Hiking the First 40 Miles of the Colorado Trail
Day One: Wildlife in Waterton Canyon & A Close Call
The first 6.7 miles follow an old railroad grade dating to 1878. Wildlife showed up early: deer at mile one and a black bear foraging across the river near mile five. At the Bighorn Rest Area we watched a family of bighorn sheep descend a steep cliff to drink from the South Platte.
By 3:00 p.m. we had hiked 16.3 miles and were half a mile from camp when a sharp hiss and furious rattle stopped me cold. A five-foot rattlesnake sat coiled just two feet off the trail, head raised and ready.
We named him Ralph later to ease the shock. Karen, a thru-hiker from Texas, arrived and wisely waited for her husband. After about 30 minutes Ralph slithered off and hikers continued.
That evening we met two thru-hikers we’d see again: Jess from Melbourne, Australia (solo and upbeat) and “Poppy” from Spokane (a seasoned thru-hiker inspired to live large after family losses).
Day Two: Burn Areas, New Friends & Trail Magic
We started early to beat midday heat through a burn area dotted with small cacti. Later, in the shade, we met Scott — trail name Shroomer — and his friend Denise. Scott has completed the U.S. Hiking Triple Crown (AT, PCT, CDT) and dozens of international long trails; his trail stories were infectious.
At the Little Scraggy Trailhead we met “Thrifty,” who finished the CT in June after heavy snow. He handed out ice-cold flavored sparkling water to pay forward the kindness he had received. That act buoyed us for the next leg.
That night Jess, Poppy, Shroomer, and Denise passed our camp together — an instant tramily.
Day Three: Rolling to Rolling Creek
We finished at the Rolling Creek Trailhead shortly after 11 a.m., meeting our four new friends once more. Only about 500 hikers complete the full CT each year (~25% of starters) — and these four seemed to have the heart to complete all 485 miles.
Over 40 miles, with more than 100,000 steps, wildlife encounters, rattlesnake drama, trail magic, and inspiring people, the first three sections delivered everything we hoped for. On the drive home we stopped in Conifer and split a pint of mint-chocolate-chip ice cream and a half-gallon of caramel macchiato iced coffee—our small ritual to celebrate the journey.