160.7 Mile Solo Colorado Trail Loop 

Of all the comments, of all the responses I've gotten to my videos, this one perhaps is the one that hit me deepest. Thank you, thank you ♥

@@TaylorPassofaro oh no, thank you. A lot of times, backpacking videos and documentaries get super wrapped up in gear lists and statistics and numbers and it all, while useful, becomes so reductive and beside the point. I love that you instead choose to focus on your feelings, and the low points as well as the high, and on your interactions with your friends on trail (like your wonderful friend on the TMB). THAT’S what all of this is about so thank you so much for putting the focus back on where it belongs. 💙

Haha thanks 😄 I definitely wasn't expecting to get as deep into the graphics as I did, but it was a ton of fun. If you're curious, I improved a lot with my Mont Blanc video! Actually got some atmosphere and higher res textures :)

I think I vaguely remember you!!! Haha the west route was incredible in those storms. Good luck on your FKT attempt ❤️

Thank you!! I really enjoy making them, glad some others find enjoyment :)

Thanks my dude!! :D I'm working on a TMB trail video right now, hoping to do something similar, I really like making these things!

Thank you!! I kinda want to go back and hike the whole CO trail too 😅 If things go well I'm hoping to do the Centennial Trail this summer but we'll see!

Just came across my response and wanted to give an update, I didn't hike the centennial trail, I hiked the Tour Du Mont Blanc and it was awesome, and I'm working on the video now and it's an absolute beast of a project 😅

Of so many comments, this one really touches a deeper part of me, thank you ❤️

Thanks, I appreciate the encouragement :)

Thank you!! I appreciate the encouragement 😊

Why thank you, that's very kind of you 😊

You're very kind, thank you 😊

Thanks Deb!! And thanks for being a mental lifeline for me while I was out there, it was wonderful to know that I had some people close if necessary!

Thank you thank you ❤️

Oh wonderful! I hope you have a great trip, and thanks for the kind words!

Thank you! Haha, I assure you, I definitely don't feel professional making anything :P Especially when doing voiceover through a cheap mic into a cheap usb audio-in because my laptop line-in has an enormous amount of noise!

Thank you!!

I'm flattered she shared the link, and I'm even more so that you enjoyed it 😊 Thank you!

Thanks! Haha it was an amazing hike, I almost want to do it again next year!

Thank you, that was my goal :)

Thanks Barb ☺️ I definitely took a bit of a risk making this a video that I narrated (since I usually don't do that in my travel videos) but like a lot of things in life, you have to take the risk to have the chance of it paying off, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out! Also I talk a bit much in real life so I was a little nervous to add 28 more minutes of me talking in this vodeo haha. I hope they enjoyed it too!

I'm glad you enjoyed it! I wish I could hike it again, let me know if you have any questions, I'll help if I can :)

Thank you! Have fun out there, it's a great loop :)

Thank you 😊

Thanks! It definitely was a labor of love :)

It was an awesome trip! Next time I list is finishing the superior hiking trail, I only have 28 mi left before I'm done with all 310! I'll be making a full overview video of that sometime. Otherwise while I was in Colorado I actually heard a ton of good things about the four-day hike around the maroon bells. I would love to do that hike next. Oh sweet mercy that is a sensor/lens apot I got that black spot the very first day 😂😭 I cleaned my lens and sensor prior to setting out but somehow I got cursed. I looked into some more advanced techniques for getting rid of it, but the vast majority of my shots simply would have required too much work to make it worth it, and honestly I didn't think that many people would notice. I've also tried to remove spots like that in videos before (there's an ultra wide shot in my Afton State Park backpacking video looking at the sunset) And it really just didn't look that good. Sometimes trying to fix an issue draws more attention to it than just letting it be. I figured having a black spot was better than having strange artifacts all the time 😅 However there is one shot where I did clean it up, at 19:58, since the slow panning motion meant that I could use a clever technique to fix it.

Thank you!! 😀 That's a very kind thing to say! Honestly if you have any questions, send them my way, I'll help how I can!

Thanks! I used Blender to make the map, and I spent almost more time on that map than I did editing this video. I made a bit of an explanation video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yqgDLTg2Z0o.html However, the nuts and bolts of it are simple enough: I got a high resolution map of the mountains by taking tons of screenshots of google maps and stitching them together. Then I found a black and white image that showed the highs and the lows of the mountains and overlaid the two, then used a tool in Blender called displacement map to make the height information of the satellite image follow the black and white image information to get a 3D map of the mountains. The rest I explained in the video link!

@@TaylorPassofaro Great dedication with a high quality result. Nice work!

Thank you :) I started off with 19,500 calories (estimate) in my ursak, which was supposed to be 5 days worth but...with my appetite issues and other stuff, I basically just picked up a few ramen packets and snacks at the general stores (plus some offloaded food from other hikers) and did the whole thing without needed a true resupply. I wouldn't recommend that strategy at all, I definitely was crippled with hunger on day 2-4 of this hike and felt super weird but my body does weird stuff when I'm focused on a goal.

It's a fair question, but I think since you are in CO, the Collegiate Loop is a better first option. However, I'm cautious about recommending that too strongly because there's many personal factors that make hikes better or worse options for people. Also, do you like endless ridgelines and lake views or punishing mountain passes? A lot of it can come down to just what do you want to see. But here are the main differences between the two trails: 1. Length. Collegiate is half as long, 160 vs 310 2. Trail ruggedness. The SHT is often a very rugged trail, following the ridgeline of the north shore. In CO the trail was rarely rocky or had many roots, and since many parts were for mountain biking as well, it was often smooth dirt. 3. Climbs/Elevation. On the SHT there are some punishing climbs, but you're never that far from the top and there are gorgeous flat sections through forests. CO will have you gasping for hours and it can be disheartening to not have a break, and then once you get up to the top, needing to do the long descent down. The flat sections are short lived. That being said, I felt like I could cruise more in CO since the trail was smoother, whereas on SHT you're going up and down a lot. 4. Trail Towns. The North Shore is dotted with towns for resupply although most people just need to stop in Two Harbors and Grand Marais. For CO, you've got Mt Princeton for snacks (but not real food), and Salida is a great town at halfway you can hitch to, or Monarch Pass General Store for limited resupply. 5. Ease. This is a tricky one since in many ways CO was "easier" than the SHT, but perhaps it's just my comfort with the North Shore that makes me question this. There's a big mental difference between dodging the huge afternoon thunderstorms and cresting mountain passes vs the rolling rocky hills of the North Shore where you're almost always in the trees and although the views are breathtaking, they're not at 12k ft after hours of climbing. You're never more than a few hours away from highway 61 if needed, verses standing on top of a mountain and knowing you're really far from anyone else. I will say that I really felt like the Loop was daunting and intimidating at first glance, and even doing it again I'd feel similarly, but the SHT seems just so doable and friendly. I'd still recommend Collegiate since you're in CO, and especially if you're comfortable in the mountains it seems like a great first thru.

Thanks for the feedback! Haha knowing how to balance audio is definitely a weak spot, I finally have a pair of more neutral headphones but audio is a big area of learning for me! And absolutely, happy to help: 1. I hiked July 24th through August 3rd (I think) in 2021 2. I didn't feel like an umbrella was necessary but I wish I had discovered sun hoodies before this hike. My OR Canyon Sun Shirt was excellent, but a proper hood would have been amazing. 3. Oh hahah I did get 2 nose bleeds, what time stamp is that where you can see it?? I actually have video of me bleeding all over the floor of my tent but didn't include it for obvious reasons. Yeah, the dryness and elevation gets to me I guess, happened while I was on the TMB this year! 4. I used both a GoPro Hero 6 and a sony a7iii with a samyang 24mm f2.8 lens. As a general rule, if the video looks really wide angle or moving, it's probably shot on the go-pro. For static shots (and some selfie video), or any video that has background blur, that's the sony since it just shoots such beautiful footage. 5. I had a trekking pole attachment for my GoPro, absolutely love that system, I don't bring a dedicated selfie stick anymore. 6. No gimbal. I use reelsteady for the GoPro and it's mind-blowingly good for stabilization. However, recently there's been an open source gyro stabilization program called GyroFlow that is free and works amazingly so definitely check that out. For the Sony, unfortunately using purely software based stabilization isn't great, and since it lacks a gyro I can't use GyroFlow or Catalyst Browse (sony's proprietary and kinda terrible stabilization program). However for selfie video, shooting 1080p and 120fps actually gives Davinci Resolve enough frames to work with for some decent stabilization. However, there's a reason I got a ZV1 for my recent hikes, I just wanted smooth video and the ZV1 definitely delivers. I posted a video at Glacial Lakes as kinda a camera test for the ZV1 if you want to see what that looks like. 7. I just carried a 10,000 battery, I recharged at Mt Princeton, and at the Butterfly house, I didn't feel I needed a larger battery. I think I shot 25gb on my A7iii and 85gb on my GoPro. I shot 20gb of photos. I definitely underfilmed because earlier in the trip I was worried about battery life (hence why Day 4 I only shot like 3 clips), but when I got to the western section I was trying to film more. If you've got specific camera questions (especially about stabilization, that's been the bane of my existence so I'd love to pass on what I've learned from all my tests!) I'd love to help!

@@TaylorPassofaro Thank you for your detailed response! In my last YT published trip (San Diego Trans-County Trail 165mi) my stabilization was HORRIBLE. I tried to fix it in editing (iMovie), but it the program zooms/cuts the perimeter of the shot in order to do so. I was hoping to take preventative steps, with a hiking pole mount or gimbal. I'd love if you would share a link to the pole mount you like. Up to this point, all my vids have been shot on my iPhone. I was gifted a Hero 10, but I'm not sure if I'll take it. It seems to overheat pretty quickly. I'm an overfilmer (I shot 550gb+ on the SDTCT). Managing the additional GoPro batteries seems like a struggle, and I'm already fighting food weight with a 14dy itinerary. I'm wondering too, if I carry the GoPro, will I shoot even more footage? (It's too much to edit already!) I don't have the money for a real camera, but I could pop for a ~$100 gimbal that would help to stabilize and give me a wider shot to edit when the stabilization in my editing software shrinks the shot. Most of them still add a pound though. Ugh! I'd love any thoughts you have on this. Also, do you have a multiport charging cube you really like? Are you using Nitecore or Anker back up batteries? Are you an Android or iPhone use and how well do they pair with your devices? Can't remember where I saw your nosebleed (2/3 of the way through?), but in the handful of vids I watched, two out of the three people had on camera nosebleeds. So you are not alone. Not sure if you carry vaseline, but you might consider shoving some up your nose on your next dry climate trip. They also sell a nasal spray that constricts the capillaries, but not sure if you need a prescription for that. My itinerary is way too long 🙃 Any chance I could email it to you for feedback?

​@@trixieontrail Stabilization is definitely a tricky one. Unfortunately, a pole mount won't improve things to the level you're probably hoping. The reason I use a pole mount is to get different angles, it doesn't smooth things out significantly at all. If I were you, I'd use that GoPro. The Hero10 has pretty incredible built in stabilization and it will be the easiest solution. Note that I don't use the built in stabilization on my GoPro since the Hero 6 is meh. I process all of my footage through a separate app that smooths things out as seen in the video. I shoot in 4k 4:3 mode for that so I can still retain the wide angle. It gets technical beyond that (I don't mind getting into it if you really want!), but my recommendation for smooth shots without much work is to use that Hero 10. Depending on what iPhone you have, the stabilization can be hit or miss as well, but since the Hero 10 has the front screen, it should work much better for vlogging than previous cameras. I wouldn't get a gimbal. They're heavy, with a lot of moving parts, and are best for dedicated shoots, not backpacking in my opinion. Also, just to clarify, all electronic stabilization (in iMovie, the GoPro, reelsteady, or my ZV1 using gyroflow) all crop the footage a bit. However, the GoPro uses gyro data to make a much more accurate model to smooth things out, so it needs to crop less. iMovie doesn't have access to that gyro data, so that's why it crops in so much and doesn't look as good. The type of smoothing that iMovie uses is best suited for panning or static shots, it really struggles with motion. If you are an overfilmer, I understand. I came back from my TMB trip with 300gb of video and over 6000 photos myself, but I do expect to cut a lot of that down. However, I'm not making vlog style videos, so most of my clips are only 10-30 seconds long. If you're doing a lot of longer takes, that's probably why the GoPro overheats, especially in the sun. And filming 500gb of footage isn't a bad thing if that's what you need! I only shot 85gb on my GoPro for this video because I knew what type of video I wanted to make, and I didn't need a ton of footage. Focusing on what you want to create and keeping that in mind on trail will probably help, if this is an issue for you. I use a Rav Power 30w usb A and usb c charger, I really like it, but I think Anker's new GaN chargers are probably better, it's been a while since I looked at charging bricks. I use an old Tronsmart 10000 battery, it's probably the next thing I upgrade, but it works and I'm not in a rush to replace it. There's a person on the Ultralight subreddit who put together a great list of power banks, Nitecore is at the top, but there's some other great ones. I use Android, on the collegiate loop I used a Pixel 3a which took great photos but I never intended to use it for video. However I recently got an S22 because I wanted 3 lenses and that shoots quite impressive video, especially in 8k mode it doesn't crush the fine details like other phones do. iPhones still have a slight edge to video in their newer models because of better bit rate handling but the gap has never been closer. One day I might be able to film everything on a phone, but not yet. My S22 pairs well with everything else, so far so good. Haha this is definitely a lot of information, I hope it's useful, and I wish stabilization was easier to manage. I'm hesitant to post an email publicly but if you upload an itinerary to Imgur or another hosting site I'll respond there with comments!

@@TaylorPassofaro Regarding the pole mount, I know it won’t stabilize anything, but it will give me a wider frame to mitigate the crop issue from the stabilization function in the editing software, if that makes sense. I’d still appreciate a link if you have one to share. Speaking of software, I leveled up to Final Cut Pro, but haven’t done much with it yet. Stabilization is better, but still crops more than I’d prefer. Re: GoPro I agree, the stabilization is awesome and better than I’ve seen for any type of camera. If I do take it, I’ll definitely use it for pov b-roll, but not sure about regular vloggy stuff. For b-roll, I try to keep it around 10s, but the vloggy stuff is more around 1-2min. Again, storage capacity. Thoughts? I can not believe you shoot in 4k! Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to, but as an overshooter, I don’t think I’d make it 2 dys with storage capacity. 🤣 Ultimately, I think I’m going to have pack, weigh everything, and make some tough decisions. Re: gimbal I’ve actually seen some pretty great gimbal footage. I heard quite a few people say they love theirs. Maybe it’s a personal preference thing or you just haven’t tried one in a while? It’s amazing how quickly gear improves! The one I’m looking at is

I actually made a video about this! I originally wanted to make the animations in Davinci Resolve but Blender ended up being a much better option. I didn't know Blender before starting this so it was completely from scratch: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yqgDLTg2Z0o.html

@@TaylorPassofaro very cool, i know Blender a little bit, but not an expert. If you got time to answer: where do you get the 3d mountains from? And how do you animate the line running? I know about the keyframes and how much time it is, but i was also thinking about this. This year i will hike the john muir trail und afterwards i like to do a great documentary Video for this. Tanks in advance for your help.

@@MarkSins The JMT has been a dream for me for a while, that's really cool! I get the terrain information from tangrams.github.io/heightmapper/ I get satellite images from SAS Planet, but I used to just screenshot Google maps and stitch them together with panorama tools. SAS Planet is way better. To animate the line, I import the svg of my path, convert to a bezier curve, bevel it by a little bit to get depth, and use the factor start and end tools to adjust the animation position. To get the line on the terrain I apply a shrinkwrap modifier to the curve (make sure to check the "apply to curve" option), and offset it a bit so it doesn't clip the terrain too much.