Dancing Down the Deviant Streets of Denver, CO
From DTW to Denver’s Ballpark District, day one of my Colorado Trail journey starts with locals, lessons, and the mile-high prologue before the climb.
3:30 A.M. came so, so quick.
My second alarm, 3:31, came quicker. Usually I give myself a ten-minute delay in between, but this time was different.
Even in my sleep-fogged brain, I understood the signal: no time to waste. My subconscious searched through the mist for a reason to lock in until ultimately, it landed with a somersault, and I zapped out of bed like a lightning bolt.
I had Colorado on the mind.
I quickly showered, wrapped my Osprey Aura AG 50 liter pack up with saran wrap (allow me to explain), and cursed myself for choosing such an early flight. Initially, I’d thought I’d start the trail the same day I flew in, which serves to show exactly how little I understood of thru-hiking at the beginning of my trip planning process. Instead, I’m sitting in a swanked-out Denver hostel, reflecting on an illustriously eventful day and acclimating well enough to tackle the days ahead.
You might be looking for advice before setting out, or maybe you’re the type who’s seen more trails and airports than I can count, here only for the narrative. Whatever the case, it felt right to put my first-day takeaways on paper in real time — along with the kind of information and tips that turned this idea into a starting line.
DTW → DIA
My pops dropped me off at the airport by 4:45 a.m., and after haphazardly hugging him goodbye, I hobbled over to the check-in counter and placed my pack down on the weigh station. It was completely covered in plastic saran-wrap, and I assumed the agent would be giving me a bizarre look right about now, perhaps even demand answers. Instead she smiled, tagged the bag using the handle I left hanging outside of the plastic, and told me I was all set. If you’re looking to keep all your buckles, straps, and bezzles safe, I’d highly recommend either wrapping your pack (trekking poles and all) or grabbing a larger piece of luggage to store it inside of during the flight.
The only issue I had with the latter solution was that I’d have no way to store the extra luggage once I’d landed in Denver, and so to the Dollar Store for saran-wrap I went. The cheap kind will do just fine. Keep your necessities on you (ID/passport, cards/cash, charger, phone, etc.) in a fanny pack or let your pockets provide throughout the journey, whatever floats your boat from A to B.
Union Station → REI
Once I touched down in Denver, the Regional Transportation District (RTD) could not have been easier to access and use. The “airport day pass” ticket is only $10.50. I downloaded the RTD app, followed the signs through the airport for Westin Hotel, went down the set of stairs pointing towards public transit, and booked it the next hundred feet or so to catch a train just beginning to depart for Union Station. They swing around every 15-30 minutes, so I’m told, and I absolutely was not in a hurry; I guess it just felt right to run. I’ve watched too many movie scenes depicting this exact scenario to not give it a try at least once.
With my pack in its rightful place (though I still need to adjust the straps to perfection, remind me later), I trapezed through Union Station (also known as LoDo, short for Lower Downtown) to my first pit stop: REI. If you’re hiking out from a destination you flew into, you’re not able to bring fuel canisters or bear spray with you (TSA frowns upon these items), so you’ll need to stop somewhere that stocks this type of stuff prior to stepping onto trail.
Everyone’s pre-hike loot list will look different, but here’s mine:
1 BAGGO tote bag in “RAIN”, $14.99 (!!)
1 Heather’s Choice Shepherd’s Pie Dehydrated Meal, $16.49
1 MSR IsoPro Fuel Tank, 8 oz, $6.95
I’ll be using the reusable tote bag for laundry and to tote other things around, presumably. This was, admittedly, an impulse buy that might end up being truly “handy” later. The dehydrated meal is dual-purpose — firstly, for energy (of course), and secondly, to reuse the heat-safe meal prep bag that it comes in. I have SmellyProof reusable heat-safe bags, but they are gallon-sized, and I’ve been using them mostly for food storage up until now so I’m not sure how convenient it’s going to be to also use them to prep hot food (using boiling hot water).
Usually, those meals sit for 20 minutes too, so I figured an extra, much smaller bag would help smooth out this process.
If you are generous in spirit but also strapped for cash, please consider using the link below to provide a small donation towards my thru-hike budget — when you’re living on dollars and cents, even $2 makes a difference, and keeps me on trail long enough to keep writing these.
I’ve opted out of carrying bear spray… for now. Avid thru-hiker, backpacking extraordinaire, and podcaster Carol Coyne of Thru-r recommended I don’t for this trip, and so far, her advice has always panned out. You see, I am not so afraid of black bears. I am familiar with their habits, patterns, and behaviors. It is Grizzly (brown) bears I am terrified of and will want to be properly equipped against in the event I find myself in a stand-off with one.
With that in mind, one thing I’ve changed my strategy on is food safety.
I will be hanging my food every night I camp, either using the Ursack itself or performing a proper food hang with the Rock Sock I purchased way before I even knew what I was getting myself into. Once I started actually doing overnights solo, I had already gotten into the habit of sleeping with my food, but after speaking with other, more experienced thru-hikers, I realized what a mistake that was.
Thru-hikers just shouldn’t do that, and especially not those traveling solo. It’s not even just bears you need to be concerned with — I spoke with a veteran thru-hiker named Jeff recently, who shared with me that he always sleeps with his food, but he also has a few holes chewed into the netting of his tent from where rodents got in to try their luck at a snack or two.
The Denver Local Lowdown
While lounging outside of REI, I met a local transplant named Monte, an insanely fit 70-something-year old who had just biked six miles out from pickleball and was planning on returning the courts for a few more rounds that same day. I offered him a seat next to me, and we chatted for a while. He told me about Denver, and I told him a little bit about the Colorado Trail. We talked about using AI (which he does often), the Great Poisoning occurring by way of the American diet, and the rapidly decreasing international tourism market in the U.S. due to some inextricably unpopular policies being made by our president elect.
Monte shared with me that people in Colorado have made a deliberate choice, and that is to be kind. I know not everybody goes with the flow, and that’s life. But his words made my heart swell a bit, because from what I have seen of Colorado so far, I believe this to be true. Whether deliberately or not, Colorado people are gentle, honest, and generous spirits wrapped in a tough-as-nails exterior. If you show the same respect — to their land, their people, their ethos — you will be treated in kind.
By the end, we had conceded that I would need to move to either Denver or Boulder soon and set up basecamp. Monte’s idea of basecamp is a little different from mine: it’s a boyfriend to husband pipeline with kids somewhere in the mix, but my readers know that’s not what we’re here for. We’re building our own damn table (out of beetle-kill pine and steel legs), with room for maps, muddy boots, and the kind of plans that don’t fit neatly into anyone else’s blueprint.
Regardless, Monte’s kindness was palpable and real in a world where people are often only “nice” due to societal construct. After about twenty minutes of chit-chat, he was ready to get back to pickleball. As he left, he informed me that he would be a worthy contact if I needed any assistance or ran into any problems.
I certainly did not expect that, less than an hour after touching down in CO. It is worth noting that the power of kindness continues to prevail over the myriad of other feelings I have had so far in the fruition of this thru-hike, including fear, anger, sadness, and loneliness. I am very grateful for people like Monte.
Ballpark District, LoDo
From REI, I walked my way to Denver’s Ballpark District, weaving through the kind of game-day crowd that makes the city feel ten degrees louder. Coors Field was pulling in fans by the hundreds, the sidewalks alive with jerseys and beer cups, but nobody looked twice at the girl hauling a full thru-hiker pack through it all. In that moment, I wasn’t an oddity — just another body moving with the current, headed toward wherever camp happened to be for the night.
Once situated, I was recommended a spot called The Retro Room, which just so happens to offer the cheapest bar food in town. Stuffed full of questionable meal choices and gregarious laughter — both of which were supplied by the cheeky (and very hungover) bartender — I began my deep descent into Denver culture, walking around without a care in the world, stopping into this place and that:
Max Market: Located on the corner of Lawrence St and 21st; perfect grocery resupply point if you’re looking for higher quality, healthy food. I bought SmartWater bottles here to use with the Sawyer Squeeze water filtration system.
The Dab by Silverpeak: Oops, did I not mention I partake? Well, occasionally, when the opportunity strikes… and Denver strikes on all cylinders where cannabis is involved. You’ll find this recreational dispensary on Larimer St between 21st and 22nd, and when I tell you Colorado weed is built different, I mean it. I was nearing an existential crisis by the time I had finished half the $7 pre-roll I bought, and I spent the next half an hour or so walking around aimlessly, too scared to go into any businesses because I knew I wreaked of smelly, smelly dank.
Marco’s Coal Fired | Ballpark: Also on Larimer St (my temporary stomping grounds), Marco’s quickly became my haven once I’d begrudgingly finished (most of) the rest of that joint. Immediately upon sitting down, the beautiful bartender Sarah gave me shit for ordering a “Diet” (“What the fuck is a diet? Do you mean Diet Coke? You’re not from here, are ya?”), and I erupted into maniacal giggles. The rest is history, we were cracking jokes left and right, and all the while the regulars there started to peel back the layers of Denver culture for me. This is a very alive city, with lots of transplants coming in and contributing to the melting pot, though the sentiment remains the same: Denver people are unbelievably cool, brutally honest, and outright fantastic. When I accidentally started falling for the bartender Sarah a bit, I knew it was time to pack up and head to the next place.
Zanzibar Billiards Club: Alright, I haven’t actually been here yet. But I hear it’s a dive, and it’s got pool, so what could possibly go wrong? I bet you can guess where it’s at, too: Larimer St. It’s actually right next to The Retro Room, where that handsome but hungover bartender Christian gave me a few more stops to make before I exit the mile-high city. This might come across a little diabolical, but I might play pool shark there for a bit, see if I can’t double my cash allowance for the week. When in Rome…
City Miles: Last Stop Before the Trail
My love affair with Denver isn’t over yet. I’ll be meandering around this stretch for a little while longer before I hit Waterton Canyon Trailhead, and it’s safe to say I’m very satisfied with my lodging and location choices. As far as the hostel goes, by the end of the Colorado Trail, I’ll have a comprehensive guide published with each hostel I’ve stopped at, complete with pros, cons, tips and tricks.
I still think it’s critically important to do your own research, map out your own gameplan, and play at your own risk. But maybe you’re not the “let’s engage in a conversation with every local we see” type of person, and that’s okay. I am, and I also like to write a lot, so I’ll be providing you with the play-by-play from here on out, in classic Freda Heights fashion.
Maybe it will lead you to make similar choices, or completely opposing choices, and that’s the beauty of a choose-your-own-adventure style travel itinerary.
This is just the prologue, of course. Tomorrow, the real climb begins. Subscribe to follow the whole Colorado Trail journey here, and join me on Instagram or TikTok for the in-the-moment updates. It’s going to be a hell of a ride.