I am indebted to many who helped me succeed in my long hike through Chaffee County.

Bobby Swanson - My next door neighbor and personal friend shuttled me three of the seven days, including the first two days. His encouragment during the writing process was very helpful. Each time I completed a page with photos and commentary, I walked to Bobby's place for him to read. Of course, Bobby always ranted and raved about it. Bobby is a lifelong musician and has a fan page on Facebook.

Omar Richardson - Omar shuttled me twice. On the the final morning, when I hiked to Poncha Pass, he fed me plenty of food and drink as the host of Colorado Crossroad Bed & Breakfast. Omar is a reputable real estate agent in southern Chaffee County. His website: www.heartoftherockiesre.com

Keith Baker - Keith was the first person to agree to shuttle me, and he introduced me to the idea of drinking coffee during my Chaffee County walk. Keith filled my container to the brim on Day 3, when he drove me before my walk from Buena Vista to Nathrop. Keith runs a top-notch outdoor goods store in Buena Vista. His website: www.thetrailheadco.com.

Phil Ladden - My long-time friend in Phoenix, Arizona already helped greatly during my 2008 bike across America trip. The next year, I suggested tongue-in-cheek that it was his turn to do a long journey. "You should do something like walk across the Phoenix Metro Area." I suggested. Well, Phil actually did it with two of his friends. They walked 60+ miles over four days in November 2009. Inspired by his trip, my idea to replicate a similar walk was launched for Chaffee County.

Additionally, I could always call Phil because I knew he would understand about blisters, sore ankles and other aspects that only people who walk long distances would know. ;) Phil is an expert on the cruising industry and has a blog dedicated to cruise topics: www.cruise-snapshot.com.

Bill and Janet Oliver - Special thanks to Janet for driving us to our starting point on Day 5 in Salida. Bill was the only person to walk with me during the entire walk. His companionship as we hiked through Salida was quite memorable! Bill and Janet live full-time in his RV and have a website dedicated to the topic: http://www.fulltimervers.net.

John Robinett and Shelli Johnson - I met both of these amazing people on Twitter. John @mrnetty and Shelli @shelliwazzu were boisterous cheerleaders during my hikes and showed much interest in my online trip report pages. As a typical writer who can never get enough encouragement, these two made a huge difference in my life.

Collegiate Peaks Realty - For their permission to use the Chaffee County, Colorado map displayed on the main page. Their website is http://www.cprealty.com

The Mountain Mail in Salida, Colorado - Reporter Sue Price wrote a nice article about my walk here.

-Steve Garufi
Buena Vista, Colorado

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