Mile 460.8 - 483 Our last day felt a bit surreal, but so have all last days. We woke up early but took our time eating breakfast, enjoying the sunrise over the edges of the valley. We downed our last cups of strange watered down coffee, rolled up our mats for the last time. But … Continue reading Day 25. Durango

Mile 391.8 - 414.4 We got a small taste of the "horrible weather" this morning, as we were awoken to steady, heavy rain. It was loud against the fabric of the tents, but there was almost no wind, so we just waited it out. The San Juans ended up having some of the nicest weather … Continue reading Day 22. Home Stretch

Mile 345.8 - 356.2 We spent the morning hiking along Snow Mesa. If not for the mountains visible behind us, it would almost seem like your average field at sea level. We were hiking in a small group of other people who were also meaning to go into town today. The shuttle arrived on time … Continue reading Day 19. Lake City

Mile 304.5 - 325.3 On the Appalachian trail, we managed to eat the same two or three dinners for almost six months. Ramen, pasta sides, and sometimes Mac and cheese.We've been trying to get more creative lately. We discovered freeze dried beans on the Arizona trail and now sometimes make tacos, and we found that … Continue reading Day 17. Thinking about food

Mile 261.9 - 283.4 We had a fairly easy day today. Most of the hiking was through fields of grazing cows, up and over small hills and through valleys. The heat of the sun did make it feel harder though. We also had a new experience today: the trail was open to hikers, bikers, horse … Continue reading Day 15. Cows

Mile 49.1cw - 65.7cw I finally got a blister. Small and unnoticed on my heel, it hurt just enough for me to alter my steps to favor that leg. Thousands of steps with my foot slightly twisted left the arch of my foot almost unable to flex. I picked a good day to screw up … Continue reading Day 13. Butterfly House

Mile 5.4cw - 28.5cw Last night we pushed hard to get as far up the mountain as possible, but the grading certainly didn't make it easy for us. Every step got us only a few inches higher and the peak felt miles farther. We eventually collapsed and pitched our tents closer to another group that … Continue reading Day 11. Hope Pass

Mile 84.2 - 103.9 Looking down over Breckenridge Today was our first resupply on the Colorado Trail. We hiked several miles in a hail storm in order to reach a major road crossing by around noon, and took a (free!) bus into Breckenridge. We stopped to shower at a rec center first, and the staff … Continue reading Day 6. Breckenridge

Mile 44.5 - 63.4 Our guide book marked a significant stretch of today as being an "unnaturally straight meadow". We were not disappointed, as we did hike in a very straight line for more than six miles. Meadows are pretty rare so high up in the mountains, and as long as it's not too hot … Continue reading Day 4. Meadow

Mile 8.6 - 27 We hiked several miles in the morning and stopped for a snack at a trailhead and large river. Nearby campers offered us Gatorade and strongly discouraged us from climbing the rest of the hill in the heat of the afternoon. A fire in the late 90's destroyed the vast majority of … Continue reading Day 2. Chair