A Bit of Serendipity

I've recently been quite busy with everything but trip planning and outdoor activities - most notably preparing for my third semester oral exam, which I passed a week ago. In focusing on so many other things, I convinced myself that I wasn't doing enough in terms of preparation.

But today, sleep deprived and mentally drained, I stumbled across Lefty's Colorado Trail Grille located in DIA's A Concourse. I couldn't help but smile as I thought about the adventures awaiting me and Ramius next summer.

A small update on trip progress:

• Recently purchased and tested Mini-Trangia 28-t stove
• works very well if you have time (~7.5 minutes to boil)
• Found a great store off of Canyon and 13th that will sell me maps at a discount
• Discovered a way to get Ramius up in Boulder with me more often so we can condition for our two 2012 walks

The Plan, Man

Well, it has been nearly two months since my first post and a lot has happened in that time:

• 90% of the route is planned
• Found a great route to test gear on
• Financials are set
• Have a rough timeline for summer 2012

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I have the vast majority of the route planned out along with the logistics of getting my car to Durango before I actually leave. As of now, I'll be mostly sticking to the main trail with the exception of 12 Fourteeners, the Lost Creek Wilderness High Route, and Missouri Gulch. The Fourteeners will include Mt. Massive, Mt. Elbert, Missouri Mountain, Mt. Oxford, Mt. Belford, Mt. Harvard, Mt. Columbia, Mt. Yale, Mt. Princeton, Mt. Antero, and Mt. Shavano of the Sawatch Range and San Luis Peak of the San Juan Range. Needless to say, I am extraordinarily excited for the sheer level of peak bagging that will happen next summer - especially considering how the lack of a car severely limited my ability to get up to any Fourteeners this past summer. I will eventually post a GoogleEarth file on here with the exact route I plan on taking. 

The route that I found to test gear on is located near the Flatirons and just a mile west of my home in Boulder. Including traveling to and from the trailhead, it is a 12-mile loop and offers a variety of terrain, trail grades, and exposure levels. I'm looking forward to using it more often once my gear starts flowing in. 

Speaking of gear flowing in, I've got a financial plan to get all of my gear by late spring of 2012. I figure that this will give me plenty of time to test it out and break it in. Thank goodness for REI and its no-questions-asked return policy... I expect to go through several versions of certain items. 

And as for the 'Summer 2012 Timeline,' I've decided that we will be heading to Vermont as soon as graduation is over (Mid-May), then heading over to Boston for a quick visit (Late June-Early July), starting the Colorado Trail (Mid-Late July), and finally heading to the Pacific Northwest (Late August-Early September) to visit long lost chemistry pals. 

Here's to hopin'!

Here We Go!

I have long been interested in hiking The Colorado Trail. This interest has increased over the years, especially with my discovery of Colorado's Fourteeners over the past year. Even more, Ramius loves to hike and is getting up in years - he is about 3 1/2 now - and I want to do something fun with him before we can't anymore. Beyond that even, I'm eager to celebrate the successful (cross your fingers) completion of my Master's.

So we have elected to hike roughly 500 miles from Denver to Durango shortly after our trip to Vermont in the summer of 2012. We are also going to bag a few peaks along the way, including several of the Ivies and Colorado's crown jewel: Mount Elbert.

I'm hoping to use this blog to organize my own trip and, if someone happens to stumble upon it, give advice to people travelling along the trail in the future - especially those who are travelling with dogs. It's a shame that there aren't more guides detailing a dog-friendly excursion, but I guess that just makes it that much more of an adventure.

Cheers!