Crampons or snowshoes or both?

[Timinator]

Thanks for the advice brian but I'm kind of stuck on northbound. Honestly I'm not hardcore devoted on completing a thru-hike I just wana "do" it, if you know what I mean. If something happens and I have to bail I will, but I'll push on otherwise. I agree with the mountaineering experience thing, I'm going to try and get as much experience as I can even if it means resorting to trail and error solo experience on the winter AT.

[BrianLe]

Okay, then start in July rather than August, plan to do some night hiking when it's too hot in NM, and get your butt into and through Colorado in a timely manner. Southern WY shouldn't be a problem. What gets risky is when you get into the Wind River range. Depends on what kind of pace you sustain, but a significant snow dump in there could get interesting (and in a not-so-good way). Then as the season advances from there it's just an increasing risk factor depending on what the storms dump on you and how quickly a given weather pattern dumps it on you. I personally wouldn't be hiking the Bob or Glacier NP in November or December, but best of luck with whatever you end up doing. If you can keep your pace up, you hopefully won't have to deal with (much) snow falling until perhaps the Winds.

[Timinator]

Sounds good, thanks for the advice. I can probably leave in early july if everything goes according to plan.

[Timinator]

Quick question. Is it a good idea to bring a snow shoe repair kit? I seems snow shoes typically aren't designed for long distance travel and sometimes break out there. I don't want the extra weight but being stranded sounds worse.

[leaftye]

Are you going to use gaiters? Even if you don't need them to keep snow out of your footwear, they help prevent snags if you decide to use crampons. Yeah, I made that stupid mistake. I watched the videos, read the book, visited lots of websites. Nothing was said about gaiters in this regard. I figured I wouldn't need them on hard spring snow, and was wrong. Fortunately the only damage was to a new pair of expensive pants and my pride.

[Timinator]

I have a good pair of hardshell pants that have reinforced material on the "crampon" part of the legs to prevent that from happening. But yeah..back to that repair kit question moontrail says the shipping weight is 6oz http://www.moontrail.com/msr-snowshoe-kit.php so its probably like 5-4oz. Would you take it?

[Lone Wolf]

get you one of these
http://www.pariconsleds.com/sleds/23-638-winter-racer

[Timinator]

Lol you serious or no?

[Timinator]

Oh never mind I thought that was a pack sled, good one.

[Lone Wolf]

Lol you serious or no?

just bepn' funny

[Lone Wolf]

bein'.........

[bearcreek]

Have you considered hiking SOBO? Southern NM is insufferably hot in July, and I doubt that you will be allowed to hike across Glacier in December or January. The actual CDT in CO is, IMO, largely not doable in a normal winter because of extreme avalanche danger. However, as Mags suggested you could snowshoe or XC ski the Great Divide bike route which is almost entirely on forest service roads, many of which get packed by snowmobile traffic.

[Slo-go'en]

However, as Mags suggested you could snowshoe or XC ski the Great Divide bike route which is almost entirely on forest service roads, many of which get packed by snowmobile traffic.

That sounds like the only practical way to travel any distance and there would be at least a chance of getting someone to bring in supplies by snowmobile. Trying to travel the actual CDT route in the winter is beyond crazy, it would be insane.

I could see going out there for a few days or a week in a reasonably accessable area to play in the snow, but to do any long distance traveling would be a very difficult feat to pull off.

Terminator - I would suggest you first go hike some of the CDT in each of the three states it crosses during the summer to get an idea of what you'd be getting into. Then go back in the winter and see what those areas are like then.

All in all, I don't see how a winter trip of this magnitued would be possible without a support team and a whole lot of money. Good luck.

[Timinator]

To me the cdt starts in new mexico and ends in montana. Anything between that is considered the "trail" to me (as long as its not civilization or 100% road walking). I'm fine with doing the bike route or any alternative routes that aren't on the official trail if its necessary. Like I said earlier I'll make a thread to devise how to go about it as soon as I get back home from my uncles house and compile all my maps into my computer.

[Timinator]

I know this is not the thread to ask this (I'm derailing my own thread >.>) but if I started in july and walked at the average pace northbound when do you expect I would be hitting winter anyway? I would guess the middle of CO but I'm not sure when it starts in the south.

[10-K]

I am not one to judge but is I read through these threads about hiking the CDT I feel like I just keep seeing shortcut after shortcut being taken.

Again not judging anyone, just my observation. Be careful out there, the trail isn't going anywhere.

[Timinator]

What do you mean by shortcut?

[mudhead]

He means you may find an old abandoned school bus and sleep in it.

[10-K]

Well I think it could best be summed up in terms of budget as the subject of not having enough money or needing it to be as cheap as possible is a major driver in your decision-making.

I think having enough or even too much data about this trail trumps the couple of hundred bucks that it might cost - for one example.

Anyway I'm not the hiker police and wish you the best of luck just be careful.

[10-K]

into the wild with mudhead!

I like it