colorado
I Fell Down a Mountain! Colorado Trail Thru-Hike, Part 6
Dusk was gathering as I wedged my tent between willow bushes next to a creek. It wasn’t the ideal spot to camp, right next to the trail, but it would...
What a Crazy Day! Colorado Trail Thru-Hike, Part 5
Crystal-clear bluebird skies heralded the start of another beautiful day on the Colorado Trail, perfect for crossing Cottonwood Pass. Monsoon season was here and the afternoon might very well
What’s Wrong with Me? Colorado Trail Thru-Hike, Part 2
Oh no, not again! I just started the Colorado Trail (for the second time). How is it possible to have health issues so soon? Starting Strong My thru-hike attempt started...
I’ve Been Here Before! Colorado Trail Thru-Hike, Part 1
Last year, I tried to thru-hike the Colorado Trail and had to end my hike early due to illness. As I prepared for my second CT thru-hike attempt, I desperately...
Colorado Trail: Lights and Shadows
My spirit felt uneasy. The dissonance between my own aggravation and my idyllic surroundings seemed to compound my sense of alienation. I reminded myself that emotional troughs usually follow psychedelic...
Colorado Trail: Into the San Juans!
I was poised at the edge of sleep but awake enough to discern the songs of winged insects when another sound came into my consciousness. The rasp of labored breathing,...
CT: A Hailstorm Beats A Shitstorm
There was something magnificent about that storm. Although I was drenched and battered by hail, internally I felt balanced and sturdy. The past 48 hours had been a series of...
Colorado Trail: the Delight of Doing Hard Things
I lay in the dark feeling mad with the urge to crawl out of my own skin. Throughout the night, my limbs would spasm and jolt with unbearable itches. The...
Colorado Trail: Salida, I love you.
Backpacking is gratifying, intensely introspective, and demanding on many different levels. It is relieving to counterbalance that mode of being with moments of playfulness or outright hedonism. To live, however...
CDT Days 23-51: Colorado
Chama to Pagosa Springs On the morning of 6/1/22 the owner of the hotel in Chama drove me and some other hikers up to the pass. We decided to backtrack...