Joanna On The Trail

Monday, June 22, 2026
16.5 miles / 2,830 ft elevation gain

I didn’t get great sleep last night, tossing and turning until 3:30am when I finally adjusted my sleeping pad to a more comfortable position and managed to get a solid two hours. I woke at 5:50 to the sound of my fellow hikers already up and moving around. By the time breakfast was served at 7am, most everyone was packed up, tents down, and ready to go. We were excited to start hiking!

Waterton Canyon

Segment 1 begins with a 6.5-mile walk along a wide, well-maintained gravel road managed by Denver Water, providing access to the Strontia Springs Dam on the South Platte River. It’s gently inclined — only about 450 feet of gain over those 6.5 miles — with frequent mile markers and pit toilets, and plenty of company: bikers, walkers, work trucks, people fishing. Beautiful, but it didn’t really feel like hiking yet.

It was, however, a great opportunity to chat. I spent much of the canyon walk with Missy and Tom, who told me about their Grand Canyon hiking and rafting trips, and also provided a bunch of book recommendations. Tom reminded me so much of my father-in-law Phil (which is a good thing!) — his mannerisms, the way he tells stories. I also learned about his time in the US Army, which led naturally into my own Lockheed Martin years.

I was disappointed we didn’t see any bighorn sheep, which are apparently common in the canyon, but Missy spotted a mink swimming in the river and two yellow warblers (she knows her birds).

The Real Hiking Begins

Around mile 6.7, the gravel road gives way to single track in the trees and the elevation starts climbing in earnest. From here I hiked mostly with Chase, the lead guide for the day (Chris was sweeping), talking off and on as we went. Chase is studying aerospace engineering at CU Boulder, so I shared stories about Lockheed Martin and what it’s like to work in that world. I also told him about the UK Coast to Coast, my next big adventure after this one.

At mile 7.8, after a solid 550-foot climb, we arrived at Lenny’s Rest, a bench built by a Boy Scout in 1995 in memory of his brother, who died in a hiking accident. It was a natural lunch stop. Everyone dropped their packs (some dropped their shoes too), ate sandwiches and snacks, and rested for about 30 minutes. A large black dog was just leaving as we arrived and made sure we knew he disapproved, barking as he went. Some dogs.

The Rest of the Day

Refreshed, we set off again: a few hundred feet of descent, then a 1,400-foot climb over nearly four miles, topping out at 7,500 feet. Then a long, four-mile descent to the South Platte River Trailhead at 6,100 feet — only 600 feet higher than where we’d started the day. The math of it is a little humbling: over 2,500 feet of elevation gain across 16.5 miles, and we end up barely higher than the starting trailhead.

That final descent felt long. It probably didn’t help that you can see the van parked at the trailhead from at least a mile out. We waited about 45 minutes for the rest of the group to arrive, cooling off with seltzer waters from the van and chatting with each other and with thru-hikers.

At the trailhead we met a family with an Australian Shepherd named Aspen who was thru-hiking with the wife/mother and adult daughter. The husband/father was playing support crew, meeting them at trailheads with supplies. Aspen was a good dog, but anxious around new people. Greg and I were able to give her a treat, but it was going to take a lot more time (and treats) for her to warm up to us. We are 0 for 2 on making dog friends.

The Verdict is in: Trail Runners

I’ve been wrestling with my footwear situation leading up to this trip, and today helped settle it. Talking to the guides and my fellow hikers, I noticed almost everyone was wearing trail runners — mostly Topos or Altras. After comparing notes, I’m fairly well decided: the Topo Vista trail runners for this entire week on the Colorado Trail. They felt good today and didn’t cause any new blisters.

This matters for the C2C too, and I’ll have more to say about it once I’ve seen how the Topos hold up across these five days.

Camp: Ouzel

Dinner was Greek night. Pitas stuffed with chickpeas, veggies, tzatziki, and feta. Rice crispy treats for dessert. The crew had flagged my vegetarian preference from the medical intake form, and at every meal they’ve had a meatless version ready for me — no fuss, no forgetting, no sad substitutions. Highly appreciated.

As I was getting ready for bed, a fox crossed in front of three of my fellow hikers’ tents, then turned and calmly walked just a few feet in front of me to investigate the other side of the campground. This was clearly not its first campsite rodeo.

I turned in around 9pm and spent about an hour reading The Salt Path, a memoir my brother and his wife gave me as a gift when they heard about the C2C. It follows Raynor Winn and her husband as they walk the South West Coast Path in England after losing their home and receiving a devastating diagnosis. Fitting reading material for a week on the trail.

Tomorrow: Segment 2, South Platte Canyon to Little Scraggy. 11.7 miles, 2,482 feet of elevation gain.