The Van Zweden family completed the Colorado Trail on August 12, 2011.

Hiking the 500-mile Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango is one of the most epic -- and scenic -- adventures in the state, and it's a more accessible bucket-list goal than you might think: Last year the Colorado Trail Foundation added three kids under the age of twelve to its official list of CT Completers. Tonight at 6:30 p.m. Roy Van Zweden and his sons Jonas (8), Miles (10), and Eli (12) will be at REI Boulder, 1789 28th Street, sharing tales from their 2011 trek together.

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The greatest adventures are always more about the journey than the destination, but that truism can be easy to forget when you can't wait to get that heavy pack off your back. If the actual hiking isn't the most enjoyable part of your backpacking trips, then you just might be going about the whole thing the wrong way, according to Boulder-based athlete Andrew Skurka, whose new National Geographic book The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide hits the shelves at local bookstores and gear shops this week.

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At the height of fall in Colorado, as the leaves mature from sun blazed umbrellas into a landscaped rug, Colorado experiences a glowing transformation. Aspen Mountain, in particular bursts with an electric glaze, one that was too bright to ignore over the weekend when I was in Aspen to cover The Meeting, a ski and snowboard industry meeting of the minds. (See more photos after the jump).

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Photo courtesy Caroline Colvin

Sherri and Randy Propster brought the Backpacker Magazine Get Out More tour to REI Denver last night.

In 2006 Sheri and Randy Propster sold their home and most of their belongings, gave their car away, got married and set out to enjoy a 253-day honeymoon, backpacking the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail together. Their blogs from the adventure became an educational "virtual fieldtrip" in partnership with several high school teachers and helped land them a dream gig five years ago with the Backpacker Magazine Get Out More tour.

They've been getting out more ever since, living what the Propsters call a "3 miles-per-hour lifestyle," and last night stopped by REI Denver to share some wisdom from their travels. We've got their top five tips:

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If Colorado's highest peaks have been calling your name and you're ready to bag some fourteeners, stop by REI Denver, 1416 Platte Street, tonight at 6:30 p.m. to join the kick-off event for the the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center's Multiple Summits for MS.

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Might as well jump! Whitewater athletes at the Lyons Outdoor Games will be making the most of peak flow on the South Saint Vrain River as this year's epic mountain snowpack melts like crazy -- don't miss the Adam Barron Memorial South Saint Vrain Creek Race on Saturday at 10 a.m. and the Kayak Pro Freestyle finals on Sunday at noon -- but it's also the perfect opportunity to see some freestyle fireworks in the Lyons Dirt Jump Bike Park. The Yellow Design Bike Stunt Team will be putting on a show tonight at 6 p.m. in Sandstone Park (350 Broadway, in the heart of Lyons) and weekend events at the Bike Park include Pump Track races and Dirt Jump competitions starting on Sunday at noon.

More weekend action after the jump...

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Gear geeks, rejoice: Bruce Johnson brings his History of Gear project to Boulder's Neptune Mountaineering tonight at 8 p.m. (Table Mesa Shopping Center, 633 South Broadway) for his Great Gear Pioneers of Boulder lecture, where a display of vintage gear from pioneering historic Colorado companies will stand in stark contrast with the high-tech tools of today that the shop carries, many of them also made by homegrown brands.

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Photo via AndrewSkurka.com

Andrew Skurka descends a high pass into the Canning River, Brooks Range during his 2010 Alaska-Yukon Expedition

Boulder-based adventurer Andrew Skurka estimates he's hiked/skied/trekked at least 25,000 miles in the last decade, including a 4,700-mile Alaska-Yukon Expedition in 2010 that was featured last month in National Geographic, so listen up tonight when he tells you how to pack light for your next adventure.

Skurka's the featured guest at the Lightweight Backpacking + Skills Clinic tonight at 7 p.m. at Boulder's Neptune Mountaineering, Table Mesa Shopping Center 633 South Broadway ($5).

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I've been checking in with cool Colorado companies and trying out their goods on a mission to assemble a locals-only gear bag. This month I've been testing three different pairs of ski/snowboard goggles from Boulder-based Zeal Optics as well as the company's sweet new solar panel pack that helps power my gadgets (including Zeal's high-tech Transcend GPS goggle).

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If you need some inspiration for your next epic trek (or just prefer to live vicariously through the tales of others), stop by Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, 633 South Broadway Suite A, tonight at 8 p.m., where Boulder-based adventurer Andrew Skurka will share a multimedia presentation documenting his recent Alaska-Yukon Expedition, featured in this month's issue of National Geographic. Skurka spent six months last year skiing, trekking and packrafting his way around Alaska and Canada's Yukon for the trip, traveling 4,680 miles in all and going as long as 24 days without encountering another human. He makes up for the social deprivation of his solo trips by alternating them with public speaking engagements and, it turns out, he's one hell of a storyteller.

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