When I began my Colorado Trail thru-hike in Waterton Canyon on July 23, 2024, I started out hiking alone. This is pretty typical of my approach to long trails. But it didn’t take long to form a trail family on this 500-mile journey.
For the first few days, I continued to keep pace and leapfrog with four other hikers who all started the same day as me. We were all earlybirds (hitting the trail by 6 am at the latest) and hiking similar distances each day. By the time we completed the first 100 miles, we’d become a trail family.
Before I introduce each member, here’s a quick run-down of some of our stats:
- Total number of hikers in our group (including me): 5
- Number of members from the US: 2
- States we claim as home: Oregon and Nevada
- Number of members from the UK: 3
- Number of veterans in our group: 2
- How many thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail: 3 (including one who did it twice!)
- How many thru-hiked the PCT: 4 (including one who did it twice!)
- Number who summited Mt. Kilimanjaro: 2
- Number who rowed across the Atlantic Ocean: 1
- Number who’ve lived in/spent extended time visiting Southeast Asia: 5
- Most common foods we collectively ate on the CT: ramen, potato chips, Twix bars
- Most unusual thing carried in anyone’s food bag: an entire bottle of Chick-fil-a sauce
- Nights I camped/slept beside a member of my trail family: 26 (93%)
- Nights I slept alone: 2
Sing Song
Sing Song (aka Drake) completed both the PCT and the AT before turning his sights on the Colorado Trail. He currently splits his time between Las Vegas and Thailand.
Puff Puff
Puff Puff (Alex) has an explansive hiking resume with thru-hikes the AT, the PCT, and the Te Araroa in New Zealand. She has also biked across Australia and rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. She currently splits her time between the UK and Canary Islands.
Squindy (aka Squirrel & Indy)
Squirrel (aka Kate) and Indy (aka Max) came to Colorado at the end of their whirlwind 18 months of travel, during which they thru-hiked the PCT, the Kungsleden in Sweden, the West Highland Way in Scotland, and the Colorado Trail. Because they’re a married couple who generally hiked together, we soon came to refer to the duo as “Squindy.” After the CT, they will be returning to the UK.
Sisu
The CT was another great thru-hike to add to my own outdoor resume, which includes the AT (2019), Oregon Coast Trail (2021), Arizona Trail (2022), and bikepacking the C&O towpath and Great Allegheny Passage (2023). I currently call Oregon home, and you can read about some of my other trail adventures HERE.
Final Thoughts
I want to say a big thank you to these four wonderful people. Their sense of humor, generosity, and stories about their travels enhanced my time on the Colorado Trail immensely!
