What do the Rocky Mountains, Rhinoceroses, and German Shepherds all have in common?…..
…..they’re all important pieces of My Next Adventure!
It started with a 30th vet school class reunion…….
My classmate Lois, now a professional wildlife photographer, mentioned that she is moving to Colorado, somewhere south of Denver, near the mountains. Well the notion of hiking the Colorado Trail has been bobbing around in the bucket portion of my bucket list for a few years, and during our recent road trip across Grand Mesa and Independence Pass the idea of a 457 mile trek across the Rockies started to turn into something that I had to try. And I had to try it soon, before Lyssa or I got any longer in the tooth, (she’s only 8 but I’m…., well I’d rather not say!)
The biggest challenge was going to be arranging all of the resupply stops and support crew. So I contacted Lois and asked her if she knew anyone in Colorado who would be willing to drive to remote mountainous road crossings for the Colorado Trail every week or so and bring me a box of fresh dog food and freeze dried trail rations.
Lois not only liked the idea and was willing to help, but proposed an even better idea- how would I like to participate in a “Virtual Marathon” and let all my hiking miles be used to raise money for a rhinoceros conservancy in East Africa? All I had to do was hike about 1200 kilometers during the coming year using an app to track my miles, and Lois would do the rest. No Problem!
No problem/ No brainer. I didn’t even have to think twice about the idea: what could be better than raising money for wildlife and hiking in the mountains with my best 4-footed friends? So that’s the concept- there’s loads of work and planning to be done first, and then of course there’s the fun part of actually hiking the hike!
We started training today with a beautiful hike right here in the American River Canyon. More details coming later- stay tuned!
Happy Trails,
Shirley & Co
Amazing new adventure. I will stay tuned in!!!!