out here.

Dayhikers

I ran into the most dayhikers outside if Denver and by any of the major roads. Its kinda funny because you can often tell you are getting closer to those roads when you see all of them. The other major area is when you are near some of the big  peaks catching people heading up or down the 14ers. I'm quite impressed with some of the hikers I see too. From little kids I passed heading down from Mt Elbert Colorado's tallest peak, to people with their little dogs to couples with baby carriers filled with tiny little infants. These folks are usually excited to hear about your adventure and excited to make it up to their destination. That's what is so cool about being in the backcountry is you can be crossing a great distance or just doing a quick out and back but still have such a profound respect for the beautiful scenery.

Mountain Bikers

I must say I'm a pretty big fan of mountain bikers and have lots of respect for them. Biking up some of these steep rocky slopes is not easy and while some of the times they do hop off and walk them you would be amazed the stuff they can get up. There are also bikepackers on the Colorado Trail who can cover 30 to 40 miles in a day across the ridges. Mountain bikers come in all levels of proficiency and you can definitely tell which parts of the trail are best suited but the do the hard stuff to. I have the feeling that I'm already drinking the Kool-aid and may be looking to save up for a mountain bike when this trip is over. Just gotta hope I can stay on it.

Dirt-bikers/Jeepers

Then there comes the complete opposite of the mountain biker; the dirt biker. I'm sorry but I have little respect for them. Some sections of the CT allow for dirt bikes which just blaze through with no regard for anyone but themselves. They expect all hikers to get out of their way, erode the trail, terrify the wildlife and are so noisy. Needless to say I cannot stand them and hate when I hear them approaching from miles away. I know these lands are intended for the public's recreation but if I had my way motorized vehicles would be banned from all backcountry trails.

Closely related to the dirt bikers is a related group of people I like to call jeepers or people who drive these all terrain vehicle often smaller jeeps or 4x4s. I like the nickname I heard of "Texas Wheelchairs" as probably 90% of these jeepers are Texans up for the summer. Jeeping requires a whole lot of laziness a decent amount of $ and I guess an appreciation of good views. I just don't get it at all why this would be a fun way to get out and its soooo lazy it drives me crazy. Maybe I'm not being fair but I think you should earn your good views to appreciate them. However with all of the old mining and forest roads they certainly have plenty of access and get out in the back country all the same.

Trail Angels

Sure enough I saved the best for last. I was very happy to find some trail magic waiting for me by one of the first real roads I crossed. A number of spots had trail magic which typically consists of pop, chip and/or candy stashed in a waterproof animal proof container. Many times its from former thru-hikers who know where you could us a moral boost but sometimes its from people who never set foot on trail. Its nice because they often leave a notepad so you can write thank you notes to these unseen heroes.

I did get an even better treat about halfway between Salida and Lake City. I was in a really dry stretch that just looked like the wild west with wide open plains and plateaus on the horizon. Off in the distance I spotted something shiny hiding behind some trees. As I approached I saw a smiling guy named Apple all decked out in Colorado Trail gear. He had come all the way from Cincinnati to do this for the summer and set up a massive tent with snacks galore all for CT and CDT thru-hikers passing by. He was so kind and friendly and assured me I was the first N to S thru-hiker he'd seen this year. People like Apple truly restore your faith in humanity going so far out of his way to brighten a stranger's day.

Shots from Denver to Salida

Three Bighorn Sheep hanging out on the cliffs of Waterton Canyon at the start of the trail.

The bright plains and woods of Lost Creek Wilderness with the Continental Divide in the back

Storms coming in as we are heading down from Whale Peak on the Continental Divide

Some of the beautiful clouds over the mountains

Me overlooking the valley by Copper Mountain Ski Resort and I-70

Marmots chilling up in Searle Pass

Some of the beautiful alpine wildflowers between Searle Pass and Kokomo Pass

Me down in the valley between Colorado's two biggest peaks Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive

Heading through some of the drier country on the Colorado Trail

A marmot hanging out on some interestingly stacked boulders

Colorado's state flower the Columbine

The beautiful white chalky cliffs of Mt. Princeton

Halfway Highs and Low

I have now made it over 250 miles and am relaxing out in Salida Colorado. This marks the halfway point in my journey and I will not be transitioning from the tall faulted and folded mountains of the Sawatch Range into the volcanic San Juan Mountains. This trip has been such an amazing experience so far and a great way to get to know the Colorado backcountry. However it certainly hasn't been without its challenges so I wanted to share my highs and lows of this trek so far.

High: Colorado Wildlife/Wildflowers

I already mentioned the herd of rams I meet just 3 miles into my hike, but the wildlife and wildflowers out here are truly amazing. One of my favorite encounters was when I was hiking up to Searle Pass looking for a campsite. The valley was beautiful and filled with beaver ponds but there wasn't any good flat ground to camp on. Eventually I went up the side of the slope to a small grove of trees to pitch my hammock. When I got up into the trees I heard some rustling and looked down to find a porcupine. But it wasn't just one porcupine it was a momma and a baby porcupine. They quickly retreated under one of the logs but I could still see their tail ends. I gave them their space but would go back to check on them and the baby stayed there the whole night.


The flowers are also unbelievable and vary so much with the terrain. The alpine flowers are incredible and create such colorful views up at the top. My favorite of the alpine flowers are the Forget-Me-Nots and its hard not to enjoy every time you see one of the Columbine. However there are lots of cacti out on the trail too in the dryer sections and they also have very colorful flowers. My favorWhite-Lined Sphinx moth and wow what a big moth that is! At least I'm not the only one who was fooled though because its also known as the Hummingbird Moth.

ite day was when I was heading down a valley and saw at first what I thought was a strange looking hummingbird buzzing around some of the flowers. Satisfied that I had spotted a new type of hummingbird I had never seen I got into town to look it up. Turns out that it is a

Low: Scout the Dog

One of my days on the trail I had tried to spend a relaxing afternoon by a lake but found the water freezing cold, filled with small little worms and then the typical Colorado weather decided it would be a good time to hail on me. So I packed up my things and decided to just push on the last few miles to where I was hoping to camp. I came over a ridge and had a nice view down a number of switch backs down the side of this slope. Then I see this dog come bounding up the trail which I'm pretty sure was an Australian Shepard. It looked well taken care of an had a collar on but the owners must have been further down the trail. It headed up the trail towards me too a good look then decided to turn around and started bounding back down the trail. It seems to be pretty common for owners to leave their dogs off the leash and I figured this dog must have just outran its owner up the trail and turned back when it found me so I decided to name him Scout.

I kept hiking down the trail waiting to see Scout again and meet his owner. It could have been a mountain biker who was battling up the steep slope or maybe just a slower hiker who gives their dog a bit more freedom to run up ahead, but nobody ever came. I went even further down and started to get worried thinking up many different scenarios. Maybe this was a dog who got off its leash and I'd find the sobbing owners below trying to recover their lost dog. I certainly know that feeling well trying to chase down my dogs when they run away. Maybe this was a Lassie situation where Scout was trying to lead me back to its owner who had tumbled off the trail and I'd have to help get them to safety. Maybe I would make it all the way to the trailhead and just see a missing dog sign. The possibilities were endless.

I kept walking and walking hoping to see someone or something but nothing. I got all the way down to the trailhead and no Scout, no owners, no sign, just 3 empty cars. I felt so sad and didn't know what to do. I hoped maybe the owners were heading down the hill in the dog just caught up and they got in their car and left before I got down there but I was moving fairly fast down that hill. That whole night I stayed up worrying about the poor lost dog but there really wasn't anything I could do. I like to think Scout made his way back home but I guess I'll never know.

High: Meeting Continental Divide Trail Hikers

While I am certainly at the front end of the pack for the Colorado Trail this year and haven't had the chance to hike with too many other CT thru-hikers I have met all sorts of other folks along the way. From mountain bikers, to section hikers, couples out for a few days, to people hiking the new Collegiate Peaks Loop along the Colorado Trail. My favorite of all though was running into the Continental Divide Trail Hikers. The best thing is that almost half of them had hiked the PCT the same year I did in 2012. So I got the chance to meet a number of folks who I saw their trail name in the registries the whole way but never got to meet in person. It was great getting trail intel from them regarding snow conditions, the best spots to look forward to, etc. However the CDT is very much a choose your own adventure trail so many people had been hiking different routes and if fun to hear some of the different stories.

However the best was one day when I was heading down a dirt road on my way up to Tennessee Pass. I spotted to thru-hikers down the road and remember thinking to myself wouldn't it be funny if this was someone I hiked with. Sure enough it was, I ran into Smiles who I hiked a good amount of central California with on the PCT and hadn't seen since. I was so much fun to catch up, talk about the rest of our PCT hikes and what we had been up to lately. That is one this I truly love about becoming a thru-hiker is the community. You could tell with every backpacker you meet out here how much they love it and you can be in the absolute middle of nowhere and run into someone you know. How cool is that!

High: Climbing to the Top of Colorado

I hadn't planned any side trips along the way and figured when the opportunity presented itself I would go for it. That certainly was the case when I learned that Mt. Elbert, the tallest peak in Colorado, was just a 3.5 mile side trip off the Colorado Trail. So I adjusted my timing so that I could camp right at the head of the side trail and get an early start (since they say you don't want to be up in the exposed zone when the afternoon thunderstorms hit).

Well an early start I got, hitting the trail at 5:30 AM. It was pretty cool being the only hiker out there and getting to leave behind my heavy pack. It was kinda funny since as I started heading up I was taking off layer by layer as I got hotter from the climb but sure enough I was putting them back on as the trail got cooler and cooler heading up into the clouds. I was just near the treeline when the sun broke over the Mosquito Range to the east providing some awesome sunrise views. I kept pushing up and luckily there wasn't must snow at all covering the trail. However sure enough the one that I did come across I ended up losing the trail trying to avoid some of the steeper spots and by then was close enough to the summit that I just walked up the rocks the rest of the way.

Up top the views were incredible. Coming up in June meant there was still a lot of snow on many of the surrounding peaks. The wind was rough though and I definitely was glad I carried up all my cold weather gear as it kept blasting me. Starting so early and with a good pace meant that I had the whole top to myself for a while too which was pretty cool. You could see so many of the other 14ers nearby and I just felt like I was up in heaven looking down on the hundreds of mountains around me. It was such a great experience and I cannot wait to climb more. The way down felt like a breeze and I passed by lots of folks making their way up so I felt kinda lucky to have the top all to myself for that morning.

Low: Mosquito Attacks

I remember on the first day of my trip I was shocked how few mosquitoes I had run into. The next morning I met two girls from Colorado hiking the trail who assured me there wouldn't be many because the mosquito season is mostly in June after the snow melt and they rarely go up in the high country. Well let me tell you, that was a lie. I must say they really haven't been that bad and maybe I'm struggling to come up with some lows for this trip but there have certainly be a few instances when they were particularly rough.

One day I had been hiking through a hot dry section and was so dirty just hoping for a nice shady spot by a creek to cool off and clean up in. I found the perfect spot right by this beautiful cool creek. I saw there were mosquitoes nearby but figured I could deal with them as I had before. They lured me in thinking they wouldn't bug me too much and then once I got all settled with my gear unpacked they attacked. They simply swarmed me biting all over. I had to struggle to pack up my stuff and flee the scene but they followed for quite a ways before I was safe. Earlier they would just come one at a time but these were strategic mosquitoes which kept me away from the nice creek-side rest I hoped for.

Another day it was getting close to the end of the day and I had just passed some lakes. I knew the bugs would be bad there so didn't try to set up camp and kept moving along. That didn't deter the bugs though. They found me and stayed with me. Honestly I must have had 30 bugs circling me for almost 2 miles of hiking. I don't think any of them gave up I had to kill every last one. Eventually I would hold out my arm to lure them where I could swat them easily. These were some of the most persistent mosquitoes I had ever seen!

High: Mt. Princeton Hot Springs

After getting a taste of how awesome hot springs were on my PCT trip I knew I couldn't pass up another opportunity even if it was at a resort. One of the small towns the Colorado Trail passes through is Mt. Princeton Hot Springs right by the awesome chalky cliffs of Mt. Princeton. It had been a miserably hot day hiking along the base of Mt. Princeton and since you couldn't scale down the cliffs the trail took a long round about trip out into the hot dry plains along the roadside. So you can imagine how I was looking for a nice oasis to treat me well. You first pass by coming down the road overlooking the pool and it looked pretty packed with kids and I almost passed it by until I saw the less busy lower pools. The place wasn't cheap but it was so much worth it. Honestly probably the best part was just getting to take a shower with soap and shampoo since it had been 8 days since my last shower in Breckenridge.

Once in the pool area it was truly heavenly. They had a longer pool heated to around 90 degrees and a deeper one kept above 100. Both were fed by the natural hot springs in the area and the sides of the pool were insulated to keep the heat in. Better yet they had the Chalk Creek flowing right along the side with cool refreshing meltwater from the mountains so you could cool off if you were getting too hot. Needless to say I made quite a few rotations from the cool creek to the hot pool to the hotter pool. It felt so refreshing! You have no idea how great it is to just float after you have been carrying a pack  for 200 miles. My feet were rejoicing. After I had my fill I then wandered down the road to find a campsite and passed by some of the most amazing houses I have ever seen. Mt. Princeton definitely tops the list of places I want to retire to because there was just a nice quiet dirt road dotted with modest little home build right in with the natural environment. The creek and fishing ponds on one side the majestic white chalky cliffs on the other. It would be a wonderful place to wind up, plus you could be a trail angel to all the Colorado Trail hikers!

Low: Postholing My Way Down from Georgia Pass

I won't go into to much details as I have mentioned the difficulty of postholing plenty of times now on my blog but this one was probably the worst. That morning my friend Marc and I had climbed up into Georgia Pass and hiked up and over to Whale Peak a nearby 13er. We went back to our site and Marc headed back only after the sky let out a nice blanket of hail on us. I figured all I had left to do was get back over the pass and it would be smooth sailing down to a nice campsite. Wrong! While the eastern side of the pass only had a few snow field that could easily be dodged the western side was a long level stretch in the forest which did not seem to want to drop in elevation. Therefore it was a good 2 or 3 miles of sinking deep into the snow, plus it was afternoon by then so I had the great soft snow to deal with. Right when I had had enough and my feet were soaked the sky decided it would spit some more rain at me as well. Needless to say I was overjoyed when the trail finally started to drop in elevation and the snow let up a bit but boy I certainly was not expecting that.

High: Aspen Groves

Finally I know I have already given a shout out to the wildlife and wildflowers of the trail but I need tomake special note of my favorite part of the Colorado wilderness; the aspen grove. Aspen are my favorite tree and I remember becoming mesmerized by them on my trip to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Aspen have amazing bright green round leaves that flicker back and forth in the breeze. There white trunks with the smooth bark and marks the look like eyes from where previous branches once sprouted also make them quite distinct. Aspen also regenerate by sending out underground shoots so one single grove of tree could all actually be one single organism where each tree will have the same DNA. Pretty cool huh! Anyways the way they can scatter the light and illuminate the trail is so fascinating. They allow enough light down to the forest floor too so that you can often have wildflowers like lupine growing underneath for a beautiful scene of purple, green and white. Also you can always spot the aspen groves on the hill side because there will be a bright green patch in a see of evergreen, or sometimes they will even cover the entire hill. They are such a cool tree and my favorite nights are always tying my hammock up between to aspen staring up at their leaves (which isn't easy because sometimes they don't have thick trucks or are very densely packed in the forest). They are great trees and I can't wait for the fall to see them change colors!

(s)No(w) more Snow

I know its been a bit since my last post but its hard to find internet out here in the Colorado backcountry so I can give a few updates. As you may have noticed almost all of my blog posts have had some mention of the snow and I am truly hoping this will be the last.

Starting my trip June 18th after a very snowy winter has left quite a bit of snow up in the peaks. However it really wasn't as bad as I feared. I say wasn't optimistically since I still have half the trail to go. Word on the trail is that the Colorado Trail is free of any major snow until the San Juan mountains and by the time I get there I'm pretty sure most will have melted.

So far I have hit a number of stretches and just wanted to share a number of lessons learned from my first real thru-hike dealing with snow.

Snow within the Forest

As I started getting above 11,000 feet and hadn't reached the tree line yet, I could almost guarantee I would be dealing with some snow on the trail. Since the forests shade the trail it can often remain here for a while. Down here the snow tends to be softer and you don't want to get stuck going through one of these sections in the afternoon after it has had the chance to melt a bit from the midday heat. Here is where I spent most of my time postholing. Again postholing is where you end up taking a step and having it sink through the snow up to your shin or knee and have to fight your way out. It is extremely tiring (especially when going uphill) and slows you down quite a bit. If you head through these sections early in the morning you can avoid sinking in as much since the snow is a bit icier from the cold nights. Then you just have to try your best to distribute your weight and think light thoughts to stay on top of the snow without falling in.

The other issue with snow within the forest is finding your way. Up on the ridges above treeline it is pretty simple to spot the next cairn (pile of rocks marking the trail), see the trail off in the distance where it isn't covered by snow, or just make your way towards the pass or peak you are heading to. In the trees its not that simple. I must say a lot of it comes down to intuition and you have to guess where the trail goes since you cannot see it buried under the snow. Many times the forest is quite thick so you stay towards the biggest gaps between the trees. However when the forest opens up this can become tricky to spot the difference between the gaps from the trail and just the natural gaps between the trees. You can also rely on other hikers footprints. However again there is a tradeoff. Usually there are more footprints where the snow is softer so that means more postholing.When you can stay on top of the snow you often don't leave too much of a mark so you cannot follow others tracks where the snow is nice and firm. Also the people ahead of you often don't know any better than you so you may follow tracks just to find they backtrack to where you just were. Needless to say you can tell why I have been complaining a bit about the snow.

Sometimes you get lucky and see a trail sign otherwise its hard to tell which way to go.

Alpine Snow Fields

Alpine snow fields are what can be riskier to deal with but often are easier to cross. Surprisingly up above tree line there isn't always as much snow because that area is constantly exposed to sunlight. However the areas on the north side of the slopes which receive the least daily sunlight or the areas that are shaded by the ridges can hold onto snow for a while. Here the snow tends to be a bit icier and crisper which can be both good and bad news. The good news is more often it will support your weight because it is quite thick to have resisted melting thusfar and you usually only posthole near the edges. However the bad news is that it can be too icy and you risk not being able to get a good foothold and slipping down the icy slope. Many of the snow fields that I crossed were relatively flat or relatively small but some would have had tragic consequences if I did lose my footing. Luckily all of the snow fields I crossed had already been traversed so there were good foot holes that were frozen in. Below is a picture of some of the steep snow fields I had to cross in the 10 Mile Range. Don't worry mom I made it across just fine.

As you can tell some slopes were a bit steeper than I would have liked.

10 First Impressions of the Colorado Trail

I have now made it to Breckenridge completing the first 100 miles of the trail. It has been quite an amazing experience thusfar and I'm only on my 7th day. I thought I would use this post to reflect on some of my 10 first impressions of the Colorado Trail.

10) Awesome Wildlife

Look who was waiting to welcome me to the CT

It was my first morning in and I hadn't hiked more than 3 miles when I was confronted by a herd of bighorn sheep. Not just a couple but nine rams which had stopped to munch on a nice grassy snack. It was so cool and they were so close! Apparently there is a herd that lives in Waterton Canyon where the trail starts and I was very fortunate to meet them. Just after I got over that excitement I turned the corner to see three ewes perched up on the side of the canyon. I got to watch as they scouted out a route along the cliff ledge carefully hugging the sides of the steep slopes I would have no way of maneuvering. They were so fun to watch and I was a bit relieved that we aren't completely clumsy mammals as even this sheep did kick a few rocks down the canyon. Throughout the next few days I have been surrounded by wildlife birds, chipmunks, bunnies, squirrels, lizards you name it. One night I even got a quick glimpse of the red flash of a fox chasing after some prey at dusk. My favorite are the birds with the bright colorful Western Tanagers brightening up my lunch breaks, swallows darting by as I fill up my water in the cool clear streams, Stellars Jays stopping by my dinner hoping for a snack and Mountain Bluebirds shimmering out in the plains I pass by. The wildlife has been great out here and I'm hoping to add some pika and elk to my list soon as I get further into the wilderness.

9) Dry but not too Dry

I got to hand it to the climate out here in Colorado; it is simple perfect for backpacking! The temperatures certainly do warm you up during the day but it always cools off in the evening for a relaxing night. Best of all is the very low humidity so you are not contently sweating out of every pore yet still get no relief. Also things dry out so quickly out here. One of the days I had completely soaked my shoes and socks in the snow and by the next morning they would comfortably dry. That would have never happened on the East coast.

However its not overly dry like hiking in the desert where your are constantly vigilant about where the next water source is, which tends to be much further than you hoped. Water sources are quick abundant out here from all the snow melt from the peaks. There are some stretches where you should carry extra though and I'm sure it help that its June not August after the snow melt is dried up. I also don't have to deal with that dry dirtiness of the desert. I was shocked how clean my socks remained after a few day of hiking. My feet haven't been caked in dirt and I haven't had to swallow clouds of dust that get kicked up. I absolutely love this climate and am hoping it stays like the for the remained of my trek.

8) Wildflowers Galore

Right from my first day on the trail I was so impressed by the amazing variety of colors I have seen across the forest floor, plains and mountaintops. There have been simply so many different types of wildflowers I can hardly keep track. Starting at lower elevations was great too because you got to appreciate the flowers that live at different elevation and keep getting surprised by new varieties as you climb higher and higher into the peaks. Some of my favorites thus far have been the Columbine Colorado's state flower with such an amazing design on top of its colors. On the peaks I really like the blue with a dab of yellow Forget-me-nots that tend to only live up in the highest alpine peaks. There are so many more that I have yet to learn the names of and that have yet to bloom so I am so excited to learn more and will be studying up in the library when I'm in town on my rest days.

7) Safe Snow (so far...)

As you may have told from some of my earlier posts and conversations one of my biggest fears about this hike is I was starting too early and I would face some very dangerous snow. While I am certainly not out of the snow each day brings me closer and closer to July when much of the snow will melt by. My first experience was coming up into Georgia Pass where I did have to get around a few snow drifts but much of it was just snow drifts on relatively gradual slopes, not massive snow fields along a steep hike I had to hike across. However that no snow doesn't come without its fair share of frustrations (see #6). I am still slightly concerned for these next sections in the 10 Mile Range and the Collegiate Peaks where there may be such steep sections it seems most of the snow should be manageable. By the time I get down to the San Juans most of it should be gone. Therefore I keep my fingers crossed that this shouldn't be any worries and if I do find it is too much I do know that turning back and attempting to get through that section at a later date is always an option.

6) Becoming an Official Thru Hiker

Speaking of snow I can proudly say I know what it is like to spend all too much of your afternoon postholing your way up the trail. For those of you who may not know postholing is where you are stuck hiking over partially melted snow that cannot support your weight so you take a step then sink in, then another and sink in again until you are utterly exhausted. While on a number of other trips I have postholed through the snow a little it was never too long of stretches. However in this last section I had a full 2 miles worth of postholing coming out of Georgia Pass at the Continental Divide, which I though was going to be a simple hike down from the pass.

Me loving a long patch of postholing

Let me give you a simple description of what it is like. First you may only experience a few snow piles blocking the trail but you can simply step off the trail to get around them without having to go through them. I thought of these as the typical cow in the road type of inconveniences where it slows you down but you can get around the stubborn snowpile that wanted to block your hike. Then you get into more shaded section where the snow just lingers everywhere. Now you're in the thick of it and its time to get cold and wet. You start following some of the already make footsteps which have compacted the snow so you know you won't sink in. Then you get to the snow pile where there aren't any holes yet and it may be able to support you. You delicately place one foot on the snow thinking of all the lightest things you can imagine and distributing your weight all across the sole of your shoe. You put your weight on it and whew you are safe but now the next. You keep thinking light thoughts until sure enough you hear it the dreaded fwoosh of your leg sinking knee deep into the snow. Now if you are luck you may have leaned forward making a bigger hole by kneeling into the snow to give you more room to get out. Otherwise you have to make your skinny leg deep hole bigger as you try to pull your leg out and undoubtedly make another posthole with your next step because there is no graceful way for a 200+ lb 6'8" man to get his leg out of a knee deep hole. While this is not only tiring you also get soaked in the process because all the snow is melting as you are breaking through so your feet and pants get soaked in the process. The trick is to head out early in the morning while the top of the snow may be a bit icier and can support more weight then the warmed snow in the hot afternoon sun. I know I asked for this by starting my trip a bit earlier but at least I can take solace in the fact that I now know the pains of postholing on a thru-hike and hopefully won't have too many more miles where I have to deal with this.

5) Colorado's Unoffical State Sport

Nobody ever told me how many mountain bikers there are out here in Colorado. I knew it was a popular sport in the summer but I feel like the ration of mountain bikers to hikers is around 100:1 (although to be fair they do tend to go a bit faster than hikers). People absolutely love mountain biking and to be honest I may end up catching the bug as well. I have been so impressed by some of the steep rocky slopes I see bikers battling up each day. While many of these bikers are clearly well conditioned athletes who probably run marathons to train for ultra-marathons, there are many average built people biking up just as extreme of trails. In general they are very friendly as well slowing down as they approach you and politely asking you to step out of the way. As some of you may know I have a slight disdain for horseback riders and for some reason I get so frustrated when they come trudging through and demand for me to get out of their way. However mountain bikers don't rub me the same way maybe because I know they are also working hard to make it up these mountains. Its been fun chatting with a number of the mountain bikers out here and you can tell they love these trails as much as I do and aren't just tearing it up and trying to wear them down with no regard. The whole length of the Colorado Trail is open to mountain bikers (except for the wilderness areas) and I look forward to meeting many more on my trek.

4) Crazy Weather Patterns

Born in the Midwest and having lived on the East Coast for the past couple of years I have become quite used to fairly unchanging weather patterns. When its sunny it will stay sunny for a couple of hours. When its rainy it will rain for the whole day. When its cloudy it will stay cloudy for weeks. Not in Colorado though.

Colorado, especially in the high country, has some of the craziest weather patterns I have ever experienced. Most days I can count on waking up to a bright blue often cloudless sky with warm sun to wake me up from the surprisingly chilly June nights up here (although I guess when you are sleeping at 10,000 ft you should expect it to get a bit cold). Most of the morning it will remain quite sunny but not all days. Everyone says that you can almost always count on a thunderstorm sometime around 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I could always tell when it was getting further into the afternoon seeing all the clouds rolling in. Once that storm hits it a complete grab bag. Depending on where you are you could get no precipitation, just a light sprinkle, a quick hard downpour, hail (which seems to be Colorado's favorite flavor of precipitation) or maybe even a flurry. I have learned to just keep my rain cover on my pack in the afternoon but not put on my rain gear until I know what I'm getting into. One of the days when I was up high in the mountains you could see how one direction was getting bright sun, another had dark fingers of rain pouring down, another was misted in fog and another was shaded with clouds all within my sight. This does make for interesting days out on the trail and I very much enjoy seeing what each day will surprise me with next.

3) Amazing Sunsets

One of the clear benefits of the fast moving and varied weather pattern is that it add the secret ingredient for the most beautiful sunsets. Colorado is great at making big beautiful puffy cumulus clouds which can add so much to a good sunset. Add the majestic purple colored mountains on the horizon and you have the perfect combination for a great sunset. Luckily, at least the past few days, the sky has started to clear up a bit by the time the sun is setting so there are only a few of the clouds left to intensify the beautiful colors produced by the setting sun. The only problem I have found is staying up long enough to watch the sunset. After a tiring day on the trail I have the bedtime of a toddler and often have to struggle not to cozy up in my hammock before the sunset. However I can always well guarantee that the view will be well worth it.

2) Plenty of Solitude

The one thing I found quite surprising on the Colorado Trail was the lack of people out here. I knew Colorado was known for outdoorsy people you know the crunchy type who spend all their time hiking, biking, camping, kayaking, etc. and I would have though the trails, especially around Denver, would be teaming with other folks. However the trail was not much more crowded than most others I had been on. Surprisingly there have been some days where I have hardly run into anyone at all. Perhaps other people actually have jobs so they cannot be out on the weekdays or its still early and everyone is waiting for all the snow to melt but there weren't too many fellow backpackers. When I did approach some of the major highways though the crowds did quickly come and it was nice to see all the smiling faces with the kids, dogs even babies coming out with them. While it is nice to have a bit of space and room to think I always enjoy the company of others out on the trail and meeting people along the way. I have run into a few fellow Colorado Trail hikers so far however I imagine that this trip might be a bit more solo of a solo hike than some of my previous trips.

1) Magnificent Views

The one thing that cannot be denied about the Colorado Trail are the amazing panoramas surrounding you at all times. I have only complete the first leg of the trip and didn't even get to the Continental Divide until around mile 80 yet still the views have nothing but impressed me. Even down in the pine forests or deep within some of the canyons you are surrounded by surging rivers or the snowcapped peaks behind you. Then as you approach the big mountains you find yourself surrounded by mountains.

 One of the days my new roommate Marc came out and joined me to climb one of the nearby 13,000 ft peaks, Whale Peak. We started from Georgia Pass where the CT first crosses the Continental Divide and just hiked up along the luckily not snowy ridge. After a fair bit of climbing we were soaring above the peaks. You could see out so far all the way down to the sweeping plains of South Park and the many mountain ranges surrounding us. We could even pick out some of the nearby 14ers within our view. Colorado is packed with peaks and once you get to the top of one you get to take in all of the hundreds you will want to climb next. I'm so excited to explore many of the mountain ranges in Colorado and hope to find the energy to climb a few more during my hike. However if I don't its just more trips to come back to later.