For as many reasons as there are to talk myself off of the trail I can find just as many to get back on.
As some of you may know, on Day 4 of hiking the Colorado Trail, I got off at Stony Pass Road near Silverton due to extreme weather conditions, frustration over missing daily mileage goals, an overweight backpack (enough food to feed a family of eight), and jolting knee pain. I found perfectly valid and justifiable reasons for getting off trail and I still believe that was the right decision. But not getting back on for another year—that’s something that would haunt me. I had only done 94 miles (pretty tuff uphill miles I must say) and I was throwing in the towel? What’s the deal there?
So I started a little late in the year?—then bundle up some more layers. But I got caught up in a bad hail storm?—so use your sit pad as a head shield! I’ve got knee pain and it hurts?—that’s because you got too much junk in your pack and it’s weighing you down. But I got to meet a certain daily mileage goal to finish in time?—relax, worrying never added a cubit to your stature.
I’m not making excuses anymore.
Lotta things I am but I’m not a quitter and I refuse to be defeated by this trail.
I’m going back. I’m going back to Stony Pass.
I’m going to finish what I started.
The night of Day 4 that I left the trail at Stony Pass Road (Mile 94.1)