Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Silverton to Durango!!!! 486 miles traveled from Denver CT completed September 24, 2015

Wow what a journey it has been. Even after having had time to reflect, as I am writing this it is it is hard to find the right words to describe how I feel about being finished with this undertaking. There is a line in a Passenger song that was on repeat in both our heads during our trip, "but dreams come slow and they go so fast." And it is true, this journey was planted in my head ten years ago and even longer for Mike and then once we decided it was going to happen it took so much time and planning and work to make it come to reality. Then while you are out there it requires you to be nothing but present both mentally and physically in order to just get it done and get it done on time and safely. It feels amazing to be done and to be able to say we completed the CT. It is hard to answer the most common question we get about it; what was the best part? I think we would both say the fact that we were able to make it happen was the best thing about it all. We took all the time we wanted, so many people we met on and off the trail just didn't have the time to do it all the way through, and if they did they maybe had 5 weeks. So many people talk about all the things they want to do and see in this world, and we are so freaking lucky to have been able to actually go out and do it! With that said, it is important to share that it wasn't handed to us, it didn't come without struggle, hard work and sacrifice on both our parts. Mike and I are comfortable with very little in terms of what American culture expects and often demands of us, we both want just enough money to keep us safe and moving forward in life. It is a life style choice for us both, but I'll admit sometimes it is a lonely choice. Being out there with other nature lovers and social deviants escaping the demands of American life made us feel like we weren't alone and it just seemed to encourage our next adventure.

The last stretch seemed to come and go in a blink of an eye, despite the fact it was a full 8 day pack out. It felt like Mimi dropped us off at the trail head in Silverton and then we woke up in Durango. We were trying so hard to savor the moments too, but it was gone in a flash. The dogs also seemed to know change was yet again in the air. Joey began acting naughty and rude to other humans on the trail reverting to some very old bad behaviors and Little Britches stayed close during the last section, almost as if to say, "I'm gonna spend as much time with you guys as possible before this all has to come to an end and I go back to the life of a house dog." Mike and I both approached the last section with  a determination that had yet to be seen in either of us, especially simultaneously. It was only until this section that I would allow myself to talk about what was to come afterward or to discuss the trail in terms of it being something I would absolutely finish. This attitude gave me a renewed sense of self and strength, but it also caused me to be less present. Mike and I were getting ready to throw ourselves out of the woods into a huge beautiful family celebration in Durango and then immediately return to Denver and get on a plane to the tropics for 5 weeks. There was much to discuss and very little time to do it, as a result I personally felt less present during our last stretch in the woods but was able to be more grateful of everything in my life over all, if that makes sense?

Since arriving in Silverton we were really beginning to feel and taste Fall in the air, but it wasn't until our last two days of the trip that we really had the chance to bask in all of its glory. The colors overwhelmed us from bend to bend in the trail and throughout the entire week. In this section we spent the majority of the time in the trees descending toward town, so we had the chance to really see the change. I swear I would fall asleep under a green leafed Aspen and then wake up to her in all of her golden glory, it happened right before our eyes. I felt so lucky to really be in touch with that so intimately via this experience. The Aspens changing is one of my favorite parts of living in Colorado, and boy it did not disappoint. Watching the seasons change opens us all to the possibility and necessity of change in our own lives. If our Mother Earth is in a constant state of change and growth, perhaps we should heed her call and fall in line? Autumn reminds me I am on track, meaning we are meant to change and grow and like mama tierra be in a state of perpetual motion. I find much comfort in this idea.

My knees and feet killed on this last section, it was primarily all down down down steep hills and mountains. It felt like we took 6 weeks to climb up hill and 1 week to come back down. Each step was slam, slam, slamming on my joints. My body was sick of this crap man, it cried out each afternoon begging me to stop and set up camp. Despite the pain, we did our biggest mileage days of the entire trip during this last week, one day 15.5 miles and the very next 15 miles. This set us up to have a very short last day on the trail. We were both so excited and anxious to see family and friends, to shower, to sleep in a bed with soft sheets, and to eat whatever we wanted. Our camp food was just not acceptable to us by the last morning and we didn't even bother making breakfast, we just threw stuff in our bags and got the hell out of there. It was weird packing up camp on that last morning, it had all become so familiar and methodical to us both and here it was our very last day. We hiked out to the most anti-climactic dirt parking lot. It was empty, nothing but a tumbling tumble weed and crickets chirping, ok it wasn't quite like that, but it felt that way to us. I don't know what I was expecting, maybe a marching band a few signs and a crowd cheering, not that much to ask I don't think? We hitched in to town and that was that. 500 miles in the bag and the Colorado Trail completed. If we did 500 miles the dogs easily did 800 and I am not kidding at all about that. They were the super stars out there and kept me going time and time again. I am not sure I could have made it without the constant inspiration of Little Britches and the unconditional loyalty of Joey. And it is a fact that if it weren't for my husband this dream would have never made it off the couch. He is the motion in my ocean, the jam to my peanut butter, the milk to my cookies. Without him I would only be half the woman I am, I just love him so much. I am a huge pain in the ass, and he does these things with me over and over again and takes good care that I am always all right... that people, is true love! I am the luckiest, I think I need a good hard pinch just to make sure it is all real.

...and now off to Costa Rica.  Stay tuned.

As always thanks for reading and thanks for the love and support.

* Mike and I are putting together a picture slide show that we will just post on FB directly. Sorry but from the States it takes way to long to upload the pics directly here, and now that we are in Costa Rica the internet is so slow it would take days... Just know there were some trees, some mountains, a few selfies, lots of dog pictures the usual.

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