Packed up and out the door by 8:10 a.m. The trailhead was just 30 minutes from home, and my mom and girlfriend were kind enough to drive me there. It was comforting to have them with me as the pre-trail nerves had kicked in hard—but their presence also made the start more emotional. Walking away from the people you love never gets easier.

I was on trail by 9 a.m., hiking along the North Fork of the Big Thompson River and into Rocky Mountain National Park. A few miles in, I entered the massive burn scar from the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire—Colorado’s largest wildfire in recent history. I’d be hiking through this scarred landscape for the next three days.

After leaving the North Fork Trail, the grade kicked up steeply, climbing toward Stormy Peaks Pass at 11,714 feet (3,570 m). A bit of rain caught me near the top, but thankfully the lightning stayed off in the distance.

From the pass, it was a long, cruiser descent down to Pingree Park, home to the CSU Mountain Campus. By the time I reached the road, I was dehydrated—having run out of water about three miles earlier—and too exhausted to stomach the heavy pizza I’d lugged all day. I was likely hypoxic too, which didn’t help.

When I finally arrived at Tom Bennett Campground, I handed over $17 (cash/check only) and grabbed a site. I was the only one there. The campground—like much of the area—had been ravaged by the 2020 fire and had only recently reopened. My fire pit was still taped off with a warning not to use it.

I chugged water, forced down what food I could, and drifted off to sleep to the sound of a nearby stream. A nearly flawless first day on trail.