Hello! I recently thru-hiked the 486-mile Colorado Trail, and I did a Q&A about my solo hike on the ol’ social media. How basic of me! I’m answering a selection of those questions here, with better grammar and more detail, along with a handful of other questions I’ve received in the past few weeks.
My experience on the Colorado Trail was different from other hikers I ran into. I ended up hiking it quickly (23 days, no zeros), and because of this, I met few people along the way who were hiking the same pace. While there were plenty of people on the trail, my experience was quite solitary, and I’d go days at a time barely seeing anyone else. I loved feeling independent, but it also got a bit lonely. At the very end I wound up hiking with two youths for the final 76 miles from Silverton to Durango (Cyprian and Zinnia are welcome in Heisenberg’s house any time) and it was a great way to end the hike.
Overall this was a fantastic thru-hike, and was some of the most incredible backpacking I’ve ever done. Here are the most common questions I’ve received about the Colorado Trail, answered in my usual rambling style.
1) Why did you choose the Colorado Trail?
I chose the Colorado Trail because it didn’t require a ton of planning (no permits, easy navigation with FarOut, well-spaced resupply), it was a perfect distance to do in a month, and I’ve wanted to do it since I saw Jeff set the record on it this year.
2) Were the storms bad? How did you deal with them?
The storms were horrific and I dealt with them by crying. Seriously, though. The lightning was 100% the hardest, scariest, and worst part of the trail. People in town said they’d never seen a monsoon season so bad, and it really impacted my hike. I managed to get good miles in despite the storms, but it meant setting a 3:30 a.m. alarm and being on the trail by 4 a.m. to get over passes by 12. The storms would roll in around 11 or 12, and sometimes they would last quite literally all day and into the night. It created a ton of anxiety around the elevation profile, my speed, and prevented me from taking breaks because I was so worried about the weather coming in. On two separate nights, lightning set fire to trees near my tent, and there was a smoking crater in the ground. I’ve never experienced anything like those storms. For that reason, July was kind of a scary time to hike the CT (my hike was July 8 to July 31). You can avoid some of this by going later in the season.
3) Collegiate East or West?
For the uninitiated, the Colorado Trail has one major split. After Twin Lakes, you can take the original CT on Collegiate East, or you can take the “high route” on Collegiate West. Collegiate East is a bit shorter and stays lower, but it’s definitely not easy. Collegiate West is known to be more epic, with miles above treeline and a rugged, remote feel. I took Collegiate West, and it was incredible. I heard that most people opted for West, but it’s a good idea to look at the forecast before heading out for 80 miles with a ton of exposure.
4) Where did you resupply? Any place you wish you’d shipped a box?
I resupplied five times, and they were very evenly spaced. I think my longest stretch between resupplies was just over 100 miles. I did have major stomach issues above 11,000 feet, and I’d recommend bringing a variety of foods because you don’t know what your altitude issues will be with eating. Some days I could only choke down a handful of gummy bears. My favorite foods ended up being cold-soaked ramen and gas station muffins. I didn’t bring a stove.
I only resupplied on trail (didn’t send any boxes), which meant I was stuck with a gas station and git shop resupply. If I had planned better, I would have sent two boxes: one to Monarch Pass and one to Lake City. My first resupply was Breckenridge at 104, but I heard most people hitched from Kenosha Pass around mile 77 for their first stop. Here’s what I did:
- Mile 104 – Breckenridge: Breck is a big town with a ton of options. I went to a large grocery store. The town itself was expensive, but the grocery store was reasonable. Handy shuttle in and out of town, too.
- Mile 177 – Twin Lakes: This is the last stop before entering either Collegiate East or West. I took Collegiate West, which meant about 80 miles to my next resupply. I actually got a ride to Salida from Twin Lakes, though Twin Lakes has a general store right near the trail. Salida was about 30 minutes away and had a Walmart.
- Mile 250 – Monarch Pass: This pass has a gift shop / general store. It’s about 5 miles from the official end of the Collegiate West alternate. I would send a resupply box here. They have an OK selection, but it’s so freaking expensive. I stayed at the Butterfly Hostel down the hill, and they had a stocked hiker box that I definitely foraged out of to get me through the next 100 miles.
- Mile 357 – Lake City: I would send a resupply box to a hostel or motel. The town was packed, I had a terrible time finding things, and I ended up having a total meltdown and buying some sweaty cheese and a few muffins from a gas station before hitching back to the trail.
- Mile 412 – Silverton: This town has a great grocery store with a hiker box. The town (again) is expensive as hell, but you won’t be short on food.
Jeff and Andrew put together this full resupply guide here.
5) How much money did you spend?
This was an expensive trail. I ended up spending around $1,400, not including the flight to Denver and two tanks of gas to get home. For a 486-mile trail, that seems pricey, right? Granted, I didn’t skimp in towns. If I wanted a hotel room, I got one. If I wanted three appetizers, a meal, and dessert, I got it. Still … the trail towns are touristy, and mountain towns in general are pricey. You can do this trail much cheaper by staying in hostels, splitting rooms, and sending boxes ahead of time, but Colorado is not a low-budget state.
6) How did your gear work? Link to your gear list?
My gear was great. My base weight was 10 pounds, and I never carried more than 20 or so. I feel like I’ve really dialed in my system, and I barely had anything I didn’t use and rarely wished I had anything I didn’t. I used a 40L LiteAF pack (the Cat Pack. To know it is to love it), the Gossamer Gear One trekking pole tent (spacious and easy to pitch, but not super waterproof), Gossamer Gear poles (didn’t break them!), a 20-degree Therm-a-Rest sleeping bag, which seemed excessive closer to Denver, but I was glad to have at the higher elevations, and a Sea to Summit sleeping pad, which was heavier than the NeoAir, but takes 10 breaths instead of 30 to inflate. I did wish I had a town dress, and camp shoes, but that was it. I’ll probably end up writing a gear review of my system because #AffiliateLinks, but that’s the overall gist of it.
Here’s my full Colorado Trail gear list!
7) Did you train?
No!!!! I started the trail in quite average shape, but I think I’ve done enough distance stuff over the course of the past 5 years that my body fell into the rhythm of hiking all day pretty fast. My hips were sore for the first 100 miles or so, but I never had any knee pain, back pain, or injury-type foot pain. At the end of long days my feet were definitely sore, but I was able to hike around 20 miles per day right away. It helps that the CT is really well graded. There’s a lot of climbing and descending, but none of it feels super steep, and the trail is very smooth and ergonomic. No matter what shape you’re in, you’ll be fine. In worse shape? Hike fewer miles. Feeling strong? Hike more. Just plan your food and timing to allow your own fitness to dictate the mileage without pressure.
8) What was your average daily mileage and schedule?
I averaged about 23 miles on the full days, and around 16 miles for half days (when I went in and out of town). My shortest day was a 10-mile day into Silverton, and my longest day was 28 miles at the end of the trail. If I wasn’t worried about weather, I’d wake up on my own around 5:30 a.m. and be hiking by around 6 a.m. If bad weather was coming in, I’d try to be hiking by 4 a.m. (ew!) and done by early afternoon. My full hiking days were around 10-11 hours, and I didn’t really take breaks. If my tent was wet, I’d stop late morning for 30 minutes to dry it out, and otherwise just 5 minutes here and there to rest my feet or filter water. I’d usually finish fairly early in the day and relax and read a book! I would set vague goals each day, usually aligned with when I wanted to get to town and what made the most sense for that segment. I’d try to meet that goal, if not exceed it each day, but I didn’t really put too much pressure on myself. I just did what felt right.
9) What are you the most proud of?
I had a lot of mental health issues on the trail. I was Going Through Stuff at home, and even though I tried to run away and do a thru-hike instead of dealing with it, the stress and anxiety of my personal life followed me to the trail, and I dealt with some of the worst anxiety of my life out there. I was very much alone for most of the hike, and had a lot of time to do the anxiety death spiral in my head. That said, I’m the most proud of pushing through it. There were a few days (especially in Collegiate West) when my anxiety was so bad I’d be hyperventilating, doubled over on my trekking poles, and unable to keep moving. But I always kept going, even if I was openly bawling while trying to climb a 13,000-foot pass. I’ve never encountered such mental health challenges in the backcountry, and I’m really proud that I pushed through it, especially alone.
10) Overall, did it meet, exceed, or fall short of expectations?
It exceeded my expectations. There were times I would gain a pass or come into view of another valley and be stopped dead in my tracks. The terrain is incredible—my only other experience in Colorado has been around the Front Range, and this trail just blew me away.
Personally, my physical abilities also exceeded my expectations. I wasn’t super fit coming into this, but still hiked the trail (plus two 14ers) in 23 days and never felt like I was pushing myself too hard. Mentally I did terribly, but still got through the rough patches. Overall it was an amazing experience and I’m very happy about it.