On July 28th I will be finished with work and soon thereafter I will be setting off to hike the Colorado Trail; 491 miles between Denver and Durango! Along the way I’m hoping to do a blog like I did in 2016 and 2018 for the PCT :) This is the address that you can follow along with me if you wish! Below is some information on the Colorado Trail.
I will be going SoBo (Southbound) from right to left and I will be taking the left (Collegiate West) trail where you see the split
Although “only” 500 miles, the Colorado Trail is no easy feat! Its low point is over a mile high; the starting point near Denver at 5,520 feet. It goes up from there and never gets that low again. Its high point is 13,271 feet. More than half of the trail is above 10k feet with its AVERAGE elevation at 10,300 feet.
This brings additional challenges as compared to what I faced on the PCT. I will be more exposed to rapid changes in weather, not only from day to day, but minute to minute! Afternoon thunderstorms are a common occurrence in the high country. Lightning strikes are no joke so that is one thing I will have to be diligent about. Being familiar with local weather patterns and timing my hiking days, ensuring that I’m not left exposed in these high mountain passes at Lightning O’ Clock will be of utmost importance.
If you’d like to check out my daily blogs I wrote in 2016 and 2018 on the Pacific Crest Trail, they can be found at teeheepct.blogspot.com
Claire and I just got back from a trip in Rocky Mountain National Park and soon I will make a post here about that amazing trip. Stay tuned!
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