I usually start my mornings slow when I’m backpacking: waking up whenever my body chooses and letting the sun warm the air before I start moving. When I started hiking the Colorado Trail this time around, I knew that would not be the case, I was trying to cover more miles than I usually do READ MORE
Author: nicolettejones13
A Spring Ski Traverse of the Colorado Trail
On April 9th Mark and I set off from the Waterton Canyon trailhead to attempt a spring ski traverse of the Colorado trail. Less than a month later on May 6th, we arrived at the southern terminus of the 486 mile trail in Durango! The most remarkable part of this experience is that there is READ MORE
Let’s go for a walk in the snow: Mark and I set out to ski (and hike) the Colorado Trail
Mark and I are setting out to do a ski traverse of the Colorado trail: a 486 mile trail that stretches from Durango to Denver. We will resupply every 3-5 days with the help of some friends who have graciously agreed to help us out. We are planning about 25 days total from start to READ MORE
Sleeping in the Snow: Some More Experiences Learning to Winter Camp
Mark and I have spent a couple more nights in the snow as we continue to refine our winter camping system. While we won’t say winter camping is easy for us just yet, every time we go out it feels more manageable. Right now, the biggest challenge that we have been encountering is balancing comfort READ MORE
Back to blogging!
After a longer break than I expected, I am restarting my blog. I have even put a little more attention into my site this time! If you followed my Continental Divide Trail blog, I hope you’ll enjoy what I have to offer here too! I also hope you continue to read along as I grow READ MORE
Raft guiding Browns Canyon
Last summer I worked as a raft guide on the Upper Arkansas river in Salida, Colorado. While I had been introduced to whitewater in college, I came into the job with very little experience rafting. I started working after two weeks of guide training, but the training never ended. Like many things, the more I READ MORE
Wet, Hot, Kayaking Summer
Written by Mark Johnson Do you ever wonder what your face would look like under the pressure of certain life threatening danger that can only be prevented by vigorously heeding the commands of your fearless leader while simultaneously trying to squeeze out a fearful little toot? I do not, thankfully, because I have a photo READ MORE
Riding the Monarch Crest
The mountain biking on the Monarch Crest is well known, but the first I heard of it was from Mark. Almost as soon as I got my mountain bike he was talking about riding it, and I heard a lot about what a great ride it was before I ever made it out there. In READ MORE
Sewing Bicycle Bags
When Mark and I bought our tandem we briefly consider purchasing custom frame bags to use the bike’s double sized frame as storage. After a little thought and reflection on cost we realized that we would be better off sewing the bags ourselves. I had sewn my own tarp for backpacking and had a little READ MORE
Why Tandem?
When I was hiking the CDT, Mark got the idea that we should plan a bike trip together. Maybe, he thought we should do it on a tandem. I had never ridden a tandem before, but I was on board with the idea. We talked to many of our friends about the idea and received READ MORE