The best sections

We've made it to Silverton--our last stop before Durango. The past few days have been absolutely incredible. We stop all the time just to take in the views as best we can. No words would do these mountains justice as to how beautiful they are. 

We hit the tallest point on the CT (13,271 ft) on Friday and had beatiful views to hike to the rest of the day. We didn't dip below 12000 ft for two days and slept around 12500 one night. I'm not sure if it's because we've been in the woods so long or what but we were eating dinner that night and two guys set up camp near us and it was the most mesmerizing activity we'd seen in quite some time. We watched them, analyzed their gear, and said things like, "I think they're speaking to one another" or "are they eating?" That same night we got to see the fog roll in between the mountains and eventually engulf our whole campsite. We were looking out into a sheet of solid white. 

Yesterday we awoke to not a cloud in the sky and was one of the most beautiful days we'd seen on the trail scenery wise. THERE WERE ALSO LLAMAS ON THE TRAIL YESTERDAY!!! I don't think I've ever walked that fast up a hill this entire time. I just wanted to get to see the llamas. 

We took our time with the descent for the most part to take in the views and we also played in a creek that looked like a polar bear exhibit in the zoo. The rocks were white and the water was light light light blue and also freezing cold. Cloud 9 and I took a dip and immediately got out while Dirty Mike got in and then slid down a lil waterfall. 

Dirty Mike shared with us a pretty neat saying "baller on a budget" 

Cloud 9 said one of my favorite things yet, "I can't push myself because I'm chewing gum." 

Buckwheat wants to make sure the people know he didn't take any part in this next story cause he's not a savage or whatever. Cloud 9, Dirty Mike, and myself were sitting on a bench in Silverton outside of a store and watched a little boy eat two scoops of ice cream before throwing it away and run into the store with his little sister. We all looked at each other at the same time and talked about how much ice cream was left. So I got up and got it out of the trash (it was right on top sitting on a newspaper). We laughed so hard as we ate the rest of it. The boy came out and we hid the evidence as he walked by. Then Buckwheat came out and we laughed because we knew he would shame us if we told him what happened. The ice cream was amazing and we have achieved homeless status.

I don't know what else to really say besides reiterating the beauty of what we just walked through. I cried a couple times at the shear beauty and majesty. These mountains will always hold a special place in my heart and I'm forever thankful for this opportunity. 

Photos n stuff: 

Absolutely incredible

-peacock 

The Slackpackers

We finally made it to Creede and were able to get a hotel room, shower, do laundry and most importantly eat. 

But let's first rewind a few days. We have been outright spoiled on the trail by Sam and Marcia. After Salida they dropped us back off at the trailhead but with only raingear and snacks in our packs. Hiking is great. Hiking with less than 5 pounds is incredible. We felt like we were flying as we followed the ridge line. When we finally made it to the designated camping area they picked us up and immediately started driving on a FJ trail road over fallen trees and through the mud until it opened up to a wonderful campsite.

First things first when camping, we had cocktail hour which was filled with wine, cheese, bread, tomatoes, hummus and the list goes on. But this was only to be the first course we were all soon eating salad, baked potatoes, salmon pan fried over the fire, and of course a s'mores buffet. 

The next morning we packed up everything then loaded all our gear in the FJs and started hiking. After about a mile or so I realized I left my phone so I ran back, got it and then started over again. We eventually all met up only to be poured and hailed on. Our spirits were feeling down until we crossed a mud road and out of the woods drove the FJs. We set up lunch in the typical backpacking way, with a tarp roof, table and a full watermelon while the cows just stood and stared. 

We hiked a few more miles, stopping to play baseball with mushrooms on the side of the trail. Sam and Marcia had once again found us a great campsite and our meal consisted of chips with queso and salsa, salad, black beans, corn on the cob, onions and peppers, barbecue chicken and of course washed down with s'mores. 

The next day we actually had to put our gear in our packs and say goodbye to Sam and Marcia, but only after being loaded with bacon, eggs, and campfire donuts. Despite our little vacation lasting a day and a half we had earned a reputation. As we walked past other hikers they would ask if we were those Slackpackers. Dirty Mike and Peacock were even asked how long the drive from our hotel every morning took. 

The next few days went by like a blur, hiking over twenty miles on each of them. The first took us through National Forest Pasture land over miles and miles of dirt road. When we finally made it to a valley it started raining and didn't stop until the middle of the night. Needless to say we have now missed only two nights of campfires. Luckily it was sunny when we woke up, so we pushed hard to try and summit our fourth 14'er. Sadly the clouds were rolling in and we decided to play it safe, skip the summit and hike on. Yesterday took us right over a beautiful Mesa where we could see miles and miles of mountains in the distance. While crossing the Mesa I came to a little creek. While pondering how to cross it the ground gave way and I started falling to the ground. The rest of the group was laughing their heads off at me, but while I proved that my butt never touched the ground (therefore it doesn't count as a fall) Peacock took her own slip in the same spot. No one is counting the nber of falls:

Dirty Mike: 2

Peacock: 2

Cloud 9: 3

Buckwheat: an impressive 0

We finally made it into town, ate lunch, showered, ate dinner with Sam and Ethan (the Sherpas as they are known on the trail), watched tv while eating, fell asleep while dreaming about food, and now are about to head to the motels Yelp Famous breakfast. 

Eating watermelon on the trail with cow spectators. 

Sam (One of the Sherpas) double-fisting snickers ice cream bars. 

Walking across Snow Mesa. 

Also, our hiker friend Ethan is about to spend a year in France working for a church youth ministry and sharing the Gospel with kids over there. He is a super great guy and is raising support for his trip. Please consider supporting him by giving, the like is here:https://secure-q.net/donations/UnitedWM/336

Go to "missionary" in the first box then select "Williams, Ethan" in the second box. I know he is going to do awesome things and we have been happy to get to know him!

Bon Jovi time

Now this is Michael posting from Adams phone:

We are halfway there! The past few days have been super awesome. Every day the scenery is incredible and I have to remind myself not to get used to it because it just gets better and better. 

So last town we were in, we were sitting at a restaurant eating and a woman started talking to us and eventually gave us her number and said call when you want a ride back to the trail. It was awesome because the 22 mile hitch was going to be very hard considering the road had very little thru traffic. 

Adam also left out the fact that he got lost prior to Buena vista. We all planned to meet at the trailhead and hitch in together. Eventually some slower hikers showed up and when we inquired about where Adam was they said "oh he's definitely in front of us."  William and I drew straws on who had to go looking for him and I lost. So with a thunderstorm looming and us sitting exposed on the continental divide, I dropped my pack and started my first trail run up the adjacent incline where I figured Adam missed the turn. Luckily after reaching the top I could see a tall figure swaggering down a dirt road and after getting his attention all tragedies were avoided and we made it to town. 

The past few days, we have been on the "Collegiate West" alternate high route of the Colorado trail. We haven't dipped below 11000 at all I think. Also, the trail was recently re routed and our guide book didn't have the new route. So we started hiking out of town at like 7:00 hoping to hit a campsite in the guide book after 4 miles. After realizing the guide book was completely wrong, we ended up hiking a few extra hours and eventually crashed at like 11:30. Luckily the sky was clear and the stars were incredible and when we woke up we had an amazing view. 

After a few days and seeing our friend "Mr. Popular" aka Kurt we made it to Salida. Sam and Marcia (Some family of Buckwheat) picked us up from the trailhead and immediately started treating us. First was ice cream. Then we went to a restaurant that ONLY serves steak and all got 12 oz filets. Then they put us up in a hotel and told us that the next couple days they would be slack packing us! So they will take their FJ cruisers on the backcountry forest service roads and meet up with us for the next couple days and bring food and stuff in their cars. It is going to be incredible. 

We are still having a blast and trying to take full advantage of this crazy trip. Spirits are high and we are excited for the next adventures the trail throws our way. 

-dirty mike 

Here's some photos

Hola desde Buena Vista

Here is a blog post from Adam:

We hit the 200 mile mark yesterday and are resupplying now in Buena Vista. Yesterday we summited our third 14'er, Mt. Huron (14,003 ft), and here are the official stats for the day:

Mt. Huron Summited*: Dirty Mike

Mt. Huron Summited: Buckwheat, Peacock, Cloud 9

* - the following hiker took a cheap shortcut on a switchback thereby nullifying his actual completion of the 14'er and showing disrepect and disdain for all CT volunteers, the CT Foundation, and all hikers everywhere.

We all agreed Mt. Huron had the best view of any of the 14'ers so far. And the afternoon thunderstorms held off long enough to let us enjoy our time on the summit. There was also a mountain goat on the trail. Dirty Mike and I got within 5 feet of it to take a picture, and I guess we were a little too close for comfort because it eventually walked toward us to back us off.

We were just at Eddyline Brewery and had food and, of course, beer and will head to quincys steakhouse on our way out of town. They serve exclusively just fillet mignon for $10! Our next stop will be in only a day and a half in Salida where we'll meet up with Sam and Marsha (Buckwheat's relatives). We're looking forward to hiking with them and can't wait till Thursday! Till next time

- Cloud 9

Matt: we will try to include a beard update soon

An update and a shower

Hello people of the civilized world. We've made it to Twin Lakes--which is beautiful yet tiny. The only inn here was full tonight so we wound up in a double wide trailer where Adam summed it up perfectly, "when I was outside I didn't think I smelled weird but now all my stuff smells awful." There's no washer so we're washing stuff in the sinks. 

First things first we all have trail names meow: Cloud 9, Dirty Mike, Peacock, and Buckwheat. Feel free to decipher who's who on your own. 

We caught our first hitch attempt out of Leadville and slept in the rain Tuesday night. On the way to camp though we got our first trail magic: a cooler with juices, donuts, sodas, and gummies! 

The next day we hiked 19 miles to get to the Mt. Massive trailhead for Thursday morning. That was our first 14'er and it was challenging but extremely worth it. We dropped some stuff off at the trailhead so we didn't have to carry everything but it was still a strenuous climb. We did see some fellow thru hikers basically running to the summit with no packs yelling "WERE GOING FOR A WORLD RECORD." 

--lol we just heard a huge thud from the shower followed by laughter. Cloud 9 was on the floor of the tub wrapped in a shower curtain--

After massive we camped close to Mt. Elbert (tallest mountain in CO and second tallest in contiguous US) so we could hike that today and we did. We had some company both for camping and hiking of Jolly and Skippy. 

So two 14'ers in two days. Not too bad. Ready for a shower and some sleeps on a bed though! 

Mom--I don't have service just so you know. I'll call you when i do :-) 

Also Willy wanted me to say something like this: "we've had lots of hat envy." His version was much wittier and more eloquent. You can see the hats we have in the Mt. Elbert photo or maybe on Mikey's dads Facebook. Who knows. I don't get service anywhere. Boost mobile--looking at you. 

Photos: 

Mt. Massive summit

Mt. Elbert summit with Jolly, Skippy, Charlie, Steve, Catherine, and Elise 

Some other ones:

And some marmots playing

Peacock out. 

WHAT YOUVE BEEN WAITING FOR

The supposedly highest town in America

A long awaited post by William,

Well the rest of the gang has finally given me permission to leave a post. When Michael last left you it was July 4th and we were washing clothes for the first time in a week. Needless to say after one day on the trail you couldn't tell we knew what a laundry room was. 

The rest of the day in the Kridge was great. We walked around town and people watched the native Coloradians and swaths of tourists (most likely they were people watching us as well). Since we are health nuts we decided to eat organic and resupplied at a health food market, and there truly is a difference between Fritos from a organic food store and a regular grocery store. I want to also thank Mr. Blanchard, Mr. Roman and Mr Cavender for picking up the tab for the pizzas we had for dinner. 

Well, on with the story, our hostel that night was incredible with a view of the fireworks from a jacuzzi and breakfast. 

Bradley then dropped us off the next morning and we hit the trail hiking. It was a hard 8 miles to the top but full of scenic views to distract from the lack of oxygen. Morgan and Lee got some sun, rain, and sleet while up top but came out unscathed. The rest of the hike was a nice downhill and we had a great camping spot next to the Copper Mountain Resort Parking lot. We even got to pet some horses stabled next to us except Adam who napped through it.  

The next day was another breath taker up to 12,300 feet. Adam was out in the lead but somehow got trapped in a hikers wormhole and ended up behind everyone without ever being passed. Not sure Einstein's theory of Relativity can explain what happened. Well we all made the hike and only getting a little wet along the way. Our campsite was next to the three walled remains of an old cabin, and Michael and Adam were brave enough to put their tent inside it. 

Both Adam and Michael survived the night, but Adams headlamp went mysteriously missing. I'm not saying the cabin was haunted but...

A nice easy hike today with a little bit of sun. But only a little it was mostly filled with rain and sleet. But nothing could bring our spirits down as we made it to the trailhead. Morgan and Michael hitchhiked while the rest of us caught a ride in the truck bed of a fellow hiker. The rain was cold but that was nothing some grub from Leadvilles best Mexican / Burger joint couldn't solve, Gringos.

It was great having Morgan's Dad join us since Breckinridge, hope you had as much fun as we did. And now after a resupply at the local grocery and another meal at pizzahut we are about to head back to the trail. Stay tuned for pictures. 

Here's a sweet pic of Adam too 

4th of July in 'Kridge

We have made it to Breckenridge! A lot has happened since the last update. At mile 77, we met up with my dad, cousins Ryan and Jack, Uncle Malcolm and Greg, and friends Jeff and Cooper. They were there right when we needed them! After 5 days of poptarts, nuts, tuna, and rice sides, we showed up to a campsite and uncle Malcolm cooked us a huge meal. Him and Greg supported the hikers by driving the chuck wagon and meeting us and feeding us. The rest of the crew hike for 3 days alongside us and it was a blast. Thanks so much guys for coming out, it was awesome!

This is a pic of the crew that hiked out. 

Here we are at Georgia pass, an elevation of almost 12000! At this point on the trail, we hit the continental divide and will hike the next couple hundred miles sharing a path with the continental divide trail. 

Here's a pic of a sunset on the trail. 

Overall, this trip has been a blast. Long distance hiking is a good mix of difficulty and fun. By the time you make it to the top of the mountain, the view makes you forget how bad the climb was. I'm trying to make sure I appreciate every moment out here because I doubt I'll get do to something like this again! Or at least for a long time. Our daily tasks involve a little planning, some chores (packing up your home every day), a lot of hiking, cooking, eating, and spending time with friends. It was really cool getting to share this experience with all the friend and family that came out for these last 3 days. Right now, Morgan's dad is about to meet up with us and hike the next few days! Also, our friend Bradley came out last night and we all camped together. We are lucky to have so many people that want to support us and share this experience with us. 

Today is a rest day, and we happen to be in a super busy town! 'Kridge is buzzing for the 4th. There was a parade and road race this morning, and tonight will be fireworks. We are making sure to pack in the calories, as we went to Mi Casa for dinner last night and the Blue Moose for breakfast. 

When we can find a computer I'll upload some more pics. Most of them are on my camera not my phone. 

We are celebrating our first 100 miles as well. Only ~400 more to go! 

Tomorrow we will hike out with a huge climb, over 3000 feet up to above 12000 for the first time. We expect to see snow!

We have enjoyed getting to know some of the other thru hikers, like Brian and Kurt. We hope to see them more along the way!

Happy Independence Day y'all. With a full soul and a happy spirit, until next time.