A swimming bear, shooting stars, and a 10 by 10: Colorado Trail thru-hike days one through three

This post first appeared on The Trek on August 10, 2022. The beginning of my Colorado Trail thru-hike didn’t exactly go off without a hitch. As I mentioned in my preparation posts, my friends Ibex and Dori, both of whom were a part of my Appalachian Trail tramily, are joining me for this adventure. I

Six ways I’m preparing for my Colorado Trail thru-hike

This post was first published on The Trek on July 27, 2022. I ditched Washington, DC, for the Appalachian Trail (AT) and then Colorado over four years ago, but the Type A habits I picked up there live on. While I certainly can fly by the seat of pants, I typically don’t. The truth is,

Backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park – What to know before you go

Want to go backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park? In this vid, I show you around the summer 2021 backpacking trip I took there while discussing things to know before you go, such as how to get a wilderness permit to stay over in the park, which animals you need to watch out for ASIDE

How to backpack Colorado’s Cross Creek to Fall Creek Loop in the Holy Cross Wilderness

Ever since hiking the Missouri and Fancy Lakes loop earlier this summer (which was incredible!), I’ve been wanting to get back to the Holy Cross Wilderness to explore more. Well, last month, my friends got kicked off the Pacific Crest Trail due to wildfires and took a last-minute flight out to Colorado to visit, so

How to backpack to Aspen, Colorado’s Conundrum Hot Springs

Have you ever hiked to a natural hot spring, soaking your sore muscles in a natural hot tub on a mountainside while enjoying the view of the valley below? If not, I cannot recommend Conundrum Hot Springs near Aspen, Colorado enough! The trail is gorgeous, with views for days, dreamy aspen forests, and abundant wildflowers in the summer months, and come on, who doesn’t want to end their hike in a natural hot spring?! 10/10 would definitely recommend adding this to your bucket list!

How to Hike Four Colorado “Fourteeners” in One Shot

Ready to hike one of Colorado’s famed fourteeners (peaks over 14,000 feet above sea level) but unsure where to begin? Allow me to introduce you to the DeCaLiBron, where you can hike not one, but four fourteeners in one shot — all for about the same amount of effort it would take to complete just one.

How to Hike Aspen, Colorado’s Four Pass Loop

I’ve had my eye on the Four Pass Loop near Aspen since I moved to Colorado. It’s frequently on “best of” hiking trails lists for the state, and I’ve even seen mention of it being one of the best hiking trails in the world. With all this hype and all the hiking I’ve done, you might think I’d end up disappointed. Not so! I was, in fact, totally blown away by this 28-mile(ish) trail. It was nothing short of amazing. Here is how you can plan your own backpacking trip out to the Maroon Bells Wilderness.

Four of THE BEST hiking trails in Colorado

The beauty of the Colorado wilderness never ceases to amaze me. I am so ridiculously in love with this state. From alpine lakes to dramatic mountain views to vibrant wildflowers, Colorado has it all. Having now spent two summers hiking every single weekend (and many weekday evenings, too) here, I get a lot of questions

Five Amazing Summer Hikes Within an Hour of Boulder, Colorado

Love hiking? Then you have got to plan a visit to Boulder, Colorado! Here are my five recommendations for amazing not-to-miss hikes within an hour of Boulder.