Great news!

I’ve finished the first draft of the route. Its about 1150 miles, but I expect the distance will grow by about 5% as I adjust some straighter approximations to a more realistic squiggle. I think the low end of my initial estimate of 1200-1500 miles is going to be pretty accurate. That translates to a schedule that may be less than 60 days. Perhaps only 45-50. A rough estimate of elevation change at this point is closing in on 250,000 ft. The route makes use of as much existing trail as possible, including several stretches of the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. A few segments will be along state highway corridors, many along ridge lines and cross country. I expect to tweak the route further during the next couple of months and then to make adjustments on the fly. That said, I think 95% of the path that I’ve chosen will be the actual pathway. One tedious and potentially annoying issue I face now is making sure that I haven’t plotted any course through private land.

I’m working on an overview map of the route and will put it up as soon as possible. For now, the order is: Culebra, Little Bear, Ellingwood, Blanca, Lindsey, Crestone Needle & Peak, Humboldt, Kit Carson, Challenger, San Luis, Sunshine, Redcloud, Handies, Sunlight, Windom, Mount Eolus & North Eolus, El Diente, Mount Wilson & Wilson Peak, Sneffels, Wetterhorn, Uncompahgre, Castle, Conundrum, Pyramid, Maroon & North Maroon, Snowmass, Capitol, Massive, Elbert, La Plata, Huron, Missouri, Belford, Oxford, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Princeton, Antero, Tabeguache, Shavano, Pikes, Sherman, Bross, Lincoln, Cameron, Democrat, Quandary, Holy Cross, Grays & Torreys, Bierstadt & Evans, and finally Longs.

Did I miss any? 😉