hiking COLORADO TRAIL
500 miles in 25 days.
Hiking from Denver to Durango on the iconic Colorado Trail.
For 30 days in August 2020, my partner and I trekked along the illustrious Rocky Mountains, over the steep Collegiate Peaks, and through the jagged San Juan Mountains. Along the way we endured icy hail and lightning storms, resupplied in small mining towns, ate the best Elk burger of our lives, and enjoyed slowing down our pace a bit more than on other hikes due to the pending state of the world.
When the year hit 2020 and everything was uncertain, so we decided to hit the trail, where everything just seems to make sense. This time with no agenda. Just being in nature was the goal, and trust me, we appreciated every river swim, bear spotting, summit viewpoint, resupply beer, and yes, even every blistering sun burn and near heat exhaustion. Here was our route:
post-trail ramblings
Whenever I start a thru hike I escape concrete walls and enter nature. Somewhere along the way, I blend into nature and become a part of it. Drinking out of natural springs, painted with dirt, traveling by foot, sleeping under the stars — I feel infinitely more alive. It’s this kind of transformation that keeps me transfixed on long distance hiking and what being in nature can do for the soul.
I once heard that hiking isn’t so much escapism as it is realism. Returning to nature to walk long distances every day seems like the most natural thing in the world.
What we have on this precious planet is a wild and natural world that runs deep in our veins. It is our home. Every time I go into the mountains on another hike, I feel home. A primal reset of priorities. A sense of belonging. And an indomitable strength within.
The wild awakens something within all of us, and I feel incredibly fortunate to have witnessed the beauty of the Colorado Trail this past month.
