Colorado Hiking Quotes

I just love all this,' Walt says. 'The sights, the smells, making the effort and pushing yourself and getting something that's really hard to get. I'll fly on a plane and people will look out the window at thirty thousand feet and say, 'Isn't this view good enough for you?' And I say no, it's not good enough. I didn't earn it. In the mountains, I earn it.

In the power of my newfound strength, I saw clearly—even though I’d been empowered to have my old college finally address my “horrific trauma,” make me finally feel heard, this event would never have happened had I not first given myself my own voice, the permission to call my rape rape and not shame. In telling, I forced the school that silenced me, that minimized my trauma, that blamed me for the rape, to finally respect my voice and give me the platform they should have given me in the first place. I did not need the school to call it by its name; I did it myself, and they listened. I was the powerful party that brought the closure and empowerment I’d hoped, in first finding their invitation, that Colorado College would bring.

Jenna Zulauf loves spending her free time both indoors working out and outdoors experiencing all that Colorado has to offer. Her favorite past time is hiking with her 3 German Shepherds. Jenna Zulauf has summited 14ers with her dogs right beside her, exploring nature's peace, calm and serenity in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

Joshua Goeschel is a successful insurance attorney who currently works as a Claims Counsel for Safe Auto Insurance Company. Before this, he built his experience at several other notable insurance law firms in Colorado. His main interests outside of work are in the outdoors, and he spends his time hiking, skiing and fly-fishing in the mountains and parks of Colorado.

I am out here because it is hard, because it is an unparalleled privilege to be able to choose your suffering.

Thus begins my only sustained conversation in the Grand Canyon, as the man and I walk the second half of South Kaibab Trail together. I learn he’s on his way to a water treatment plant at the Colorado River. “I treat sewage water and recycle it to use at Phantom Ranch,” he explains. A self-described “Steward of the Grand Canyon,” he’s been doing this work all his life – a job he took over from his uncle and grandfather before him. “No matter the weather I hike to the plant every other week,” he says. “I stay for about a week at a time.” This week he’s on a special mission to train some new “young bucks” in the art of water treatment. “They never last,” he shakes his head. “They think they know what they’re getting into, and then reality hits when it gets cold.” He pauses, staring down the emerald Colorado River snaking below us. Then he swings around, looking me straight in the eyes, “I have given up everything I love for this canyon.” He resumes his speed walk as I trail clumsily behind him, trying to keep up. My bike bounces on my back.

Meanwhile, Alex’s daughter was away for the summer, too, in Colorado with her father (supposedly hiking, likely in front of an array of screens),

There are small seasonal streams, including one at mile 2.4 (9,146), and potential campsites in the next two miles. Intersect the Payne Creek Trail on the right at mile 3.3 (9,307) and continue straight ahead. Cross the headwaters of Craig Creek at mile 4.5 (9,375). There are good campsites nearby. At mile 5.6 (9,897), reach an intersection where the trail leaves the old road. Take a left onto the single-track trail and begin a steep climb. Reaching a saddle at mile 7.4 (10,483), the trail rejoins the old road, begins descending, and crosses a small spring at mile 8.0 (10,343), then leaves the wilderness area at mile 8.2 (10,314). After entering a large, grassy valley, follow the North Fork of Lost Creek upstream. There are many potential campsites along the way. The Brookside-McCurdy Trail joins The Colorado Trail at mile 8.9 (10,199) by a trail register. Then at mile 9.2 (10,249) cross a seasonal stream. At mile 11.3 (10,428), the Brookside-McCurdy Trail goes to the right, while the CT bears to the left. Leave the valley at mile 14.5 (10,929) and enter the forest at the head of the North Fork of Lost Creek. The trail descends steeply from here. After crossing a small stream at mile 16.5 (10,200), hike a short distance to an intersection with Long Gulch Trail above FS Rd 56 at mile 16.6 (10,176) and the end of Segment 4. For trailhead parking, take Long Gulch Trail 0.2 mile downhill (south).

Utah's mountains are not the Himalayas, but by one standard they are the highest in the country. According to a series of stories in the The Salt Lake Tribune, the average elevation of Utah's tallest peaks in each county is roughly 11,222 feet. Colorado ranks second, with an average county high peak elevation of 10,791 feet, followed by Nevada (10,764) and Wyoming (10,179). Alaska, home to the country's highest peak - the 20,320-foot Denali - ranks only sixth, with an average county high peak elevation of 9,280 feet.

That’s a good voice, I thought. One I wouldn’t mind hearing on a late-night phone call, long distance. One I’d never delete out of my voicemail just so I could go back and rehear it. But those weren’t things I was supposed to be thinking while I sat next to her on the carpet, sneaking as many secret looks as I could at the way the fireplace brought out the hidden auburn in her hair. I wasn’t supposed to be committing her favorite wine to memory, or remembering her siblings’ names, or spending my entire lunch break researching the best hiking trails in Colorado so I could save them in the notes on my phone, just in case.