April 19-21, 2026
6:15am, April 19th, 2026. Mile zero…step one…Project 491 officially begins. After hours of poring over maps and guidebooks, watching YouTube videos, and sorting gear through the winter, it’s time to finally do this.
A huge shout-out to our good friends Jesse and Kristin, who made this start even possible. They helped us shuttle our car to the end of Segment 3, put us up for the night, shared their hot tub, fed us a hearty breakfast, and dropped us off at Waterton Canyon the next morning. An amazing send-off—Jesse and Kristin, we appreciate you.
Day 1
With spirits high and packs loaded with four days of food, we set out up Waterton Canyon. After a winter of hiking and training, we felt strong from the start—and to our surprise, we set a new personal record on our first day out.
We covered just under 17 miles, reaching the end of Segment 1 feeling both tired and energized. Credit goes, in part, to Tayson Whittaker’s YouTube video, “Hiking 20+ Miles per Day Without Getting Worn Out,” which helped shape our approach and made a difference right away.
Day 2
We woke before sunrise and, by headlamp, lit the Jetboil for coffee while packing up our sleeping bags and gear. As the sky began to glow pink in the east, we walked down to the South Platte River to fill our bottles for the dry 10-mile stretch through Segment 2. We filtered 3 liters each of the icy cold river water, and my fingers went numb in the process.
Segment 2 led us through the 1996 Buffalo Creek burn area, a landscape still slowly recovering. Many CT hikers describe this stretch as brutally hot and exposed in June and July, so we were grateful to be there in April—starting the morning bundled in puffy jackets, hats, and gloves, yet still feeling that same heat build by the afternoon.
We pushed on into Segment 3 before calling it a day, finding a peaceful campsite tucked into the forest somewhere in the Buffalo Creek area. Another great day—15 miles.
Day 3
Day 3 left us just 10 miles from the car, so we took our time in the morning—lingering over coffee and enjoying the warmth of the sun as we packed up camp. Another nearly cloudless day, with temperatures climbing into the 60s.
—just miles of quiet forest, time to think, and the simple joy of walking together in the mountains.
The final stretch followed winding mountain bike trails through Buffalo Creek. Nothing particularly remarkable about this section—just miles of quiet forest, time to think, and the simple joy of walking together in the mountains.
We reached the car around 1 p.m., feeling satisfied after covering the first 40 miles of our 491-mile project in just two and a half days.
6th Decade Adventures 
Leave a comment