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Two Months Walkin’ the Continental Divide
Over two months on the Continental Divide Trail and I just seem to be hitting my stride. These legs have carried me over 1,000 miles and have become well-trained hill walking machines during that time. The mind feels clearer than ever and the body is well beyond the point of being clean after just one shower. Passes are virtually snow-free while the mosquitoes multiply every evening.
One of the few trail markers I saw that day was atop Argentine Peak.
This way of travel is slow. It is intentional. Each step is taken, every calorie consumed. I watch the sky get brighter as the day awakens and I witness the sky fade with light as the sun gives way to night. From towns deep in New Mexico to mountains high in Colorado, I notice everything in between. My gratitude for this world and for each day out here in paradise is overwhelming.
Conversations on trail are short and almost always in passing; a lone thru-hiker can be starved for decent conversation. Talking to people in town provides an opportunity to learn about that place — whose feet are slapping the sidewalk, whose tires turn away at the asphalt. Many of whom I talk to are also extremely interested in what the hell I am doing walking from Mexico to Canada so they will usually have a few questions about that.
Can always talk to the goats.
After a town stop, the backpack is heavy but the desire to hike back into the woods is strong. Towns can be loud and tend to suck the money right out of your pocket. While free, I’d rather be with the trees.
That being said, my parents are currently on their way to pick me up from the Herman Gulch trailhead just off Interstate 70. They just landed in Denver this morning and will be picking me up soon. Then we are heading north to find Nick so we can all reunite and enjoy some family time in Colorado. It’s been a wild two months and it just keeps getting better. Thanks for reading, peace and love.
My first fourteener, Grays Peak.
By the Numbers
Days: 63
Miles: 1,074
Resupplies: 13
Zero days: 8
Books read: 3
Journals filled: 1
Mini tubes of toothpaste used: 3
“Little maketh up the best happiness. Be still.” — Nietzsche
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