Tales of a Brazilian who becomes a hiker: part one
On July 27, 2026, I plan to be at the Waterton Canyon Trailhead, ready to begin a journey that I am sure will transform my life in many ways. But the first steps of this adventure were taken a long time ago, far, far from Colorado. In fact, more than 5,600 miles away.
I’m Elizabeth (aka Bebeth, no name for the trail yet) and I was born on the border with Uruguay, in the far south of Brazil. One hundred percent Latina. Today I live in Itacaré, in the state of Bahia, in the northeast of the country, a small town full of coconut and cocoa trees, beautiful waterfalls and paradisiacal beaches with warm waters that can only be accessed by paths that wind through tropical forests. But next month I’ll be hiking in the Rocky Mountains.
How and why did I get here?
Itacaré, Bahia, Brazil
trails and me
I was lying in a hammock on a boat crossing the Amazon River (in the Amazon, obviously) for three nights, 11 years ago, when I read, yes, you guessed it, Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I was completely surprised by the possibility of crossing an entire country on foot, walking and living outdoors, spending weeks on the road. At the time I was 25 years old and not in shape at all. Then I thought, «I could never walk that long. But at least I’m wandering on my own.»
I had just graduated from college and was spending three months traveling alone in Brazil. I was at the beginning of my trip through the north of the country, and it was during that same trip that I went trekking for the first time. It was a three-day hike in a beautiful valley in the heart of the country: Vale do Pati, in Chapada Diamantina. You can Google it, it’s amazing.
But, as I said before, I wasn’t really fit, I didn’t have the right equipment and although I had always enjoyed being outdoors and walking, it was my first time walking and going up and down mountains for three days straight. It was brutal. I used a walking stick because I didn’t even have trekking poles. I was very slow. It rained so much the last day that I ended up far behind everyone else and kept falling as I went down the mountain, sliding with a useless plastic bag serving as a rain cover. What a spectacle!
I finally made it back to the car as night fell. As soon as I walked in, I started sobbing. I literally had hallucinations on my first night back from the trail. I was destroyed. On the other hand, I had just experienced three of the best days of my life. I had this deep realization that I could do it. In fact he had. The climbs were hard, I was scared, I needed help, but I had done it and I had completely fallen in love.
So I got better
So, over the last decade, I have been gaining more experience hiking in Brazil and abroad. And since I moved four years ago to a small coastal town deeply connected to nature, I started outrigger canoeing and quickly became obsessed with it. I can also go hiking every weekend. All of that, plus occasional running and CrossFit training, allowed me to return to Vale do Pati eight years after that first trip for a five-day hike. And every minute was just amazing. No pain, no hallucinations and this time with my own trekking poles! It was incredible to return to such a beautiful and powerful place feeling so much stronger.
In 2024, I spent 14 days trekking through the Himalayas and reached Everest Base Camp. I got very bad altitude sickness above 13,000 feet and had to adjust my original plans, learning once again that we can’t control anything when it comes to mountains and nature. But every second was worth it and I was able to walk to the base of the highest mountain in the world.
Casually enjoying the Himalayas
After that, I went on some more challenging backpacking trips in Brazil, but always with a guide. I climbed Mount Roraima, a huge mountain on the border of Brazil, Venezuela and Guyana. It is one of the most iconic hikes in South America, famous for its spectacular cliffs and unique landscapes. On the eighth and final day of that hike, our guide let us walk alone back to the first camp. By then I had been training with my pack in Itacaré for quite some time and had gotten used to walking alone. But that was the first time I really did it on my own, not just training at home.
Mount Roraima
And it felt spectacular. It was that day, walking the trail and feeling over the moon, saying goodbye to that sacred and beautiful mountain with a heart full of gratitude, that I realized that I needed to undertake a long journey without a guide, completely alone.
Independence
Then, that same year, I made another dream come true and walked 560 miles across Spain on the Camino Francés de Santiago, from France to the Atlantic Ocean. Before starting, I spent three months training, researching and preparing. Everything went perfectly. The Camino is a soul-changing experience and the spiritual journey is unique. But apart from that, and focusing on the physical and mental stamina required for the pilgrimage, I was very proud to be able to walk so far without suffering any injuries or major concerns. I arrived at the ocean feeling like I could have kept walking for much longer.
Camino de Santiago
That was it: I finally felt ready to take it to the next level and spend weeks on the trail on my own, immersed in nature, just like I had dreamed of years before while lying in that hammock on the Amazon River, convinced it was impossible for someone like me.
Enter the Colorado Trail.
red dreams
During my time on the Camino, I met many amazing people, including some dear friends from Denver who told me about the trail. I had always heard about the beautiful mountains of Colorado. It seemed like the perfect first hike and a great way to train and see if I really have what it takes to one day hike the entire PCT.
The thing is, I live in a tropical coastal town in the whole of Brazil. And because of the exchange rate, the US dollar is extremely expensive for us. Ultralight gear seems almost impossible. On top of that, our hiking culture, while growing and thriving, is years behind Europe and the United States when it comes to safety, options, and gear. So what now?
Could you really hike the CT without a tent with a trekking pole, an ultralight backpack, and a base weight of less than 10 pounds?
Coming from Brazil means facing a different reality. The enormous distance, exchange rate, and limited access to equipment make every step of planning a hike a little more complicated. Eleven years ago, I thought I would never make it out of the valley alive on my first backpacking trip to the Chapada Diamantina countryside. But look how far I’ve come.
Back to Vale do Pati, 8 years later
Yes, I don’t have a trekking pole tent or an ultralight backpack, but I know how to plan, research, and prepare. I’m not going to let lack of money or equipment stop me from taking risks. I’m saving, working and training. I know it will be harder to carry more weight, but I’m used to it. I am Latina. I am Brazilian.
But above all, I have the willpower to keep going. A willpower that comes from a deep and genuine love of the outdoors, a real desire to simply be out there, push myself, enjoy the views, become one with nature and take on great challenges.
I still have a lot to learn and I’m a little nervous, to be honest. But most of all, I am grateful and excited to be able to take this journey in your beautiful state, Colorado.
And now what?
If you’re still here, thank you so much for reading! I plan to update the blog as often as I can while I’m on the road. I’d love to read your experiences and advice too. You can follow me on Instagram at @temperotravessia_.
Happy trails from Brazil! 🙂
