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Colorado Trail
Anybody ever hike, bike, run, ride, horse back it? I would like to do the full 500 miles one of these days. Sounds like a challenge! Says takes about 4-6 weeks. At that pace I would have to do 11 miles a day for 45 days!!
Anybody have a few pack animals they want to lend??
Done it on horseback. Definitely a great experience that I'd like to do again someday, maybe on foot this time.
How long did it take you? Did you do the full 500 miles?Originally Posted by mcantar18c
My wife did it, solo. We cached food at a few separate spots beforehand (with a backup nearby). We looked at bear vaults, but I ended up using 6" PVC and cemented the ends on. She used a little cable saw to get in. I also left an empty 4" tube with a screw-on end at each cache site, so she could drop off her trash. After she finished, we went back and collected the empties, the spares, and the trash tubes. 500 miles solo. She's a rockstar.
If you're gonna do it, pm me, and we can try to help with some lessons learned.
ROCKSTAR in deed! WOW!
I was wondering if you wouldn't mind posting some "lessons learned" and anything else that might be important here? That way others can learn as well...
I am considering it, and would love to do it. I haven't been hiking long distances for a while now, last 20 mile one I did was back in the Corps. I used to hike all the time and stopped about 8 years ago. I am starting to train again and taking my son out (9 y.o)with me to get conditioning going. I would like to take him with me but not sure how he would handle it.
I am starting to research the Colorado trail and trying to gather as much knowledge as I can. I will need to learn a lot!
What kind of equipment did your wife bring along? How many miles did she do daily? What did she do for water, clothes, etc?
Thanks for the reply!
Ok, sorry for the delay. First bit of advice is to buy the book:
http://www.shop.coloradotrail.org/Of...ion-GUIDE8.htm
But check details against a map. For instance, her book was wrong about the distance from the trail to the town of Creed ( 30 miles, not 10 - kinda significant when you're planning to run in for a resupply). This is a new edition though, so it might be fixed.
We cached food at Marshall pass and near Camp Hale. You can drive pretty close to where the trail crosses the road, then hike in enough to find a hiding spot. She ate much less than planned (or cached). She would typically eat one hot meal per day (lunch), and a small but high-energy breakfast/dinner. She found that she just wasn't that hungry. She covered 15-20 miles per day.
Near Creed, there are 3 passes in close succession, she was above timberline all day, and weather/lightening risk can be skethcy. Look at that area closely and plan accordingly.
Go light. Read "Beyond backpacking". A good trail shoe will serve you better than a heavy hiking boot, for the terrain you're covering. She didn't carry a tent. A poncho served as raingear, as well as shelter at night (with creative use of Paracord). As weight was a concern, she carried a Taurus Ultralight .38+p, about 13 oz.
Wildlife: She awoke once surrounded by a flock of sheep than had wandered into her camp - startling, but not dangerous. Another morning she woke up and her sunglasses were missing. They had been by her head, but we're gone. She found them about 20 yards away, chewed up pretty good. Apparently a mischievous squirrel had paid a visit in the night. She woulda been hurtin if she hadn't found them. No bears or cats seen, but fresh bear tracks, and once she thinks she heard a bear grumbling from some brush. She purposely never cooked food where she camped overnight.
Only occasional cel coverage. I heard from her every 2-3 days, sometimes just a message. I had cut out the pages from the Colorado Road Atlas, and taped them together to show the entire trail, and kept track of her progress (so I'd know where to start looking...).
I bought her a collection of CDs of USGS maps of the trail. She was able to print off pages so she only packed the maps necessary. We included maps for upcoming trail segments in her food caches. I don't know if these are still currently available, but I found this one used: http://www.amazon.com/iGage-Colorado.../dp/B00005NCXY
(just remember, they're about 8-9 years old).
The Trail undergoes periodic maintenance and re-routes, so check with the Colorado Trail Foundation for the latest updates before you go.
That's all I can think of right now. PM me if you have other questions, and I'll ask the missus.
Ok, sorry for the delay. First bit of advice is to buy the book:
http://www.shop.coloradotrail.org/Of...ion-GUIDE8.htm
But check details against a map. For instance, her book was wrong about the distance from the trail to the town of Creed ( 30 miles, not 10 - kinda significant when you're planning to run in for a resupply). This is a new edition though, so it might be fixed.
We cached food at Marshall pass and near Camp Hale. You can drive pretty close to where the trail crosses the road, then hike in enough to find a hiding spot. She ate much less than planned (or cached). She would typically eat one hot meal per day (lunch), and a small but high-energy breakfast/dinner. She found that she just wasn't that hungry. She covered 15-20 miles per day.
Near Creed, there are 3 passes in close succession, she was above timberline all day, and weather/lightening risk can be skethcy. Look at that area closely and plan accordingly.
Go light. Read "Beyond backpacking". A good trail shoe will serve you better than a heavy hiking boot, for the terrain you're covering. She didn't carry a tent. A poncho served as raingear, as well as shelter at night (with creative use of Paracord). As weight was a concern, she carried a Taurus Ultralight .38+p, about 13 oz.
Wildlife: She awoke once surrounded by a flock of sheep than had wandered into her camp - startling, but not dangerous. Another morning she woke up and her sunglasses were missing. They had been by her head, but we're gone. She found them about 20 yards away, chewed up pretty good. Apparently a mischievous squirrel had paid a visit in the night. She woulda been hurtin if she hadn't found them. No bears or cats seen, but fresh bear tracks, and once she thinks she heard a bear grumbling from some brush. She purposely never cooked food where she camped overnight.
Only occasional cel coverage. I heard from her every 2-3 days, sometimes just a message. I had cut out the pages from the Colorado Road Atlas, and taped them together to show the entire trail, and kept track of her progress (so I'd know where to start looking...).
I bought her a collection of CDs of USGS maps of the trail. She was able to print off pages so she only packed the maps necessary. We included maps for upcoming trail segments in her food caches. I don't know if these are still currently available, but I found this one used: http://www.amazon.com/iGage-Colorado.../dp/B00005NCXY
(just remember, they're about 8-9 years old).
The Trail undergoes periodic maintenance and re-routes, so check with the Colorado Trail Foundation for the latest updates before you go.
That's all I can think of right now. PM me if you have other questions, and I'll ask the missus.
I want to take the time to "Thank You" for taking the time to post all this and share with us all.... I am going to do some more studying. 15-20 miles a day for 500 miles is an A$$ kicker! AMAZING lil lady you have there!
Thanks!
No problem brother. Good luck!I want to take the time to "Thank You" for taking the time to post all this and share with us all.... I am going to do some more studying. 15-20 miles a day for 500 miles is an A$$ kicker! AMAZING lil lady you have there!
Thanks!
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