July 31 - Durango   Miles Today: 8.2 Total Miles: 284.0

So you would think that a day where I only had 8 miles to hike into town would be relaxing. This was far from the case; I am totally and completely exhausted!

Last night was like Christmas Eve, I just could not fall asleep. I had such an excellent day, and I knew that I would be finishing the trail today, so I was all giddy. I was packed and hiking on the trail before 6:30 this morning, and I made the uneventful eight miles in just under two hours!

The very end of the trail was somewhat of a disappointment, though. Since the end of the trail is only three miles from town, this area is more of a city park then it is a forest trail. I saw all sorts of joggers and walkers out before I got to the trailhead, which itself is also very unspectacular.

It didn’t matter, though, I had finished my hike and I was quite happy with the accomplishment. I quickly got a ride into town by a nice woman that dropped me off at the Durango Diner. Oh boy was this a treat! Their special of the morning was a Chicken Fajita Omelet! I couldn’t think of a better breakfast to finish off the trail with, and it did not disappoint

Well, it was still only 9:00 in the morning and Colorado wasn’t going to be in town until about 7:00 tonight. I went to the library, did some email, made a few phone calls and then headed to the local mountain bike shop. I figured since I had so much time to kill, I might as well check out the famous riding trails out here.

Well, I overdid it just a bit. All told, I rode for about four and a half hours today, up and down these amazing trails. The bike I rented ran really well and I was having a fantastic time. Sure, my legs turned to goo on the uphill sections, but the downhills… oh the downhills were so worth the effort.

I checked into the hotel that we were staying at and enjoyed a nice, hot shower before grabbing a couple of beers and heading to the hot tub. Could this day get any better? Hiking, mountain biking and beers in the hot tub – I was totally happy.

Colorado showed up just after 7:00 and we went out to eat and have a few drinks with his future roommate. I had just about the best calzone that I have ever eaten at a brewpub called Steamworks. It was a perfect end to a fantastic trip. I look back now at the first few days on the trail and cringe at the fact that I almost got off of the Colorado Trail. That would have been a mistake, and I am glad that I toughed it out and made it here to Durango.

Will I ever finish the Colorado Trail? Well, from all the thru-hikers that I talked to, I am certainly not in a rush to get back out there and hike the rest of the trail near Denver. There is a lot of other stuff that I would rather do first, but eventually I think that I’ll get back to hike the remaining 180 miles.

Tomorrow, Colorado and I head to Mesa Verde National Park before heading back to Telluride for his birthday. Then on Saturday, I’ll fly back to New Hampshire and return home after three weeks in this amazing state. What a great trip this has been. Life Is Good.

- Chomp

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