Hopes, Plans, and Unknowns

About a year and a half ago, we started dreaming. We were in Europe, traipsing around a different city every couple of weeks, relying only on our little family, and watching our girls become better and better friends with each other. What could we do next that would excite us, challenge us, unite us?

The Colorado Trail was something we had been planning for a few years in the future. (What a celebration for Bill’s 40th!) When we began to think about it, though, we started to wonder why we were waiting, really. And then we started to get excited! 486 miles of trail from Denver to Durango — over mountain passes, through wilderness areas, past small high country mountain towns. Let’s walk home from our state’s capital!

breaking in our new trail shoes

We’ve bought gear, tested gear, rejected gear, bought more gear. We’ve pinned up maps, created spreadsheets, filled in calendars. Planned meals for 59 days away from home. Cooked, bought, dried, and packaged food for (so far half of) our two month adventure.

food waiting to be compiled in resupply boxes

We’ve been preparing our bodies too. We’ve always been a good hiking family, but we’ve amped things up lately. Our half weight/full mileage day was a huge and happy success. Our full weight/half mileage hike was likewise awesome. We will be ready!

Now, we know this may not happen. We may be spending those 59 days in our backyard playing ping pong. On June 13th, we will make a final decision to go for it or postpone until next summer. And of course we’re really hoping it will be a go, for so many reasons.

Some days we’re optimistic, some days we’re not. But we are full steam ahead as if we were sure. And if in a month we have a puppy named Consolation, you’ll know we have to add some new gear for 2021.