Words from Jenner Haseltine (Kardi)
Photography by Cody Jackson (Feathers)
8/24/2024 (On The Colorado Trail)
One of the aspects of thru hiking the Appalachian Trail (NOBO) that I enjoyed as a writer was that I could liken the experience to the plot of an adventure novel in that there were clearly defined sections I could identify as the five plot elements. Granted the spacing was a bit messy; I felt the rising action built until The White Mountains in New Hampshire, the climax on Franconia Ridge, the falling action descending Katahdin, and the resolution delayed until several months after finishing when I finally conquered my post-trail “depression.” On the Colorado Trail, our most recent segment from Breckenridge to Twin Lakes has notably transitioned our journey from “exposition” to rising action. Climbing above 12,000 feet over the Tenmile/Mosquito range was our first true alpine glimpse into what was to come in the unanimously revered San Juans. We enjoyed other gorgeous alpine routes, each more breathtaking than the last. My favorite was Searle Pass to Kokomo Pass via the Elk Ridge, where blue columbines, Indian paintbrush, larkspur, and fireweed lined the sides of crystalline alpine streams flowing deep into the lush basins below.
Our most epic adventure of the trip, however, occurred on the day we made it to Twin Lakes. We got a 3 am start, hiked eight miles to the North Elbert trailhead, humped our packs to the summit, and descended the South Elbert Trail just as the grey clouds encapsulating the summit turned pitch black, and a blustery wind sent flurrying rain that ricocheted off the pass. It was certainly a challenging but worthy side-quest to stand atop the highest peak in Colorado, second to only Mount Whitney in the Continental US. The route we took does cut off about three and a half miles of the CT but allows for a lovely descent through a dense Aspen grove before rejoining the trail just three miles before Route 82 just outside of Twin Lakes.
On our first afternoon after leaving Breckenridge, having trudged over the Tenmile range and through Copper Mountain, a hiker caught up to us as we ascended from the resort. He introduced himself as Yoda and entertained us with vibrantly hilarious tails that made our last few miles seem like a walk to the corner store. He asked if we minded sharing our campsite, and we gladly obliged. The trail has been very quiet, perhaps as the late summer months are considered to be the start of the “shoulder season,” and we were happy to have the company of a charismatic and energetic hiker with much to share in his travels. I was initially stumped in trying to determine the brand of his pack as it faced me from the inside, it had a warm grey patina from its original jet-black and two Dyneema pouches tethered to one side where the bottle pocket would typically be. It was only once he spun it around that I observed the faded “H” patch above the back mesh that denoted a Hyperlite Pack. As it turned out the pack was a Hyperlite Porter 40 that Yoda had purchased in 2019 and proceeded to triple crown with (AT, PCT, CDT). He estimated the pack had accrued at least 10,000 trail miles over five years.
Yoda was introduced to thru-hiking in 2003 during a trip up Mount Whitney with a “65-pound pack.” He stopped three thru hikers passing with significantly smaller packs to ask if they were on a day hike, to which they responded that they were thru hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Having never heard of the trail, Yoda was eager to learn the route, how they carried all the necessary gear in such a minimal pack, and what their kits consisted of. He marveled at the speed in which, after the conversation, “they just took off.” In 2018, Yoda set out to thru hike the PCT. When initially purchasing his gear, Yoda’s mentality was to go as light as possible. His search for a pack led him to Hyperlite, which he noted wasn’t feeling as “busy” at the time, though there was still a die-hard following of ultralighters that had recommended the brand. He settled on the Porter 40 and, after finishing the PCT, continued to utilize it throughout his Appalachian Trail thru in 2022 and the CDT this year. We were fortunate to have met him as he had traveled directly from the northern terminus of the CDT to hike the Colorado section.
He’d initially been forced to road walk most of the state this past Spring due to the high avalanche danger posed by the instability of late-season snowpack and wanted to properly experience the Rockies. The Porter is understandably weathered after such a decorated tenure. It does not repel water as well it once could, has been chewed on by a Porcupine in the Tetons, and has been stuck with many pins memorializing its countless adventures. Even so, Yoda believes he could get another thru hike out of it. One feature Yoda appreciates in particular is the removable hip belt as he prefers to hike without the constraint of the belt or sternum strap. He believes the optimum weight for this style of carry is between 25-30 pounds, with 35 pounds being his maximum for a comfortable hike without the belt.
It is evident that Yoda has a loving relationship with his Porter. Every other pack he’s tried has lasted maybe one thru-hike or attempt before being “shredded,” while the Porter has been through three despite him “beating the hell out of it.” When he got to Dillon from the Northern Terminus of the CDT, he finally washed the Porter, tossing it in a tub with half a bottle of detergent. He’s stoked that it is now smelling and looking good.
To allow for a comfortable carry without the hip belt or Sternum Strap, Yoda ensures that everything he carries is utilized regularly. He uses the Zpacks Altaplex shelter, Enlightened Equipment Enigma quilt, and Thermarest Uberlite pad. To negate the lack of bottle pockets, he attached clips to the necks of his two 23-ounce Smartwater bottles that hang from the bottom of his shoulder straps. He utilizes the bottom tethered side pouch for his sun and reading glasses and the top pouch for his Katadyn filter and electrolyte mix. The other side of the Porter is relegated to stashing his trekking poles.
The only two “luxury” items onboard are an inflatable pillow and a two-ounce air pump for inflating the Uberlite. Having experienced both ends of the weight spectrum, Yoda believes that trekking “with a monkey on your back (is) a horrible way to hike.” Even so, he carried a camp chair for the first 300 miles of the PCT. “I was a quicker hiker, so I’d pass people and then get my chair out. I’d be kicking it, eating snacks, and they’d be like, “What the hell?””
Though Feathers and I parted ways with Yoda as he went into Leadville and we continued to Twin Lakes, our time hiking with him was reminiscent of my Appalachian Trail experience in a very positive way. I realized how much I had missed running into these larger-than-life characters who could crack an outlandish joke in one moment and drop an incredible nugget of wisdom the next. I have high hopes that we will encounter more folks down the trail and meet up with Yoda again before he splits into New Mexico. Our hike has remained phenomenal, each day bringing awe-inspiring vistas and new exciting challenges. We have experienced one brief hailstorm, a smattering of rain, and plenty a bluebird morning. Even on this well-earned zero, we eagerly await the esteemed beauty and grandeur of the Collegiate West that lies ahead.
