I thru hiked the Colorado Trail southbound in 2014 and I am planning to hike in Colorado again this summer - probably late August to late September. Last time, I hiked southbound (Denver to Durango) and took the Collegiate West. To make this hike a little different, I would like to head northbound this time since I've found on other repeat thru hikes that changing directions can really change the experience (not to mention the views I'll look at all day while walking).
Since I've already hiked the trail end-to-end, I am also thinking about possibly mixing it up a little bit by incorporating segments of the CDT beyond where the CDT and CT are colocated. For example, one variation I find intriguing is the idea of heading north on the CDT around Georgia Pass rather than continuing on the CT toward the Waterton trailhead. I could take the CDT up into Rocky Mountain National Park and possibly end near Estes Park which could both be more interesting and also offers easy logistics to get back to Denver airport (many commercial shuttles). I like the idea of ending in Estes Park. However, it may be hard to arrange for proper permits in Rocky Mountain National Park since my exact trip date might not be known in advance since it comes at the end of a ~500 mile hike. Has anyone done this as part of a CT hike? Or in general, has anyone who hiked the CDT made a side trip toward Estes Park?
Any other potential suggestions for incorporating the CDT would be appreciated. I'm not wedded to starting in Durango either if there are other CDT access points in southern Colorado that I should consider. Can't wait to get back to the Rockies!