Colorado Trail 22 - Day 36

I woke up in the greatest campsite I've probably ever had and wow, what an awesome night I had here. The sunset from inside the tent was incredible and I could see stars all night when I would look out into the massive valley above the Platte River. I slept in as long as I could since I don't have far to go to get to the end. I watched the sunrise as it hit the tops of the peaks and I kept laying there watching as the whole valley slowly was flooded with morning light, just incredible!
I finally got up and slowly packed everything up and took one long last look around and headed down the trail toward the finish line. I can't believe I'm really going to make it and I will finally have hiked the entire trail in one shot. I hiked slowly towards Bear creek and hoped that I could find a little water there since it was the last chance to get any before I get to the end. The creek was bone dry so I found a couple pools of water and took a little just in case. I met some really cool people on my trek out of the woods towards Waterton canyon and they were all so cool, congratulating me for finishing a thru-hike. It wasn't even noon when I popped out onto the road in Waterton canyon for the final 6 miles of road walk through the canyon and down to the terminus. It was a great walk down and I saw a herd of Bighorn Sheep on the way I walked right by them on the road. I saw a picnic table and decided to take one more break before I reached the end. I didn't realize I was only half a mile from the end. I took my last break and ate my last cookie and headed off toward the finish line. I reached the end of the trail a little after one in the afternoon and I touched the sign and suddenly the hike was over. I was a little overwhelmed and at a loss for words so I walked over to the picnic tables and just sat there for a while reliving the hike in my head. I finally called an Uber and got out there all the way across the city near the airport and just like that the hike is over. A truly bittersweet ending since I feel so strong and could hike another 500 miles if I had the time and the trail. Sadly, I must go back to Dallas and back to work and prepare for the next long hike. Thanks to everybody who watched and commented on this hike, your kind words and positive messages gave me the mental fuel to push through and complete this insanely tough hike. I'll see you out on the next trail in the Spring!!
GET? See you Somewhere on the Trail!

Colorado Trail 2022 Northbound
August 14th to September 18th - 36 Days
491.4 Miles
Elevation Average 10,300 ft.