Climbing mountains builds character...and calf muscles!

I've hiked about 140 miles of the almost-500 mile Colorado Trail so far.  We've met some awesome people along the way!


It's fun to camp with a group!

The trail has been quite an experience--I definitely didn't expect to have so many problems with my feet!  After switching to new shoes, the heel pain went away....but the shoelaces on the new trail runners are bruising the tops of my feet now.  So, I've been sticking to lower-mile days and not pushing too hard.

I'm getting some super-awesome tan lines....

I've gotten REAL good at matching ;)

I've seen millions of moose-turlings, but no moose :(  Sadly, the biggest mammal I've seen so far is a deer.  Hopefully I'll get to see some cooler animals soon!  I'm becoming an expert in identifying animal poo, though....based on my Google search results, Google must think I'm some kind of animal-poo-identification-wizard.

This was our campsite about a mile into Segment 9.  I heard a mountain lion screaming, twice.  It was terrifying and I refused to leave my tent until the sun came up.  Glad I didn't see it too!

I'm wrapping up a really fun "nero" and "zero" day in Salida.  We finished the last 8 miles of Segment 14 yesterday and got into town around 2pm.  Had dinner at an awesome pizza/brewery, and then watched some great small-town fireworks.  Today, I went on a whitewater rafting trip (it was more like a floating trip, only a few Class 2 rapids, but was still very fun!)  The weather was perfect.I want to come back and float down the river in a tube (with beer, of course).  Salida is my favorite town so far--the people are so friendly, it's a beautiful mountain town, and the scenery is amazing!

The scenery is still gorgeous!  Multiple long ascents (ex: 5 miles up a mountain) have given me lots of ideas...I've decided to try and experience the Colorado Trail in as many ways as possible.  As in, cheating, and not hiking the whole thing on foot :)  My latest and greatest idea is to rent a pack llama!  I've been chatting with a few people on Facebook to get a group together.  You can't rent just ONE llama...they are herd animals.  This won't be an efficient way of doing the trail, but it sure sounds fun!  Llamas only go about 6-9 miles per day and apparently when they decide they are done, you are also done.  Doesn't sound like arguing with a llama gets you very far.  

Misty morning in Segment 12

One thing I've realized on this trip is that thru-hiking is not "my thing."  It's been fun, don't get me wrong--but I don't foresee myself planning a PCT or CDT trip any time soon.  I'll definitely still go on backpacking trips, but I just haven't gotten into the high mileage days that you need to do to be successful at thru-hiking. 

My typical day:

Miles 0-6ish:  This is wonderful!  Everything is beautiful!  I love backpacking!

Miles 6-10ish: Something hurts!  Am I there yet?  How was that not a mile yet?  This guide must be wrong....Am I lost?  

Anything over 10 miles:  I hate my life.  Why am I doing this?  I want a cheeseburger.

The biggest pro to backpacking though--I can eat WHATEVER I want and still lose weight.  Nothing burns calories like lugging a 25 lb pack up and down mountains :)  I estimate I've lost 5 lbs so far, and gained muscle.

I'm going to keep going for sure--there is so much to see and do!  But I'm putting more of an emphasis on experiencing more than just hiking.  For example, I skipped Segment 10 and we hiked Mt Elbert instead.  It's the tallest mountain in Colorado.  That 4 mile climb up and back down was WAY harder than hiking one of the segments!

Highest mountain in Colorado, 2nd highest in the US!  I wanted to quit and turn around so many times, it was the most strenuous 4 miles I've ever done.  I'm glad the weather stayed good and we made it to the top, though!  The view was totally worth it.

Living out of cars is hard....requires a lot of organization!

Colorado is gorgeous!

The Chalk Cliffs, by Mt Princeton Hot Springs