The Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails each have annual “trail days” events, so Margaret Hedderman thought it was only natural the Colorado Trail should have one, too.
“The Colorado Trail showcases some of the best scenery in Colorado, all the way from Denver to right here in Durango,” said Hedderman, Marketing and Events Coordinator for Backcountry Experience in Durango.
The first Colorado Trail Days will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Backcountry Experience. The event is intended for all hikers and backpackers regardless of skill level and is not just for long distance or thru-hikers.
Colorado Trail Days will celebrate the beginning of the summer hiking and backpacking season, and there will be a number of clinics and gear demos available. There will also be gear discounts, prizes and giveaways, with all prize drawing proceeds donated to the Colorado Trail Foundation, a nonprofit that co-maintains the trail with the U.S. Forest Service. Event sponsors include Backcountry Experience, MSR, Osprey Packs and Outdoor Research.
“Whether you’re just getting into hiking and backpacking or have a few thru-hikes under your hip belt, Colorado Trail Days will provide a fun and educational atmosphere for the whole family,” Hedderman said.
She also added that all the educational clinics are free, and said participants can “learn about the latest gear, get a professional boot or pack fit, and spruce up on your backcountry skills.”
Representatives of Leave No Trace and Bear Smart Durango will also be at the event.
Hedderman said the event’s Basic Map and Compass Clinic will teach people how to read a map, use a compass, and navigate in the wild. Hedderman herself will lead a workshop called Tips and Trips from a Thru-hiker (For the Weekend Warrior).
She hiked Te Araroa last year, a 3,000-kilometer trail across New Zealand, so she’s quite familiar with long-distance backpacking. She will share some of her firsthand lessons learned on the trail. All of the Trail Days clinics will be about 1-2 hours in length.
The Colorado Trail was completed in 1987 and is 486 miles long. It runs all the way from Durango to Denver, where it terminates at the mouth of Waterton Canyon. Its highest point is 13,271 feet, and, although it doesn’t summit any of Colorado’s famous 14,000-foot peaks, the majority of the trail is above 10,000 feet. The trail is especially valued by mountain bikers, who are often prohibited from similar long distance trails. However, mountain bikers are still not allowed to ride in the six designated wilderness areas the trail crosses. These wilderness areas (west to east) are the Weminuche, La Garita, Collegiate Peaks, Mt. Massive, Holy Cross and Lost Creek.
The Colorado Trail runs through six National Forests and across eight mountain ranges. 235 miles of it overlap the Continental Divide Trail. It is divided into 28 segments, each of which offer public access points, although some trailheads may be suited for high clearance and/or four-wheel drive vehicles only. Some hikers choose to complete the trail gradually by hiking individual segments over multiple years. If attempting the entire trail at once, hikers should be experienced, highly prepared and in excellent shape. Over the 486 miles, there is a total gain and loss of 89,000 vertical feet.
Most hikers tackle the Colorado Trail from east to west, starting in Denver and finishing in Durango. This is because difficulty increases in the steeper, more rugged mountains of the western section, so hikers prefer to begin with the easier portions. In terms of scenic value and solitude, there is plenty to be found on the entirety of the trail. However, the western portion between Monarch Pass and Durango has less human influence and showcases the best wildflowers, which typically bloom in July and early August.
Intro to Wilderness First Aid is one of the trainings included in the Colorado Trail Days festival. It is taught by Josh Kling, an AMGA Certified Mountain Guide. Kling is also the owner and lead guide at Kling Mountain Guides in Durango. When it comes to potentially life-saving backcountry medical treatment, Kling emphasizes the importance of highly qualified instructors.
“We are the only program in the region where the lead medical instructor on every course is always a paramedic at a minimum. We also have doctors and (physician assistants) on staff. All of these instructors currently work in hospitals or on ambulances or on ski patrol.”
When taking one of his courses, students sometimes hear Kling describe using his wilderness first aid skills in the field on real victims.
“I have numerous personal stories from blisters on long hikes to fatalities at high altitude (18,000-plus feet) in the far mountain ranges of the globe,” he said.
jmillen-johnson@durangoherald.com