I’m hiking the Colorado Trail*!

(*a long ass section of it.)

Whelp, there it is, my one of my big adventures of 2026 finally really put out there in the universe! While I told family and friends my crazy plan, I haven’t put out there too much in a solid, “official” capacity. (I feel weird saying official… I’m not famous!). I am section hiking the Colorado Trail starting in mid-July!

The Colorado Trail is “mile for mile the most beautiful trail in America” according to the Colorado Trail Foundation, and many others who have stepped foot on it. Stretching from Denver to Durango, the trail encompasses 567 miles (this total includes both the Collegiate East and Collegiate West sections combined… otherwise it is 480-500ish miles when one of the Collegiate routes is chosen). A normal thru hike takes four to six weeks. While I would theoretically love to thru hike the trail in one go, that is something that is not in the cards for my life between work and just flat out not wanting to be away from home that long. As a result, I will be tackling the first 191 miles (fingers crossed) over two weeks, completing Segments 1 through Collegiate West 1, Denver to Sheep Gulch. A nice, little Long Ass Section Hike (LASH)!

Map of the Colorado Trail showing its route, key landmarks, and surrounding national forests, with a note referencing trail segment numbers.

How did I land on the Colorado Trail (CT)? Until last summer, I was pretty set on the Tahoe Rim Trail being my first thru hike, which is a 160-mile trail that circles Lake Tahoe in Nevada and California. As I mulled things over, I realized I really wanted to stay closer to home for my first attempt at a crazy long walk – after all, the Colorado Trail is pretty much “local” to me and friends can just come pick me up if needed! The TRT would have required a lot more logistics, airplanes, and reliance on strangers. Over the fall and winter I solidified the CT plan. Initially I was going out for three weeks, but I was extremely lucky with permit lotteries in the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite National Park this year, so I shortened my CT plans by a week so I could dedicate two weeks to the Sierra adventure. An added bonus to the CT is I’ll be able to complete another 100+ miles of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT), which I am chipping off a bit in tiny sections. The CDT and CT run concurrently together for a bit over 300 miles, so two birds, one stone!

A wooden trail sign indicating directions and distances to the Continental Divide Trail and Monarch Pass, with a mountain bike parked beside it. — On Segment 15 during a shuttle of the Monarch Crest mountain bike route in 2018. I won’t be reaching this segment on this hike. I’d love to go back one day and actually have some views!

Now with only a bit over a month away, the nerves are kicking in a bit, but at the same time I feel pretty calm. Weird, right? I have not been able to get out on a shake-down overnight, as I was sick Memorial Day weekend when I had a permit in Rocky Mountain National Park, and I have not been able to do any long hikes yet. But it is just walking, right? I still have a few weekends left to try to piece things together!

A female mountain biker resting with her bike on a dirt trail surrounded by trees and greenery. — Mountain biking on Segment 8 in 2017. I am excited to come back and walk this section!

My gear does feel dialed, which is a big relief. I made a few new purchases over the winter and spring. The first and biggest is pulling the plug and buying a Durston X Mid Pro 1 tent. I love my X Mid 2 tent, but the upgrade to a silly dyneema tent dropped a significant amount of weight (and space). I haven’t slept in it yet, but hope to in the upcoming weeks. I hate one person tents, I find them very claustrophobic, but I am hoping with the unique Durston shape I will feel less cramped.

A person smiling inside a tent surrounded by trees, wearing sunglasses and a patterned shirt. — I have set up the new Durston! I hauled it with me on a hike to Disappointment Falls in May, and set it up for practice. I did a terrible pitch, but whatever!

I also changed to a Nemo Eclipse sleeping pad. After fighting with the Thermarest NeoAir XLite all of last year, I finally returned it to REI and settled on something heavier, but way more comfortable. Sleep is incredibly important to me, and there is somethings I just won’t compromise on anymore. Other gear purchases include new rain gear by Montbell and new battery packs from Nitecore. I am trying not to drive myself too crazy with ounces on Lighter Pack, and instead just thinking hard about what is essential to bring, what I truly need. I will never be an ultralight backpacker, but I want to keep things as lightweight as possible.

Remains of abandoned concrete structures along a dirt path in a mountainous landscape under a partly cloudy sky. — Camp Hale bunkers in Segment 8

I will be making a post of all the exact gear I use on my hike, probably after I finish so I can also say what worked great and what was… not so great (hopefully there is not a lot of that!).

AirBnB is booked for the night before I start the trail, and I have my shuttle set up with an amazing trail angel at a bright and early 5am on my start date. Room is booked for my zero day in Breckenridge. Friends are lined up for rides to and from trail. Just have to make myself try out peanut butter on a tortilla (why is this such a hurdle for me mentally?!), and then I’ll be all set!

I plan on blogging my hike once I am back home, probably in a more abbreviated style than typical of my blogs – less navigational and informational, more about the experience. While I have played around with video for YouTube, I have really decided that I hate video editing so I do not plan on filming aside from short snippets I can edit into reels and shorts for Instagram and YouTube. While on trail I plan on carrying a small journal so I can capture things as they happen, something I need to get better about for all my adventures so memory does not fail me by the time I blog everything!

Stay tuned for all the fun later this summer!