Two Sticks, One Path: A Journey Beyond Fear on the Colorado Trail

by Darrow Kirkpatrick

"Courage is not a state of being. It is a quality of action."

Engineer and lifelong adventurer Darrow Kirkpatrick returns to the Rockies on crutches with a long-delayed hike the 500-mile Colorado Trail despite chronic injuries and crippling anxiety. Across six years and countless switchbacks, storms, and moments of grace, he learns to move through fear, cultivate courage, and rediscover strength in family and wilderness.

Honest, easy-reading, and quietly defiant, Two Sticks, One Path is a vivid story for anyone ready to reach again for a difficult dream.

Genres: Memoir

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 16, 2025

About the author

Darrow Kirkpatrick is an early-retired civil and software engineer with five decades of hiking, biking, and technical rock-climbing experience, including first ascents in the Shawangunks of New York and the sandstone belt of Tennessee. He climbed three big walls in Yosemite Valley, California: The Shield and The Nose on El Capitan, and The Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome. In 2011 he founded Can I Retire Yet? — winner of the 2019 Plutus award for Best Retirement Blog. His personal finance books include Retiring Sooner and Can I Retire Yet? In 2021 he completed a six-year section hike of the 500-mile-long Colorado Trail, the subject of his memoir, Two Sticks, One Path.

Reviews

[Cam Torrens · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a young Air Force pilot, I knew I belonged in the air. But so many things could go wrong--severe weather, faulty equipment, the enemy's actions. The answer to facing that fear was to face that fear, over and over...just like author and outdoorsman Darrow Kirkpatrick did on his remarkable trek through the Rockies.

"Two Sticks, One Path" is an inspiring and heartfelt memoir chronicling Kirkpatrick’s nerve-wracking journey along the Colorado Trail—on crutches. Blending vivid adventure with reflections on aging, resilience, and the healing power of nature, Kirkpatrick skips the potential "there I was" superhero story, instead offering a raw, contemplative narrative about chasing a lifelong dream despite physical challenges and deep-rooted anxiety. In doing so, the author provides a moving tribute to our American wilderness and the inner strength it can awaken.

[Stacy Boone · Rating 5 out of 5]

There exist countless ways to write a book about trekking the 486-mile Colorado Trail. Most of those have been written with the same shared passages and notes and grueling effort. What makes Two Sticks, One Path: A Journey Beyond Fear on the Colorado Trail by Darrow Kirpatrick different is that he successfully threads the thin line of leaning too far over the edge that peers into the valleys bathed in the warmth of sunrise, overselling the glory of glistening water, and allows the reader to amble at their own pace into the kaleidoscope of flowers. The end goal is to travel from Point A to Point B, either by foot travel or bike tire. To reach any of the connecting junctions in between requires the focus of attention punctuated with routine and practice.

This trail memoir is more than just the miles; it is Kirkpatrick coming to terms with his history. One that includes physical disability and mental illness. As expected in the memoir there is a background of family relationships and the emotional search for an internal balance. Kirkpatrick does not shield himself from the adversity of anxiety, one that can most certainly be debilitating to a near paralysis – a metaphor is putting one’s feet in ice cold waters to feel a sting and sensation that wakens, reconnects the neurons of self. Likewise, Two Sticks is not meant to be the center of this story, only a part, the tool that allows the narrator determined to travel in the backcountry the support system that makes this possible.

Two Sticks strides in balance. It pokes and finds sure footing before moving forward which makes it readable for the general reader and the hiker who dreams of walking end-to-end on the Colorado Trail.

[Susan L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a long time since I have read a book that touched me this much.

“Two Sticks, One Path” is one of those magical books that interweaves stories seamlessly. Thus, this memoir is not about just one thing; it is about many things. With Kirkpatrick as our guide (although sometimes I wanted to reach out and offer to guide for a stretch), we explore the rigors and rewards of wilderness hiking. We watch, listen, and support Kirkpatrick as he tackles illness, disappointments, and dizzying success, and well-earned triumphs.

Darrow Kirkpatrick is a hiker extraordinaire. Sure, he does day hikes and overnight hiking/camping, but that’s the “bread and butter” of hiking. He also has hiked on thru-trails (e.g., the Appalachian Trail) and in “Two Sticks, One Path” he is determined to complete the Colorado Trail (CT).

I grew up in Colorado and know many of the places Darrow Kirkpatrick describes in “Two Sticks,” I never tried to hike the CT, and having read the book, I deeply regret that missed opportunity. I have been to Durango, but, I am sorry to say, not in the way the term is used in the book.

Kirkpatrick shares with his readers the good, the not so good, and the challenging in his life. Kirkpatrick is on a physical, emotional, and introspective journey; we readers have the good fortune to journey with him. “Two Sticks” is deeply personal; souls are laid bare; disappointments are relived; worries threaten; successes and triumphs are celebrated. Kirkpatrick tells his story so well, I often felt right by his side. I wondered why I was I feeling sad as I neared the end of the book. Then I understood; I was going to miss Darrow Kirkpatrick and I hated seeing our time together come to an end.

[Stephen Theccanat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two Sticks, One Path is a moving and beautifully written account of Darrow Kirkpatrick’s 500-mile trek along the rugged Colorado Trail. While the book is certainly about the physical challenges of long-distance hiking, it’s also deeply personal—interweaving his experiences on the trail with reflections on his close relationship with his father and his lifelong battle with anxiety and physical limitations.

Darrow’s honesty is one of the book’s greatest strengths. He doesn’t gloss over the difficulties—whether emotional or physical—but instead shows how he works through them with persistence and self-awareness. His tenacity in the face of adversity is truly admirable and often inspiring.

The vivid descriptions of the trail, the changing landscapes, and his encounters with fellow hikers bring the Colorado wilderness to life. Even though I’ve never hiked the Colorado Trail—or anything close to it—I felt like I was right there with him, thanks to his immersive storytelling.

What shines through most is Darrow’s deep love for the outdoors, for people, and for the natural world. This book isn’t just about hiking—it’s about connection, resilience, and growth. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys nature writing, personal memoirs, or stories about overcoming life’s challenges.

[Traci Styner · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best hiking books I’ve read—and so much more than a hiking book. The author shares the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of taking on the Colorado trail while adapting to the physical constraints of age and injury.

The book is well written, engaging, and an inspiration.

[Susan Mast · Rating 5 out of 5]

hiking is the best way to travel

I absolutely love hiking books. This one is a great story with lots of great descriptions of the lay of the land.

[Dillon Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story. Great personal narrative and inspirational that you’re never too old / injured / “out of the game” to be able to accomplish your dreams!