Intended to go for 18+ but pulled the plug at 16.1 as my stomach was jacked. Not sure what the deal was but I got insanely bloated about 5 or 6 miles in and had to stop and walk for a short bit. Pace was slow as I battled gut issues. Stomach never rebounded and bothered me for the rest of the day. A really off day.
Ended the week with 53 miles. Another meh.
While I ran, I listened to Joe Rogan interview Alex Honnold from a few months back on his podcast show. I don't get the hype with Joe Rogan. He's entertaining but...… His constant cussing, combined with the fact that he seems to never do his pre-homework on his guests (e.g., didn't even know Honnold has a foundation focused on solar), just kind of leaves me disappointed. He just doesn't seem that informed. Plus, during the Honnold interview, Rogan went on a tangent about supplements and wasn't even able to answer some of Honnold's questions about them. Meh.
The more I dig into the Colorado Trail, the more I realize that my initial goal of doing the first 120 miles from Waterton Canyon to Copper Mountain in 3.5 to 4 days, while feasible with a backpack, may not be a good idea. If I were running, yes. But with a pack on and with the logistics of setting up and breaking down camp daily, it may be cutting it too tight. I have been advised to consider more along the lines of 4.5 to 5 days.
Bottom line: What I am being told is that backpacking those 120 miles will be harder--a lot harder--than running them. That's OK. It's the backpacking and backcountry camping experience that I want. So if I need to carve out more time, OK. I just can't carve out too much time as it's limited.
I saw your comment thread on the CT on FB.
ReplyDeleteAlot of it depends on what experience you want to have. In other words, are you looking to have a "I am gonna grind the trail and get this shit done" sort of thing or are you looking more for a less miles but "enjoying" those miles and the opps around it a bit more. Neither is wrong or right. It is all about what you are looking for. I have done both (not on the CT but back east on the AT).
Also, like a bike ... you can buy a degree of performance and cut weight like mad. At some point this is a cost conversation (buying the super light weight gear will cost more) and at some point this is you deciding you are not going to bring some comforts. Less weight is less to move and that can be helpful and make the experience more enjoyable ... until you want to do more gear for some creature comfort. Again, neither is right or wrong. It is about what you want.
If your time is limited, you might just cut off that section from Breck to Copper on this first leg, or even stop at Kenosha.
Great points, GZ. Lots of tradeoffs. Yeah, don't have unlimited time but at the same time don't want to create a situation where it is all grind and no reflection. That said, I think I could "budget" for 5 days. That would come out to 24 miles per day on average. I am willing to pay a premium for light-weight. Anyway, lots to plan. If you are interested, let me know. A few other guys are interested and we're in talks.
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