Episode 9: Solace in Solitude

How a 500-mile hike put my life back on track

Last year, I quit my job, packed everything I needed into a backpack, and started walking. The plan was to thru-hike the Colorado Trail, a long-distance footpath through the Rocky Mountains.

I was a total novice at backpacking, but I craved an escape from the daily grind of work and life. And so, I decided to escape from society for a summer and head to the wilderness.

In this episode, poet Amy Strieter interviews me about the hike, and how it changed both my career path, and my mental health. 

Campsite near Cataract Lake. PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

Morning coffee. PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

Wildflowers on the Ten Mile Range, just outside Breckenridge. PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

A joyful moment above treeline. PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

My trusty Osprey pack. PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

After a 105-mile stretch between resupply points, a mostly empty jar of peanut butter was all that was left. PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

Upon arriving in towns, ice cream was always a priority. PHOTO COURTESY WILLOW BELDEN

Monsoon. PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

The headwaters of Elk Creek. PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

Crossing the Animas River, near Silverton. PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

Storm clouds brewing over Black Hawk Pass. PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

PHOTO BY WILLOW BELDEN

To learn more about my Colorado Trail hike, you can visit my blog, or read this story I wrote for Quartz.