Contributors: Megan and Erin
As two young, queer women bikepacking the Colorado Trail, we often commented on the assumed gender of other thru-bikers and hikers we encountered. While there are definitely women on the trail, sometimes it seems to be dominated by men. Despite this, one of the things we grew to love most about the Colorado Trail was meeting all the different types of people on and off the trail. During our 19-day journey from Denver to Durango, we met one particularly badass woman who became a source of inspiration for us—someone we aspire to be like one day.
This specific story begins when we hunkered down with a Warmshowers host in Leadville on a stormy night. The next day’s forecast predicted more afternoon storms. We decided that if we started early, we could try to make it to Buena Vista (BV) despite the weather. We also thought it would be nice to have a warm shower and a place to stay in BV since we would likely be biking through storms that afternoon.
We messaged a Warmshowers host in BV named Kendra, and almost immediately got a response—”Yes!” It was meant to be! The next day, we biked toward BV, and the rain held off until our final singletrack descent to the highway. The last section of this day included road miles into BV. It started as a sprinkle and slowly got harder, with the clouds looking darker in the direction we were heading. We checked our phone—there was a text from Kendra. She offered to pick us up and drop us off at the same spot in the morning. So kind, but it wasn’t easy for us to accept help. Should we let her pick us up? We debated for a few minutes. The rain wasn’t too bad yet. We declined at first and kept riding—we could tough out the next 15 road miles. We put on our rain gear, big gloves, and bike lights and headed down the highway.
The rain and wind picked up, and cars were whizzing by. Ugh, we should’ve accepted the help. As we kept pedaling down the wet road, semi-regretting our stubbornness, a sprinter van slowly rolled by and pulled over ahead of us. Maybe they feel sorry for us and will offer us a ride? As we approached the van, a head popped out the window and said, “Megan??” We replied, “KENDRA???” There she was—our Warmshowers host coming to our rescue. We later found out that she had been out and about and decided to come pick us up, but we think that’s a humble cover-up for her generosity and kindness. She rescued our drenched and cold selves.
We spent the afternoon and evening with her. She cooked us a delicious homemade meal, and we shared stories about biking, climbing, and more. We even got to watch the speed climbing Olympics with her. A friendship across generations blossomed as we connected over adventures and life. We became in awe of Kendra during our time together. Her stories were inspiring, her fashion sense was impeccable, and her home was inviting. As two queer women traveling together, it meant a lot to feel invited and welcomed into someone’s home. When reaching out to Warmshowers hosts throughout the trip, we always hoped for the best, assessed the situation, and were appreciative of everyone’s openness to accepting two girls with pride flags on their bikes.
The next morning, Kendra dropped us off right where she had picked us up, and we started biking with a newfound sense of invigoration and motivation. In the days that followed, we often talked about Kendra and planned when we might see her again. She was hiking the last few segments of the CT with two friends about a week later, and we knew that if we arrived in time, we could cross paths again.
On the last day of our trip, one mile from the finish in Durango, we saw a woman in a colorful skirt backpacking 50 yards ahead. There was only one person it could be. “Kendra?!?!” It was the most perfect end to our trip. We shared stories from the trail and snapped a picture together at the finish line, once again feeling invigorated by the power, generosity, and kindness of the bikepacking community. We hope this is just the beginning of our paths crossing with Kendra and the Warmshowers community.