I'm looking for a trip trip to take this summer, preferably longer than 2 weeks. However, there are a number of constraints.
– Due to me only getting a certain amount of leave over the summer (probably going to max out at about 3.5 weeks), I'm limited to trails that I can do in that amount of time.
– I would prefer to do something in the western half of the country. I'm from Nevada originally but have lived in Colorado, California, and Utah. I absolutely love Washington state and western Oregon. Anything in those states are good options.
– Thus, I will probably end up flying to whichever trail I pick. The closer the beginning and end of the trail are to cities/airports/other transportation hubs (or nice BPLers who don't mind giving me rides), the better. I don't want to spend 100s of dollars outside of airfare trying to get on the trail.
– I won't know when I get leave until 1-2 months beforehand. Therefore, any trails that require getting a permit months in advance are out of the question.
Aside from that, the possibilities are endless. I am comfortable with and will most likely be hiking by myself (21-yr old male in great shape). This is my last chance to get a big trip in before I graduate and go wherever the Navy/Marine Corps sends me.
Now, there are some obvious options. The JMT looks friggin awesome and I've wanted to do it for a while now. It's just the right length and I wouldn't mind waiting a day or two for a walk-in permit in order to hike it. However, I'm not sure about the logistics — how would I get there, how would I resupply with food, and how would I get back? From what I know of the general surroundings, there aren't any airports immediately nearby either end of the trail.
I'm also considering the Colorado Trail. This would be much harder to do simply because of time constraints (doing 20 mile days would give me almost no wiggle room on either end if anything went wrong). But if the stars align (or if I'm just misinformed and it's actually more doable than I think), I would love to do this trail.
I'm open to any suggestions. Thanks guys :)
