Coryclose.Com

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All of this started in 1997. I had moved to Colorado two years earlier and got my first taste for hiking and camping in the Rocky Mountains. It was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before, and the mountains fed my soul. I remember well the first time I went camping with a group of friends, including my good friend Dana Kelly and another good friend Mary Taylor, who you'll hear more about later on. Dana had all of her camping gear tucked neatly away in a backpack. Even though we were only camping about a tenth of a mile from the car, it made things so much easier to deal with. Immediately, all of the possibilities of what you could do with a backpack like that jumped into my head. She also showed me how to use a camping stove, which was another new thing for me. I talked to Dana a lot about camping and backpacking, and from that point on the seed was planted. Not too long after, I went and got all the gear I needed. I had no idea what I was doing, and no money to top it off. So I went to a warehouse sale at Lowe Alpine for my pack. Bad move, but more on that later. Once I had all of the necessary gear, I decided I was going to try and hike the Colorado Trail. But wait, Jen... you haven't even actually TRIED backpacking yet. No matter, I'll figure it out. I figured I should take a test run to make sure I had everything I needed. So I went for an overnighter on a section of the Colorado Trail not too far away. So far so good. That was all the experience I needed! So that's how my journey began in 1997. All things considered, I didn't do so bad. But as you'll see, I didn't quite make it to the finish line back in 1997. So I always had this unfinished goal in my head. So in 2006 I gave it another go. But didn't quite finish. Due to unforeseen weather conditions, I had to skip that seem section from San Luis Pass to Spring Creek Pass. So in 2008 as I'm writing this, I am very happy that I've finally accomplished my goal! Please read on to hear about the entire story. I'd like to give special thanks to Antoinette Zimmerman, Ben Johns, Mary Taylor (my Samwise), Anthony Lopez, my dog Pickett, Dana and Darren Kelly, Sonia Cronin, Jacob Erbes, my husband Cory, my stepdad Steve and my Mom, and everyone else who has helped me make this happen. Without all of your support, I never would have been able to complete this journey and very important part of my life. Thank you all!!!

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