After returning home from the Italian Dolomites in September 2025—where we hiked roughly 65 miles along the Alta Via 2 hut-to-hut route—we felt both a deep sense of accomplishment and an unexpected sense of loss.

“What’s next?” we asked ourselves.

We needed another goal. Another adventure. Something to keep us active and committed to the workouts that, let’s be honest, we don’t naturally love. We’re not the type to lift weights or ride a stationary bike just for the “fun” of it. We need a purpose—something out there—to keep us moving and to push back against the slow creep of a sedentary lifestyle that seems to grow stronger with age.

We were already avid backpackers in Colorado and had spent time on sections of both the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) and the Colorado Trail (CT)—which, at times, are one and the same. But if we’re being honest, we had cherry-picked the experience. We sought out the most scenic stretches and quietly skipped over the more… “character-building” sections.

After watching a few YouTube videos about the full Colorado Trail, it didn’t take long for an idea to take shape.

“Let’s just start at the beginning,” we said. “And hike the whole thing.”

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Thus, Project 491 was born.

Starting at Waterton Canyon, just outside Denver, taking the westernmost alternate through the Collegiate Peaks, and finishing in Durango, the trail totals 491 miles.

And this time, we’re not skipping anything…

Fun facts

• Our goal is to complete all 491 miles over the 2026–2027 hiking season while working full-time.
• The Colorado Trail can be hiked in either direction—northbound (Durango to Denver, “NOBO”) or southbound (Denver to Durango, “SOBO”). We’re heading SOBO!
• This kind of journey is called a thru-hike, and many hikers adopt trail names along the way:
  • Karen is “Moose” because she loves spotting them and keeps a yearly count
  • Glen is “Ptarmiglen” after the ptarmigan—his favorite tundra bird found high above treeline, which also happens to be his favorite place to hike