What We Owe To Ourselves — a 500-mile hike on the Colorado Trail

In August 2021, after a year and a half of pandemic isolation, I set out to hike all 491 miles of the Colorado Trail.

It had been more than two years since my last long distance hike at that point, and I had no idea if I could still do it. Those sedentary years had involved grieving my divorce, living in a 20 sq ft van, falling in love with a new partner, and grappling with a worldwide health crisis—all things that made me feel completely disconnected from the woman I used to be, the one who dreamed of building her life around long-distance hiking.

Was it realistic to think that I could spend months of each year out in the wilderness? At 36 years old, shouldn't I be focusing on other goals? My career, for instance, or buying a house and putting down roots? What happens when you don't want the same things that everyone around you seems to want? How lonely is a life lived off the traditional path? 

These questions pushed me out into the high elevation mountains of Colorado, filled with a desire to understand what I owed to myself, and how much of a "normal" life I was willing to sacrifice in order to honor my most deeply held dreams.

The whole story of my 28-day journey is told in this full-length trail journal, which is available now in pay-what-you-can format. Simply choose the price that you can afford, and it's yours!

Digital download // PDF // 110 pages // Suggested price: $19 // 10% of proceeds donated to the Indigenous Environmental Network

written by nicole antoinette