June 29

Distance today: 15.9 miles

Mile marker: -14.7

The first day felt pretty good! We covered about 15.9 miles and camped just under Rock Pass. Wayyy more mosquitoes than we expected. And not even a slight breeze to shake them away. Jason took the brunt of the mosquitoes, though.

We’re really glad we tested our gear on the Colorado Trail. Everything worked just fine: water filters, stove, tent, backpacks, and mosquito nets. For lunch we both had mac n cheese with broccoli and sausage TVP. We nearly had a mishap with a bear can tumbling down the hill, but luckily a tree stopped it right at the edge of the trail before it got too far and had momentum to the bottom of the hill.

For dinner, Jason had spaghetti mac (hybrid of spaghetti and mac n cheese) and Alex had egg stir fry. But we learned that the eggs can burn easily, so Alex’s meal had a nice char to it 🤮. We also learned that we should have different foods at each meal in case one of them ends up being a dud (or charred).

Another hiker from Colorado sat and talked to us as we finished dinner. He was friendly and taught us about some of the history of Colorado and warned us about the corporate ladder. He was an interesting guy.

We hope to get to the Canadian border tomorrow before turning around towards Mexico. Really, we haven’t even started! These first 30ish miles are just a fun warmup.