One-hundred and sixty miles down. Three-hundred and forty to go.
We’re one-third of the way through our trek of the Colorado Trail. Depending on what you read, the trail covers anywhere from 485 to 500 miles — from Denver to Durango — with a total elevation climb of 77,690 feet. As I said in the first post I did on the Colorado Trail, that’s a LOT of uphill. We’re now on a 200 mile section of the CT that shares the same footpath as the Continental Divide Trail, so we’re spending more and more time above 10,000 feet, often in alpine zones above timberline.
I’m cooking and dehydrating all our dinners and we’re eating well. And gluten-free, of course. In fact, I have chicken, quinoa noodle, and veggie soup in the dehydrator as I type. With chile con carne waiting in the wings.
Rather than ramble on about the trip, I’ll share some photos with you instead. I’m in a pinch for time, but when things slow down, I’ll get back to posting on a more regular basis. For now, here’s a preview of where I’m spending so much of my time lately. Although the days are long and tiring, there’s nothing more rejuvenating than spending time in the wilderness. No phones, no money, no traffic, no silly TV shows. I love it!
If that waterfall hadn’t been so dang cold, I would have taken a shower — with all my clothes on. They needed washing as much as I did. I won’t even mention how my hair looks after a week of backpacking, although bad hair days aren’t a big deal when all you see during the day is your hiking partner, a few marmots, and a couple of deer.
Onward . . .
Melissa
Melissa,
Wonderful photographs, it looks like an amazing adventure you are on. It’s so nice to see pictures of the American countryside, it’s a reminder of how beautiful your country is.
Enjoy the hike!
Miles
Thanks, Miles! I appreciate your comments. Talk about wonderful photos — your butterfly shots are amazing!
Off we go again. I’ll check in when we emerge from the backcountry in another week or so.
I happened to find a facebook page for gf/cf recipes which led me to your website. I just moved from Denver to NJ in March and am soooo homesick. Late August and September are my favorite months in Colorado. Your pictures are beautiful. I am patiently awaiting more pictures. Love your writing and recipes, Michele
Hi Michelle,
Aaah, I understand why you’re homesick. Colorado is wonderful, and I totally agree that late August and September are the best. Hopefully you can return home one of these days — for good!
I’ll post more photos next time around. Thanks for stopping by.
Beautiful pictures!
Melissa, your trip sounds wonderful. Years ago, I went on a 8 day horsepacking trip North of Durango over the continental divide, probally some of the same trails you are on. It was spectacular and an amazing trip. Love your photos, safe travels.
amazing! 77 THOUSAND vertical feet! my god…
how much do you have to climb on the most intense days? I max out at about 3-4K without a pack (anytime I do over about 2-3K in a day I can’t climb stairs for 2-3 days!!) I bet it’s amazing though…
I’ve been off on another phase of this adventure of ours, so my responses have been few and far between lately. Sorry about that! But I wanted to thank you all for your comments and encouraging words. I’ll do a post with a wrap-up of our journey soon. It was a wonderful experience!