Illinois River Headwaters to Willow Creek Pass 11 mi :: 1180 mi :: :: Sunny, warm, afternoon and evening rain storms I bushwhack to the trail in the morning with no trouble. I have breakfast early as I’ve been doing to make sure I have some calories to burn for the day. I make one…

Shadow Mountain Dam to Illinois River Headwaters 21 mi :: 1169 mi :: :: Sunny, warm, afternoon thunder clouds I wake from a fairly good sleep. It’s the first time I’ve tried sleeping under the stars with a mosquito net to protect my face. It works, but requires some management when turning over during the…

Devil’s Thumb Creek to Shadow Mountain Lake 25 mi :: 1148 mi :: :: Sunny, warm It’s a nice, dry morning. When I start walking through the woods, they seem especially tranquil. The sun isn’t up yet, so the air is cool and still with an occasional hint of cinnamon and mint. It puts me…

Berthoud Pass to Devil’s Thumb Creek 18 mi :: 1123 mi :: :: Afternoon clouds I get a fairly early start up the divide because I hope to climb some peaks today. By breakfast I’ve made the first, Mount Flora (13,132′). From here the trail plunges down toward a bunch of popular little reservoirs, but…

South Fork Williams Fork River to Berthoud Pass 23 mi :: 1095 mi :: :: Cloudy morning, sunny afternoon I wake up to a dark, cloudy sky. I don’t feel like walking. I know Ann is expecting me this afternoon, though, so I get started. I climb to a treeless ridge in sporadic rain. The…

Silverthorne to South Fork Williams Fork River 10 mi :: 1072 mi :: :: Afternoon rainstorms Breakfast and packing the car take all morning, so we’re around for one more lunch with my dad and Sarah. I continue to pile in all the calories I can. Once again we’re on I-70, through the Eisenhower Tunnel,…

Indian Hills 0 mi :: 1062 mi :: :: Sunny, hot The day fills up with endless things to do. Consuming many calories is an enjoyable task. My dad takes us to lunch, and I catch Jezze and Pete for a short visit. The rest of the time gets eaten by many organizational tasks. For…

Gutter Creek to Silverthorne 25 mi :: 1062 mi :: :: Sunny An encounter with an animal drives me from my tent during night. I hear some sniffing around outside my tent, but at first ignore it as harmless. Then it starts brushing up against the tent. I rouse myself to look, and see the…

Bear Lake Trailhead to Gutter Creek 26 mi :: 1037 mi :: 56,800 steps :: Sunny It’s a wet morning, but just from dew. The big storm I worried about last night didn’t materialize. By now I’ve learned that it never becomes comfortable to get out of bed on such mornings, so I force myself…