Daily Distance Plan

Here is my first attempt at laying out a schedule for my Colorado Trail thru hike.  From what I hear, the best plan is to make a good plan and then when you take your first step on the trail throw the plan out.

That sounds cute and all but it's probably a better idea to have at least a vague schedule so I can know how much food to make/buy, when to have resupply boxes arrive at various mountain towns and when and where I can meet various people who have expressed a passing interest in hiking a section or two with me.

I worked out a pretty conservative schedule that takes 39 days, which seems a little long to me, but I can always speed up and walk more if I need to.  I have included four "zero" days (days spent in town when no trail miles are hiked).  Not including the zero days, average miles hiked per day comes out to 13.85 miles per day.  I'm hoping after the first week has passed and my body has come to terms with the fact that it is going to be forced to do this thing, it will toughen up and allow me to do more miles per day than I have planned in the spreadsheet below.

Two days ago Lola and I took advantage of a not-too-chilly Saturday and walked up to the dam I was thwarted from a few days earlier.  It was an easy 12.5 miles round trip in 4.5 hours with only 250 feet of elevation gain for an average speed of just under 3 mph. After a week of walking I'd probably be able to cover 20+ miles a day if the trail was that flat the whole way...but it's not.  Some trail days see inclines of 3,000 feet or more.

I plan on getting underway each morning around 7:30 am or earlier and hope to never be hiking after 5 pm.  That will mean each day I'm walking (including rests, lunch break and water refills) for at least 9.5 hours.  At an average 2 miles per hour I can hope to cover 19 miles per day--theoretical best case scenario--until I become trail hardened.  Big uphill days...much less.  My average daily spreadsheet distance covered is so much less to allow for a general new-hiker pussiness and also for short hike days where I have to hitch hike into town to get resupply boxes or check in to a hostel--budgeting my daylight for standing by the side of the road, convincing drivers at 50 miles per hour that I'm not a serial murderer.