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244 miles into his summer journey on the Colorado Trail, Eric Weis and the Boa Lacing System have a few close calls…well at least Eric does!

Hello all,

It is official… I am at the halfway point of my journey.  After trying to hitch a ride the 13 miles from the trail to town for over an hour, apparently a random, ragged, tired, stinky hiker isn’t some people’s idea of a great person to have in the car, I have finally arrived in Salida, CO.  This is 244 miles into my journey.  I have really pushed it hard since leaving Leadville, and have averaged well over 20 miles per day, including my short 14 miles that I did this morning.  I have felt really great, even though it has rained at some point nearly every day and night this week.
 
Yesterday, was by far the most interesting day of this past stretch.  Not only am I doing the Colorado Trail, I am also concurrently training for the Pike’s Peak Marathon.  To date, the only other training run I have done was an eight mile trail run that I did in Frisco, before I indulged in the BBQ fest.  My plan was to do an additional run on one of the 14ers during this stretch.  The way I had it timed, it looked like Mount Yale would make the most sense, so I purposely camped very near the Mount Yale trailhead off the CT.  Little did I realize from my map that this was not the best option.  My trail run above 12,000 feet very quickly turned into some intense scarmbling.  Around 13,500 feet, and a very sketchy, snowed-in ridge, I decided it was time to head back down.  I then proceeded to hike another 26 miles in order to get to town a little earlier today.  It was a long day for sure.
 
I also had my first scare with the Boa system on the trip down from the Mount Yale ridge.  I slipped and banged my foot really hard on a rock.  After I got up and kept walking, I realized that not only was my ankle a little bloody, but my laces were coming loose.  I thought I had finally done it, and I could start giving the Boa laces a hard time.  Not so, I simply had to sit down, push the reel back in place, spin the knob and I was back in business.
 
I now head out into uncharted territory.  The trail south of Hwy 50 is a very remote area of Colorado that I am not familiar with.  This stretch will not be very conducive to making any mistakes, getting off trail, or receiving any aid from the outside.  Thus, wish me luck as I set out, and I will check in again in Lake City about a week from today.
 
Thanks,
 
Eric

Testing the Boa Lacing System on the Colorado Trail (all 485 miles), Eric Weis continues the push forward. Below is his latest blog installment.
 
Hello all,
 
I am currently writing you from the hostel in Leadville.  It has only been three days since I wrote last, but stopping in Leadville made the most sense, logistically.  Even though it has been a short time since my last update, it was long enough to have my most interesting story to date.  After being dropped off at Copper Mountain, I hiked about 9 miles in to Janet’s Cabin when the weather started to turn for the worse.  There was another hiker that had stopped at the cabin and had decided to wait until the next day and better weather to hike over Serle and Kokomo Passes toward Camp Hale.  I thought I could make it, and told him I was going to press on.  After about an hour and a half of hiking through the snow and punching through every step I was on top of a ridge above 12,000 feet in snow and sleet and I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face.  I decided at that point to follow my tracks back down to the cabin.  I learned a valuable lesson that day.  Being impatient and tempting mother nature are always bad ideas. 

My shoes have held up extremely well so far.  I have absolutely no blisters to report, my feet feel great, and the Boa system works just like day one.  When I get a chance to stop and meet some of my fellow hikers, they are impressed by both the lightweight shoes that I’m wearing as well as the Boa system that I demonstrate for them.  I have classified the Boa system in the same category as power steering, HD television, and shaped skis… you don’t know what you are missing until you give it a try.  The on-the-go adjustment has been a huge asset as my feet change size and shape a great deal over the course of a 25-mile day, and the ease of entry/exit cannot be overlooked.
 
That’s it for now.  I have just under 100 miles until I reach Highway 50, and take another brief timeout.  Thanks to all of those listening and take care!
 
Eric Weis

Hello all,
 
Well after approximately 117 miles of hiking over 6 days I have arrived in Frisco for a phenomenal BBQ festival.  How did I get here?  Well the first portion of the trail has went extremely well and I am actually a full day ahead of schedule.  I felt pretty well at the beginning of the hike and hiked 26 miles on Monday, followed by 28 miles on Tuesday.  I wasn’t planning on doing so many right off the bat, but I realized that somewhere between my gear list and my bag, I failed to bring my gaiters.  My friend and trail angel, Kate, was gracious enough to drive to Kenosha Pass to drop them off, but that meant me putting in the long miles.  I am also here in Frisco today rather than Breck because another trail angel offered to pick up my replenishment package and bring it to me here.  I knew I would have to hike through snow, but I didn’t realize just how much snow I would encounter.  Thus, I decided to try and go lighter (with a package of rice and a Honey Stinger bar) over the 10-mile range and have my replenishment today instead.

Other than the gaiter mishap, I have greatly enjoyed myself on the trail.  It has really forced me to let go of the control that I am always trying to obtain in my everyday life.  I am trying to simply listen more and control less.  I let the terrain and my knees tell me how many miles I can hike or where I will camp.  I let my stomach tell me when to eat and drink.  I let the unbelievably gorgeous views tell me when to take a break, and simply rest (which is harder for me to do than I would have imagined so far).  Anyway, it has been a great start, I appreciate the emails I have received, take care, and hopefully I will get another chance to write next week.  Right now another pulled pork sandwich is calling!
 
Eric Weis

Eric Weis is a Denver based REI Flagship store sales and product expert with one mission at hand (for now): Hike the Colorado Trail. 485 miles of wild Rocky Mountain good times. Here’s his first excerpt from the trip. Eric will be sending us trip reports periodically from the field with updates on his journey. Eric, we promise to get these posted in a more timely manner! Good Luck!

By Eric Weis
It is currently the evening of June 13th and tomorrow I set out on one of my most ambitious journeys yet.  I plan to hike the 485 miles from Denver to Durango that is known as the Colorado Trail.  The two most frequent questions that I get asked when I mention these plans are “How?” and “Why?”  To answer the first, there has certainly been quite a bit of forethought and planning involved.  I have sent ahead five care packages filled mostly with food to post offices via “general delivery” so as to ensure adequate food and nutrition for the duration of the hike.  These care packages consist largely of Snickers bars, a variety of other energy bars, oatmeal, beef jerkey, nuts, summer sausage, Lipton’s rice and pasta dishes, dehydrated meals, and more Snickers bars (app 16,000 calories worth).  I have also had to carefully plan out my gear list as well. 
 
My pack weighs app. 15 pounds without food and water.  Since this is my first long-distance hike, I have made some choices (such as carrying a one-person tent rather than a tarp) for the sake of comfort.  The main items are as follows:
 
REI Flash 65 Pack
REI Chrysalis One-person Tent
Western Mountaineering Summerlite 30 Degree Sleeping Bag
Therm-A-Rest Z-Lite Sleeping Pad
Alcohol Stove with REI 0.9 L Ti Pot
 
This is also the reason that you find this blog on the Boa Blog site.  I am hiking the trail in a pair of Vasque Blur trail running shoes that have been outfitted with the Boa lacing system.  The Boa system with its light weight, on the fly adjustibility, durability, and dialed in fit will be an integral part in my ability to hike up to 25 miles per day.
 
The second question has a much shorter, but more cryptic answer.  “It just feels like the right thing to do at the right time to do it.”  I believe that when me make decisions based on what is closest to our true selves, the universe conspires and creates the opportunities for each of us to accomplish great things.  Basically, I am doing it because my gut is telling me to.  I will spare you of anymore pseudo-philosophical babble, and just say that I wish you all well, and I will write again when I reach Breckenridge sometime next week.
 
Thanks,
 
Eric Weis
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