Well, we finally made it to Colorado, so we decided that in honor of our return to the state we would take some time to get to know it inch by inch via walking the Colorado trail. The trail is about 480 miles, and we anticipated taking about 6 weeks to complete it. So we spent a few weeks collecting and packing gear, sorting tons of food into little baggies, and then measuring it out bit by bit and putting it into individual boxes to be mailed for each leg of the trip. We left on the 4th of July with Greg and Nikki Knaddison and quickly realized how freaking heavy 45 lbs really is--but in good spirits we hit the trail and started on our way. *A sad note--all the photos from the leg of the trip with G & N were accidentally erased due to a new camera snafu--hoping to get some photos from that leg up soon but in the meantime I'll just put in a bit of description! Kelly joined us on the morning of day 2, and we headed off into the woods as a happy team of 6. That first 6 day leg with all of us was truly the wettest Colorado backpacking trip perhaps on record--we were soaked starting that first night almost all the way to Breckenridge! But we got to break in our walking shoes and get our first blisters and overall the group was peppy and fun. Additionally, we got to see how everyone does under a bit of duress and a whole lotta rain, and how cute Greg looks in pink "I've been Naughty" panties. Our first rest stop was at Kenosha pass, where we met up with a fantastic Colorado trail maintenance crew who gave us hot mocha and let us dry out a bit under their big tent. Also--Nikki's folks came to pick up the Knaddisons and brought us one of the most appreciated and heartily consumed feasts I've had. More of the adventure from there on is documented in the photos...