In the fall of 2016, John hiked the 500-mile Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango. Here are his journal entries and photos.
Day 1: August 10
Hiked 10 miles
The first day on the trail went pretty good. I was really tired because I’m not properly acclimatized. That won’t happen for apparently a week or two.
Christian and I drove to the trail head and we hiked together for the first 8 miles or so before he turned around and went back home. He’d hike 17 miles before he got back to his car. I was impressed. I don’t think he would make it back to his house by 9:00pm and I was worried Jane and Barry would freak out thinking he got lost and needed to be rescued.
Saw a herd of big horned sheep. We were walking along and some rocks were rolling down the side of a slope right to our feet. We looked up and there were 7 or 8 big horn sheep not more than 7 meters from us. They just stood there staring at us.
Day 2: August 11
Hiked 17 miles
I know I shouldn’t have done it, but I had no choice. It was a 6-mile hike down to the river where I ate breakfast, hydrated, and took a much needed bath in the river.
With all my water bottles full I started the 11 mile hike to the next water source. It was 6 excruciating miles uphill, then slightly downhill the rest of the way. Forest fires destroyed the prospect of any shade so the blistering sun parched me as I slowly made my way uphill. I was drinking a lot of water and pretty much ran out by the time I made it to the water source.
The altitude slowed me down to almost to a turtle’s pace. They say you need 1 day of acclimatization for every 1,000 feet of altitude. I just came from sea level less than 3 days ago. This is my fifth day and am at 8,000 feet. At any rate I was definitely dehydrated. Tomorrow there are 4 or 5 river crossings so I’ll be sure to drink as much as I can. That’s if I can even get out of bed. Just about every part of my body is experiencing some sort of pain, especially my shoulder and feet. I even got a blister today. Not until I’m acclimated and get my hiking legs will I attempt such a long day. Thank Goodness for anti inflammants!
Day 3: August 12
Hiked 12 miles
Got up at my usual time of 5:30am, broke camp, and started hiking. Went 5 miles or so then ate breakfast at a beautiful spot next to a river.
Today I made it up to 9,000 feet where I’m now camped. Definitely feel the altitude, especially when I’m going uphill. Tomorrow I’ll climb more than 2,000 feet up to almost 11,000 feet. Joy. I hope I get good views!
It’s also much cooler at night. I was bundled up in my sleeping bag with the tent closed in. Will definitely need a pair of gloves come September when I’m way up over 12,000 feet.
Day 4: August 13
Hiked 15 miles
Some years ago Nancy, the kids, and I unsuccessfully attempted the Colorado Trail. Nancy had to abandon her attempt because of a bad hip. Later the boys and I gave up also. I guess we didn’t want to leave Nancy by herself.
Today was a bittersweet day because I passed the last place we camped as a family and the place Nancy tearfully departed from us and hitched into the nearest town.
I have very fond memories of this campsite. Today as I stood there staring at it I remembered playing pine cone baseball with the kids. That night we sat around the fire until well after dark joking, laughing, and having a great time. It made me realize how companionship adds so much more to a trek like this; I’m still enjoying myself but miss my family and wish they were here to share in the adventures.
Today I saw a huge buck complete with towering antlers.
Day 5: August 14
Hiked 19 miles
Whew, it was the hardest day yet, I pushed it to 19 miles. Probably not a good idea. There’s so much to go wrong when I do these things: blisters, knee or hip problems, sunburn, burn out, and the list goes on and on. Let me explain my rational for going so far today:
Originally I planned on simply hiking part way to Kenosha Pass – maybe 12 or 13 miles. But I felt pretty good so I decided to hike all the way to Kenosha Pass and stay at their campground. That was about 16 miles. The next day I’d hitch into Jefferson and pick up my resupply package. But when I got there the campsites were dirty, noisy, and $18. Why should I pay that money to set my tent up on a gravel patch meant for RV’s when I could hike out of the vicinity and camp for free on a soft, quiet site in the woods?
As for the resupply package that I couldn’t pick up, I’ll have Nancy call the post office and have them send it back to Boise. Since I’m ahead by a day I can skimp on the food and make it into Breckenridge. An added bonus is that I don’t have to lug all that food up the 2,000 foot climb over Georgia Pass which I’ll be doing tomorrow.
Day 6: August 15
Hiked 16 miles
I’ll definitely start cutting down on my mileage as long as my feet hurt as they did today. The bottoms of my feet hurt all over. Tomorrow I’ll arrive in Breckenridge where I’ll take a rest day at the hostel. Hopefully they won’t be booked up. I worry about getting there and find all the cheap places to stay are all filled up. I could always just into town, do my business, then head back to the trail but I desperately need a shower and to do my laundry. I’d love to just sit around doing nothing for a day or two and let my feet get better.
I crossed my first pass of the trip: 11,874 foot Georgia Pass. I’m still not acclimatized.
Day 7: August 16
Hiked 13 miles
Made it to Breckenridge. Went to the first of 2 hostels – it was full. Went to the second one and got the second to last bunk. I tried to make reservations for a second night but they were full. Met a couple of other hikers and we went in together to get a motel room the next day. I think I was pretty lucky. I desperately need a rest day, mostly because of my feet.
Went to Subway and got a foot long spicy Italian sub. It was heavenly after eating couscous and oatmeal for the last 6 days. Each bite was savored as the sandwich exploded with flavors that seemed to set off sensors in my brain which brought an extreme, pleasurable sense of taste.
You can continue reading here:
Leg 2: Breckenridge to Leadville
Leg 3: Leadville to Princeton Hot Springs
Leg 4: Princeton Hot Springs to Lake City
Leg 5: Lake City to Molas Lake
Leg 6: Molas Lake to Durango
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