colorado
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Practice Trip 2: walking in circles with 15 pounds of water, playing desert make-believe
One of the more daunting aspects of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail is the long water carries in the desert. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) begins with ~700 miles through the desert in Southern California. Water is scarce. Sources may… Continue reading
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Trip Report: Pre-PCT Practice Hike
At 5:45 am Friday morning, I hit snooze on my alarm, cursing my past self for my excessive ambition. Twenty minutes later, I actually got up and started getting ready. Today, was the day I planned to do my first… Continue reading
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Summary of my Colorado Trail Thru Hike (Resupply strategy, gear, and reflections)
As I gear up to thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail this upcoming May, I’ll post a lot about my planning process. As I prepare for my next adventure, I’m also taking time to reflect on my past thru-hikes and look… Continue reading
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Lessons Learned: 7 things I did differently on my second thru-hike
When it comes to thru-hiking, sometimes you must learn by doing. This was certainly the case for me. I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail solo during my gap year before college. Though I was already a fairly experienced backpacker for my… Continue reading
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Ranking the Colorado Trail’s 33 Segments from Worst to Best
If you’re planning a thru-hike or section hike of the Colorado Trail, you may be wondering, “which Colorado Trail segment is best?” or “what are the worst segments of the Colorado Trail?”. Lucky for you, I’ve ranked all 33 segments… Continue reading
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The Collegiate East or West: a thru-hiker’s guide to picking the best route – from someone who hiked both twice
If you are planning a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail, you’ll need to decide between the Collegiate East or Collegiate West routes through the Collegiate Range. I’ve hiked both routes twice, and I’m here to help you make that decision!… Continue reading
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Trip Report: Hiking the Collegiate Loop in Under a Week
Since completing my 2016 Colorado Trail thru-hike, I’ve wanted to go back and hike the Collegiate Loop as a stand-alone backpacking trip. I felt hiking the loop fast could be a great way to push myself physically and boost my… Continue reading
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5 high-elevation weekend backpacking trips in Northern Colorado
I’ve lived on the northern Colorado Front Range for the last 10 years, and I love it for many reasons. One reason is that it’s easy to access some incredible backpacking areas without driving far. Whether you’re visiting northern Colorado… Continue reading
Adventures with Val 