Donovan "Iceman" Rice drew a 2,000-mile loop around Colorado, told us in April he might be "wildly off" on every number, and then walked it: the first person ever to thru-hike the Great Colorado Route. He is back on Hiker Trash Radio to be audited. Doc hauls out every promise Iceman made before his start and demands a verdict of promise kept or promise broken, with a surprising number of confessions. The four-month estimate became four and a half. The 1,700 miles became more than 2,000. A planned 13 fourteeners became 12 after lightning and wind turned him around, and he is still mad about Longs Peak. He did hang his food, except for the nights he slept with it, and he has developed a lasting grudge against the marmot. Along the way: a wildfire detour, a dry creek and nine liters of post office water, a 30-mile carry with yogi-ed water from three different sets of day hikers, a pack that rolled twice but, thankfully, not a third time, and the sentence "I don't have that rizz factor," a first in the history of the show, recorded on what Doc says was the 1,000th episode of his podcast career.

Show Notes

About the Guest


Donovan "Iceman" Rice is a Colorado hiker and route maker who designed the Great Colorado Route, a roughly 2,000-mile loop that links all 11 of Colorado's national forests, 29 wilderness areas, 13 fourteeners, 47 thirteeners, and three national parks. He began at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison on May 13 and finished 140 days later as the first person to thru-hike the route, posting a video about it every single day. He previously appeared on Hiker Trash Radio in April, days before his start, and Doc booked this follow-up on the spot at the end of that conversation. He is on Instagram at The Iceman Hiketh.


Episode Highlights


How Wildly Off Was He?


The Audit: Promise Kept or Promise Broken?


Marmots, Mount Garfield, and the Daily Vlog


Five Stories From the Loop


The Red Pen


A Letter to the Next Hiker


Two Close Calls and the Weight of the Route


Links & Resources



  • Great Colorado Route — route information, Leave No Trace and permit resources, and photos.

  • Instagram and Facebook: search Great Colorado Route for the route, and The Iceman Hiketh on Instagram for everything else.

  • CalTopo — the mapping tool Iceman switched to after his tracker smoothed his elevation and track.


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