We're back!
We had a wonderful time on the trail!
Rose was a trooper, of course.
I’m not sure why, but there’s so much catch up when we return from backpacking.
I’ll be back with photos very soon! 
Archive | On the Colorado Trail
Unconscious Mutterings on vacation this week
Sorry folks, I asked Pea if I could have the prompts early, but no can do. I can’t post them from the Colorado Trail.
We shall mutter again next Sunday, promise!
Cheers!
Claudia
On the trail….
I’m heading out today, Friday, for the Colorado Trail.
In 2006, we quit our jobs and left our home to hike the 450 miles of the Colorado Trail. We made it 150 miles to Leadville before the snow (in August) pushed us off the trail.
We’d promised ourselves we would continue on the trail one segment at a time. But we’ve never returned. In fact, I haven’t looked at my packing gear since we returned.
We are returning to the trail tonight.
Our hope is to do the next segment, get a feel for backpacking again, and see how we like it.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Cheers!
Claudia
Grind a bit in paradise.
“We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough.”
– Helen Keller
I love the trill of starting something new.? I research every possibility.? I conducted endless conversations about what’s “right”. Then the moment comes!
I jump in feet first.
I can sustain my new and exciting project for a while.? I can go years enjoying a new challenge. ? Then, whether I like it or not, the newness wears off and the grind sets in.
I despise the grind.
When I was younger, I never experienced the grind.?? Before I could grind, I’d jump to something new – new diet, new friend, new business, new apartment, whatever.? The thrill of new never left my life.
My goals are larger now. If I want to achieve my dreams, I must hang in day after day.? I must grind.
I took this picture while we were hiking the Colorado Trail.? In 2006, we hiked 150 miles at over 10,000 feet in two and a half weeks.? This picture represents another day moving from 8,000 feet to over 10,000 feet (the mountain in the distance) only to end the day around 9,000 feet (the other side of the mountain).
This picture reminds me: If I want to achieve my dreams, I must grind a bit in paradise.
How do you stay motivated day after day?? What keeps you going?
Happy Monday!
Enough feeling sorry for ourselves!
Where have I been? I have been super busy feeling sorry for myself. First I was upset that we left the trail, lost in the middle of our modern life. Then there was much t(d)rama over what was supposed to be a nice weekend with friends. Hell, then there was just unabashed sorry feeling.
Hey, it happens right?
Last weekend, we decided to visit our next stop on the trail – Twin Lakes Colorado. What an amazingly beautiful place! We would have arrived there 2 days after we left the trail.
Totally cool – actually too cool – it’s been snowing 1000 feet above Twin Lakes (read: on the Colorado Trail) since we left the trail.? Leaving early was heart wrenching.? See all that snow makes it a little less heart wrenching.
So I’m back to amuse you again….? Unless I get behind in my feeling sorry for myself and have to retreat again to do that!
On a break…
We were snowed on last Monday….our tent froze last Tuesday… the big fat storm clouds rolled in on Thursday…. all this and our winter clothing was 2 weeks away.
We had checked the weather averages… but I guess it’s not an average year this year. It’s snowing in the high country as I write this.
We hope to get back out there (after retrieving our winter gear)…. I’ll let you know what happens!
To the edge again…
We leave in a few hours to rejoin the trail. It snowed last night in the high country, so it will be interesting.? We have been able to refine our gear (again!) and also received more inspiration from Andy Skurka.? We will hike for the next couple of weeks, then join our friends in South Park.
I’ll be back to post new photos, comments and fun!? In the meantime, wish us luck and have a delightful couple of weeks
Finding Human Remains
We were hiking in the Buffalo Creek Fire Zone, exhausted, and looking for a tent site. We finally find this place, in a wash, under a widowmaker – sigh – but we simply couldn’t go any father.
Low and behold, there is an entire, intact human skelton there. Some of it is scattered. Most of it is together – like a hand…. We took a GPS reading then went on.
Our friend K called in the information – and nothing. It turns out that the GPS is on the border of two counties so nothing happens. Finally over a week later, she gets a call from BOTH counties wanting to know if the site was in their county. SHEESH!
Life is simply NOT like a Jim Chee novel. No one rushes out. Instead, people fight over who is going to make the 2 mile hike to the spot.
I only hope that some mother will soon know what happened to her loved one.
Here’s a picture of the sunrise at the spot. If you look carefully, you can see a bone:
80 miles…. down….
It’s been hard… Ok really hard. Every day we are both confronted with our own demons. His sound like “What’s the point?” and mine sound like “no matter how hard I try, I am just not going to be able to do this”. But here we are 80 miles later.
We aren’t going very fast. We modeled our trip after Andy Skurka (who is super fast) knowing that we aren’t 24 anymore. What we didn’t a count on is all the time we would stop to talk, 1 hour long lunches, playing with the dog, and simply our desire to enjoy some of the trial.
Truth is? We are simply not that cool. Or in shape. Or young. Or what the hell?
Did I mention it’s hard?
We have seen some amazing sites – glowing vistas, beautiful sunrises, open scenery that we would never have seen. We have challenged ourselves to stretch beyond simple comforts like pillows, pajamas, flush toilets, and, yes, clean underwear. It’s been an amazing dicotomy of challenges, delights, and experiences.
We’ll see where we end up!
Rose, the Joyful, takes a look in the Lost Creek Wilderness.
Max and Monster get in the picture AGAIN(!) in this view of South Park near Kenosha Pass.
Green Acres
To the tune of Green Acres theme song:
He says:
“Colorado Trail is the place for me,
Mountain Living is the life for me,
Backpacking from Denver to Durango!
Keep Denver just give me that mountianside.”
I say:
“At home is where I’d rather stay,
I do not think I can live that way,
I just enjoy an indie band show,
Darling I love you but I”ll be in the front room!”
He says: “The trails”
I say: “Emails”
He says: “Fresh air!”
I say: “Clean underwear?”
He says: “You are my wife”
I roll my eyes.
And off we went…..
