A Long Way From Nowhere: A Couple's Journey on the Continental Divide Trail

What is it like to hike the length of the Continental Divide Trail? For Matt and Julie, also known as Optimist and Stopwatch, life on the trail meant twenty-seven days without seeing another hiker, six bears encountered within fifteen hours, two sets of maps, a GPS, and a compass to find the trail, and both wildfires and massive flooding to add to the adventure. Hiking the trail also meant a dramatic shift in perspective, a strengthening of love and friendship, and a redefining of the journey. This is the story of the couple's 3,000 mile walk on the Continental Divide Trail, through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. Both Optimist and Stopwatch play a role in narrating the story, revealing how differently they both think and act in the face of challenges but also how well they work together to complement each other. Few people know about the Continental Divide Trail and even fewer have hiked the entire length of it, creating an air of mystery surrounding the trail. Optimist and Stopwatch explore the many layers of the trail life on the Continental Divide Trail as they make their way over desolate terrain, eventually finding solace in the very aspects of the trail that made them question their desire to ever take on such a challenge.