Hit 500 miles on the Continental Divide Trail this summer and it snuck up on me

I was hiking through some pretty open meadow in Colorado near the San Juans and I looked at my GPS out of habit. I saw 500.1 miles and I just stopped right there on the trail and sat down on a log. I remember starting out thinking I'd be lucky to make it 100 miles before my knees gave out or I just got sick of ramen every night. It hit me different than I expected because I wasn't even trying to hit a number I just wanted to see what was over the next ridge. Has anyone else had a milestone pop up out of nowhere like that and stop you in your tracks?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_logan27d ago

Stopped dead in my tracks at mile 287 on the PCT once. Not because of a milestone, because I forgot to pack a spoon and had to eat cold refried beans with a stick for three days. But yeah, that 500 marker surprises you when you're not counting. I remember sitting down and thinking "damn, my knees actually held up longer than my will to eat another granola bar." It's weird how the big numbers sneak up on you when you're just trying to not get eaten by a bear or die of dehydration. Now I keep a cheap plastic spoon taped to my pack just in case.

blairsanchez27d ago

damn, my knees actually held up longer than my will to eat another granola bar" is honestly the most relatable thing I've read all day lol. Did you ever get sick of the repetitive food enough that it affected your hiking, or did you just power through it?