Never Quit on a Bad Day

To paraphrase Little Skittle on her CDT 2021 hike, “Never quit on a bad day, instead quit on the best day.”

Going over Georgia Pass (an awesome day) I finally voiced out loud what I knew for a day or two. My feet had become a ticking time bomb with a countdown timer. I would not be thru-hiking out of Breckenridge. In hindsight the only mistake we made was starting at the beginning again.

I want to stop thru-hiking while I can still walk. While I can still hike. Even with KT tape and arch supports and custom orthotics the amount of breaks I need to rest my feet are increasing.

If it was blister pain I could soldier on through. If it was just heat and rain and bugs I could deal until a better day comes.

The Trial

Starting in Breckenridge we started the trial for our plan. I would hike what I could and meet John along the way with the car. He would do big mile days in between and short mile days with me. I would mostly do out and backs from a trailhead where I was parked.

The plan did work. I was able to hike 10 miles while John hiked 20. (In almost the same amount of time.) We met up at the right spot, camped and then hiked out together. He could then slackpack while I moved the car to a campsite.

The Result

While we can hike alone, there are things along the way that we want to share with each other. John would feel pressure to do big mile days just so I’m not stuck waiting at a trailhead all of the time. We would rather spend this time together exploring the Colorado Trail, then taking off a box saying somebody hiked it.

And since it is a 19 hour drive to Cascade Crest 100 and it starts in 18 hours- our only option is to keep exploring the Colorado Trail. We are going to do overnights and day hikes where we can for as long as we can.