Trip Shakedown Series: 27 Days Thru-Hiking the Colorado Trail

Trip Shakedown Series: 27 Days Thru-Hiking the Colorado Trail

Welcome to the Gossamer Gear trip report shakedown series! We know our community is always looking for new backcountry adventures to try and tips for preparing and packing for them with an ultralight mindset. That’s why we’ve asked our brand ambassadors to dish the details on their latest and greatest travels.

In this blog series, you’ll find:

  • Route recommendations
  • Challenges and highlights of the trail
  • Tips on how to plan your trip
  • Gear lists from our brand ambassadors

We’re excited to kick off this series with a submission from Nancy East about her thru-hike of the Colorado Trail. Nancy lives and plays in the mountains of western North Carolina. She is an avid day hiker and backpacker and a passionate member of her county’s search and rescue team. Nancy set the fastest known time (FKT) for the Smokies 900 in 2020, and is the author of Chasing the Smokies Moon, which chronicles this journey. We hope her Colorado Trail insights help you plan your next trip!

Tell us a little about your trip and where you went! What region did you explore? How many days or miles did you trek?

In August and September 2023, I thru-hiked the Colorado Trail (CT). Running north to south through the state, the CT starts south of Denver at Waterton Canyon and ends nearly 500 miles later in Durango. My friend and I took 27 days to hike the trail (22 days of hiking with 5 zero days).

What got you excited about this trip? What are some unique features about the location? Was this your first time or a return trip?

I backpacked the Four Pass Loop in Colorado over a long weekend several years prior to my CT thru-hike. I was eager to return and explore more of the Colorado mountains on foot. The CT passes through eight of the state’s mountain ranges, with ample opportunities to get off trail and experience the charm of many small mountain towns along the way.

Tell us a little about how you packed for this trip. What backpack did you use? Was there any gear that was particularly useful for it? How much did your pack weigh?

I used the same backpack I use for every long hike I take: the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60. In fact, I was trail testing a sample of the newest version of the Mariposa on my thru-hike. My base weight was around 16 pounds, but my pack was over 25 pounds with a couple of longer stretches between resupplies. I was immediately impressed with the Mariposa’s improved load lifter setup and how much more comfortable it felt to carry a heavier load.

Beyond my backpack, I used my Zpacks Duplex Tent, Katabatic Gear Flex 15-Degree Quilt, and a Thermarest NeoAir Women’s XLite Sleeping Pad. All of these worked well for my hike. I took my usual assortment of accessories, such as a CNOC water bag, Sawyer Squeeze Filter, BRS Stove, and Vargo Bot 0.7L. 

The Leukotape I carry in my first aid kit came in handy a couple of times when some hot spots on my feet needed attention in the first 100 miles. Electrolyte replacement powder (Skratch Labs and LMNT are my favorites) were particularly helpful on the many hot days we were hiking. I kept these in my Gossamer Gear Bumster, along with other easy-to-reach items.

Because the CT is often very exposed to the sun at high elevations, my Liteflex Umbrella earned its usual MVP status on this thru-hike. I loved having the extra shade when the temperatures were approaching triple digits the first few days of our hike as we traversed through many open areas. 

I also enjoyed taking a Gossamer Gear Thinlight Pad on this trip, and I pulled it out for all our breaks during the day, as well as using it under my sleeping pad to help keep it from slipping on the floor of my tent (and perhaps added a smidge more R-value to my setup).

Finally, my Gossamer Gear LT5 Carbon Trekking Poles were invaluable. They were like having 4-wheel drive while climbing steep passes. I’m certain they saved my butt from many a bruise on descents from those passes when my legs felt like Jell-O from the climb up! 

What were some of the highlights of the trip?

Since I live in the mountains of western North Carolina, I’m often hiking in “the green tunnel” and am not exposed to 360-degree panoramic views. One of the biggest highlights for me was having unobstructed views while traversing through the state’s magnificent mountain ranges. I expected the ranges to all feel and look similar, but each possessed its own unique characteristics and beauty.

Our resupplies in towns were an unexpected highlight. I loved experiencing the culture and charm of Breckenridge, Twin Lakes, Salida, Lake City, Silverton, and Durango. Each town was incredibly welcoming to CT hikers, and Lake City even boasts a hiker support center in a local Presbyterian church! 

Eventually, CT thru-hikers are faced with a “choose your own adventure” decision to hike the Collegiate East or West route. There are pros and cons to each, but the general consensus is that the Collegiate West route is more scenic; however, it’s also more exposed to the elements. We had a favorable weather forecast when we had to finalize our choice, and I’m so grateful—it was as epic as we’d been told!

There are a few places where CT hikers can take side excursions of varying distances to summit 14ers. I opted to add 2.6 miles to one of our days and summit San Luis Peak (14,022 feet). It was a clear, picture-perfect day, and it became one of my favorite memories of the entire hike. 

With any thru-hike, you’re bound to encounter other interesting hikers, and the CT is no exception. I hiked this trail with one of my besties, Chris “Pacer” Ford, who completed his Triple Crown in 2023. Along the way, we ended up sharing trail time with many other CT thru-hikers and even ended up with a small trail family. The CT never felt crowded, yet it was easy to foster a sense of community and make friends along the way.

I also appreciated how well the CT is maintained and supported. The Colorado Trail Foundation does an outstanding job of outreach and stewardship, and you feel that in every mile of the trail. 

What were some of the trip’s challenges? What might you do differently next time?

One of the biggest challenges we faced was prolonged unsafe weather in the San Juans that forced us to take an unplanned zero day in Silverton, which morphed into two zero days when the weather didn’t improve. Our return flights home had to be rebooked, and I faced the threat of not being able to finish the trail (and we were so close at that point!). 

If I were to hike the CT again, I’d proactively build in more time to account for poor weather conditions that might force me off trail for a few days. I was on a tight timeline because of family obligations, but it would have been nice to not have to fret so much about finishing! 

If I’d had the luxury of more time, I’d have also eased into the mileage and elevation gain (we started hiking the trail the morning we landed in Denver). I was fortunate that I didn’t have any acclimatization issues coming from my home of 2,800 feet above sea level, but it would have been better to start more slowly or even acclimate a day or two in Denver before hiking.

The final thing I wished I’d had time for was to summit Mount Elbert, the second-highest mountain in the contiguous United States and the highest in Colorado. The CT passes right by the spur trail to the summit, but it was more of a time and mileage commitment than I had to spare.

Get Inspired to Take Less and Do More Through Shared Community Knowledge

If you’d like to follow along with more of Nancy’s adventures, you can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. She’s also written more about her CT experience in detail on her website. Nancy is a weekend warrior who also takes a yearly “mombatical” to hike shorter long trails like the CT.

Have your own stories from hiking the CT? We’d love to hear them! Share your insight with us by tagging Gossamer Gear on social media (@gossamergear) and using the hashtag #takelessdomore.

Looking for more outdoor adventure inspiration? Check out some of our other articles on the Light Feet blog written by or about Nancy herself:

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