Colorado Trail Pre Hike 14 July 2018

There comes the moment when you just have to pack the car and trust that you are hopefully ready.Time will eventually dictate when the planning and organizing must cease and the hiking must start. And I am so relieved that I am only days away from starting the Colorado Trail thru hike. The hours of planning and preparation are coming to a welcome close.I am now in Colorado Springs. Tomorrow I leave for Denver.Monday I start the 486 mile hike from Denver to Durango.Monday.But I won’t be alone. Julie and Ed will be with me.Together we will traverse steep canyons, high mountain passes, forests of pine trees and aspens, lush meadows. Together we will share in the challenges, the exhilarations, the mighty fortitude, bravery and strength.And hopefully I will fulfill a personal calling that brought me to this moment - the call of the wild, the call of adventure - to have an exceptional experience in my life.

Our final day in Ohio  - Thursday July 12th. - was spent spraying hiking gear with permethrin, mailing out resupply boxes to our first stop on the trail - Bailey, last minute errands and final gear review.  While Julie fulfilled her last moments of employment, Ed and I worked throughout the day, culminating with packing the car in the late afternoon so we could depart in the early evening.  We would drive to St. Louis, about six and half hours away, spend the night and then drive the rest of the way to Colorado to arrive Friday evening.   As the car sped away from the traffic in Columbus, the sun was beginning its slow descent in the western sky turning into a perfect orange circle suspended in darkening blue haze - a beacon that we followed on our path to the west until it submerged completely into the horizon and vanished.  With Ed driving, Julie and I began to drift into half awake slumber.  We were listening to an audio book - Hiking Through - about a man’s wandering thru hike of the Appalachian Trail.   Eventually we turned it off and then sleep did come.   I managed to stay awake long enough to see the city lights of Indianapolis.   But I missed St. Louis, and then we arrived at the hotel for the night around 1:30 am.   Within ten minutes of checking in, we were all in bed.  And then for me, sleep was only seconds away.

Waking early, we continued our driving trek to Colorado Springs.  I was now familiar with the ever changing landscapes from east to west but as we crossed over from Kansas to Colorado, I found myself still amazed at the wide expansive prairies along a highway that continued forever in a straight flat line.

We would spend the next few days with Ed and Julie’s son Tyler and his wife Anna in their lovely home in Colorado Springs.  These generous pre hike days would allow us to adjust to the altitude and get some much needed rest after traveling.  The last time I hiked in Colorado in 2016, I had a very difficult time handling the higher elevations.  Colorado Springs has an elevation of around 6600 feet.  Upon arriving, I did notice the lack of oxygen and increase in my breathing.  But so far, the higher elevation hasn’t affected me adversely like it did in 2016.  On Sunday we leave for Denver which has an elevation of around 5000 feet.  Our first few days on the trail will keep us between 5000-6000 feet.  So I will have even more time to adjust before we begin to climb into the higher elevations.   But I know that 10,000 and 12,000 feet are not far away.   And I hope I can handle those elevations when the time comes.   And it will come.  

Today Tyler took us on a training hike along the Saint Mary’s Falls trail near Colorado Springs.  The six mile hike would take us from 7650 feet to 8900 feet.   I decided to wear my pack, almost fully loaded for the hike.  The road to the trailhead wound up and around a lower level peak with higher peaks surrounding.  Ed drove the car around those narrow turns, climbing higher and higher.  When we arrived at 8am, the air was already very warm and the sun was shining in the sky blazing the rust colored dirt and rocks with intense light.  We began the hike along a wide dusty dirt path covered with small pebbles that  gently climbed upward.   After a mile the path veered off to a narrower channel that soon began a steeper engagement.  I found myself breathing heavy, my heart racing to keep up with the increased need for oxygen.   But the beauty of the Colorado landscape remained refreshingly vibrant and new.   This was a world filled with pine tree fragrances lingering in the light air.  Gazing through the trees I could see startling variations of pine, layers of intricate slender green needles intertwined in complex patterns.  The sky overhead was wide and blue  - such rich blue  - with puffy white clouds floating, drifting, shifting.   I was soon wet with sweat.  My shirt stuck to my back and my forehead was dripping with small beads of wetness that ran down my face.  I stopped to wipe my face, drink from my water bottle and let my heart slow.   And then I continued on because that is what you do when you are hiking.   You move onward toward your goal.  For today our goal was the Saint Mary’s Falls where we would rest and linger at the edges of the cascading water flowing down along wet rocks.  And soon we had made it! I was feeling very good.  I took off my pack, ate some salty chips and drank healthily from my water bottle.  Even now, before we start the CT Hike on Monday, I am constantly reminded to keep hydrated with my salt/electrolyte equation in balance.   So far so good! And here we were at 8900 feet, resting in the warm air, listening to the falling water, basking in the moment.

The hike down along the same path was much easier and we made good time.  Soon we were back to the car and then we were winding down the mountain road back to Colorado Springs.   I found myself reflecting on the upcoming hike.  Monday morning would be here soon - Watertown Canyon Trailhead.  And then we would take our first steps on the trail.   So many lingering questions arose in my mind one after the other bursting to the forefront - questions about the weather, the terrain, the campsites, water sources, gear.   But the lingering questions had no answers.   I cannot ultimately predict what is going to happen.  I cannot control when it will be blistering hot, when it will rain for hours on end with sudden flashes of lightening or when a much needed water source will be dry.  I can only trust that I can handle each moment as it happens in the immediate.  And I can only hope that I will accept each challenge as a part of the profound experience.   But for today, I am grateful that we were able to complete this training hike.   The hike provided a boost of confidence that I needed.  Tomorrow we arrive in Denver.   Almost there.