Editor’s note: Reporter Kyla Pearce wrote this before starting the Colorado Trail hike on Aug. 4.
This summer, I’ll spend about 40 days living in a tent with only what I can carry on my back, re-wearing the same un-washed outfit, walking about 20 miles every day and using the woods as my bathroom. And I’m excited to do it.
You might call me crazy, and I’d agree with you.
There’s got to be something a little crazy in everyone who sets out to be a thru-hiker on the Colorado Trail — a chosen quest that defies any reasonable idea of fun or enjoyment.
Carrying everything I need on my back and walking every day has a way of simplifying an otherwise not-so-simple life, stripping away all the complexities that come with existing in the modern world and leaving me with one single task: to survive.
Maybe this is why I’ve always been drawn to thru hiking, or maybe it’s the empowering feeling of testing my body’s limits, figuring out exactly what I’m capable of. Most likely, it’s the sense of connection to the natural world, to other people and to my own body and self that one can only get by walking 500 miles through the wilderness.