After completing the 2200-mile Appalachian Trail, Duane Elliott thought he’d had his fill of long distance hiking.
“I didn’t think I’d ever want to do it again, but it gets in your blood,” said Elliott, who is currently making his way from Denver to Durango on The Colorado Trail.
Elliott, a semi-retired electrical contractor who lives in the Nancy Reynolds region, embarked on the 500-mile adventure in early July.
He’s using the experience as an opportunity to raise money for The Friends of the Stokes Shelter, a no-kill animal shelter on Dodgetown Road.
“I do these weird things, so why not raise money for a cause?” said Elliott, who has also cycled across the United States. He chose FOSS because his wife, Wendy Elliott, is an avid volunteer.
“I just absolutely love animals,” Wendy said. “I can only have so many at the house.”
The organization has a dedicated page — YOLO Hiking Fur FOSS — on their website where folks can make a one-time donation, pledge a certain amount per mile or set up recurring donations.
The page also provides links to Elliott’s social media accounts so those interested can follow along via photos and videos as he traverses the state of Colorado.
Elliott also encouraged folks to donate their time.
“There’s a lot of opportunities for volunteering, fostering and giving back,” he said.
Hiking about 20 miles per day, carrying absolutely everything needed to survive in a pack on his back, Elliott expects the trip to take about five weeks.
He said he trained for the hike at Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain state parks.
“People will say, ‘How do you train for this?’ and I’ll say, ‘It’s just walking,’’ Elliott said. “So how I train is not really for physical, it’s to make sure that our gear is proper....” he explained. “Once you’re on the trail, you don’t have the luxury of going to your dresser and changing your clothes or that type of thing.”
One challenging aspect of The Colorado Trail is that the majority of it is above the tree line.
“Sun exposure and hypothermia are two of the larger concerns that we have because the weather can change dramatically at a moment’s notice,” Elliott said.
Cell service is extremely limited on the trail; Elliott may go a week or more without it, and also won’t have a GPS tracking device that some hikers use to communicate via satellite.
He will make stops in town every three to five days to pick up supplies, repackaging everything to eliminate trash — there’s no garbage cans on the trail — before heading back out.
The moniker YOLO Hiker (YOLO is an acronym for the expression “You Only Live Once”) reflects Elliott’s belief system.
“I’m able to do things that a lot of that a lot of people will never be able to do,” he said. “As a Christian and my wife working in long-term facilities, life is not promised every day....
“That’s why I’ve chosen the name YOLO,” he said. “Because you only live once, so live it. And if you do it right the first time, there’s no need to do it again.”
Follow along with Elliott’s journey on Facebook, Instagram @youlive1life and YouTube @duaneelliott.
For more information about FOSS or to donate, visit FriendsOfStokesShelter.com .
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