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That's great that you chose the 29er and nothing wrong with a hardtail. That's how I started. Let me warn you though, trail riding becomes obsessive, and if you do decide on FS down the road; it does make a world of difference. Not so much when you first start out, but after you have been riding it for a while and you go back to a hard tail - you definitely will notice the difference.
Best of Luck and look forward to reading about your adventures.
To bad you live in Colorado... my SO is finally getting around to thinking about selling his Santa Cruz Superlight. Would be a perfect bike for you... the frame is large. The bike is practically brand new (barely ridden at all). I love my Superlight - perfect bike for singletrack and flowy trails - ie - an ideal cross-country bike.
Will be interesting to see what you think of the 29er... not my cup of tea but is very fashionable right now.