CT 2013

Welcome to our 2013 Colorado Trail Journal!  After our 2012 PCT thru-hike, we were both anxious to be back out on the trail again.  We settled on the Colorado Trail, which travels almost 500 miles through the Rockies from Denver to Durango, because it could be completed during the summer without additional time off.  With an average elevation over 10,000 feet, we knew it would be both beautiful and challenging, the perfect summer adventure! 

We know how helpful journals are for those who are planning a Colorado Trail hike or who are just interested in reading more about the trail, so we made this page to make it easier to link to our Colorado Trail journal entries as we continue to post about our other hikes.  We've divided the posts into three categories:  (1) Preparation; (2) Trail Journal; and (3) Post Hike.

Preparation
Before the hike, we posted a two entries about the trail: (1) The Colorado Trail; and (2) Guidebooks, Maps, and Planning.  The entry about Guidebooks, Maps, and Planning lists the three things we brought with us on the trail: (1) the Data Book; (2) maps; and (3) relevant pages from the Guidebook.  Now that we have hiked the trail, I would add that the Colorado Trail is very well marked, and could probably be hiked using the Data Book alone, with maps only for sections where you are planning to venture off the main trail, such as when climbing a nearby 14er.  I would use the relevant Trails Illustrated map(s) when taking any sidetrips because the maps in the Colorado Trail mapbook cover only a narrow corridor.  The Guidebook provides interesting details, but could be read and left at home.

Trail Journal

We hiked the Colorado Trail over 29 incredible days from June 22 to July 20, 2013.  When we started our hike on June 22, 2013, Sections 1 and 2 of the Colorado Trail were closed due to the Lime Gulch Fire so we started with Section 3 at the Little Scraggy Trailhead.  We went back to make up sections 1 and 2 after hiking to Breckenridge, then returned to Breckenridge and continued hiking to Durango.  If you prefer to read each section in trail order, you should start with (1) Day 6: Waterton Canyon, Section 1; and (2) Day 7: South Platte River, Section 2.


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