east or west

[marktrumpet]

I'm thinking of a thru-hike starting August 14 or so. Since it is later in the season, I was thinking it might be best to go east. I read on Mags' guide that going east gives you one or two weeks of extra hiking before the cold and/or snow sets in. Given a five or six week time frame, what's my best option?

I know about the scenery being best at the Durango end, and that altitudes are higher there. I'll be acclimated, after having spent the previous two months working and hiking in Boulder.

Mark

[Mags]

You'll be finishing about mid-September, best time to be in the CO high country IMO.
The San Juans in the fall are awesome.


There may be a freak snow storm, but overall it really is a good time: crisp days, cool nights, no bugs, less people, elks bugling. Awesome!

I'd say go West young man, go west!

[Paskids]

I'm not starting until August 7th. I plan on going west.

[gooz]

Me and my friend will also be starting in early August and were debating which direction to go.

What are the main reasons that most people do start in Denver? The San Juans certainly sound like an glorious place to finish, but does it also make sense from a conditioning perspective to start with the easier stuff? It seems like every guide I've come across is written Denver->Durango and I can't imagine it would be fun to read one of those backwards. Other good reasons?

[TribbleMom]

Gooz, generally folks start at the Denver end of the trail because it's lower in elevation, making it a more desirable beginning point for those coming in from even lower elevations. The elevation gain is more gentle going this direction, which helps with conditioning and acclimation. And for those coming from out of state especially, Denver is more of a travel "hub" than Durango is. Also, most folks like to work their way gradually into better and better scenery, feeling like they're ending the trip with a bang instead of a dwindling down to a whimper. As far as resupply logistics go, the first half (starting at Denver) allows for more easily-accessible resupply points. Once you're in the second half, the trail becomes much more remote and it's more difficult to leave for supplies and get back onto the trail again. Once you've done the "easier" first half of the CT, you'll probably have your daily routine honed, you'll have dumped from your pack any unnecessary things you haven't used so that you travel lighter, and you can figure out how to go those longer distances between resupply points with less trouble than if you get into the remote parts first.

[phstudio]

You'll be finishing about mid-September, best time to be in the CO high country IMO.
The San Juans in the fall are awesome.


There may be a freak snow storm, but overall it really is a good time: crisp days, cool nights, no bugs, less people, elks bugling. Awesome!

I'd say go West young man, go west!

I'll be starting my thru hike starting the 28th of June so I'll miss those crisp days. However, I'm curious, how crisp and how cool are we talking, on average, in september? Maybe I'll come back for a recap of the San Juans.

[HeartFire]

What sort of nighttime temperatures will there be, I know Cooker had some crispy nights - I'm trying to decide between a 15* sleeping bag and a 40* bag. I have a liner, and sleep hot, so I'm leaning towards the 40* bag.

[Cookerhiker]

Gooz, generally folks start at the Denver end of the trail because it's lower in elevation, making it a more desirable beginning point for those coming in from even lower elevations. The elevation gain is more gentle going this direction, which helps with conditioning and acclimation. And for those coming from out of state especially, Denver is more of a travel "hub" than Durango is. Also, most folks like to work their way gradually into better and better scenery, feeling like they're ending the trip with a bang instead of a dwindling down to a whimper. As far as resupply logistics go, the first half (starting at Denver) allows for more easily-accessible resupply points. Once you're in the second half, the trail becomes much more remote and it's more difficult to leave for supplies and get back onto the trail again. Once you've done the "easier" first half of the CT, you'll probably have your daily routine honed, you'll have dumped from your pack any unnecessary things you haven't used so that you travel lighter, and you can figure out how to go those longer distances between resupply points with less trouble than if you get into the remote parts first.

Good points - I second this.

In terms of "easy" and "hard," I just want to say that for steepness, the hardest part for me was in the first (Eastern) half in Segments 12 and 13 over the Collegiate Peaks. Statistically, Segment 12 is the 2nd steepest of the CT's 28 segments - the steepest is Segment 7 between Breckenridge and Copper Mountain which we slackpacked. If you hike the new western route starting at Twin Lakes, I understand you have a steep ascent to Hope Pass but I don't know how the overall difficulty compares to the "original."

[colorado_rob]

What sort of nighttime temperatures will there be, I know Cooker had some crispy nights - I'm trying to decide between a 15* sleeping bag and a 40* bag. I have a liner, and sleep hot, so I'm leaning towards the 40* bag.

depends on your start date and direction. if you're going west and start in August, I'd personally go with the 15 deg bag. too warm initially, but in the San Juans in september, you'll want the warmer bag. If you can swap bags somewhere in the middle, that would work too. I use a 40 deg w/ liner in CO up until the end of August, then go with a 20 deg.

[marktrumpet]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. Right now plans are up in the air, and I may only be able to hike Denver to Breckenridge or so, so I'll definitely be starting in Denver. And even if I am able to hike the whole trail, starting in Denver seems like the way to go, even for a mid-August start date.

Mark

[Venchka]

What sort of nighttime temperatures will there be, I know Cooker had some crispy nights - I'm trying to decide between a 15* sleeping bag and a 40* bag. I have a liner, and sleep hot, so I'm leaning towards the 40* bag.

The coldest night that I have ever spent in a sleeping bag in Colorado: Thirtymile Campground at the Rio Grande Reservoir near Creede, CO. As soon as the sun went behind the mountains, the temperature started dropping. By the time the evening campfire program started, my wife & I had on all of our warm clothes. When we woke up the next morning, the water bucket outside the tent had a 2"+ thick block of ice on the surface. We had 30° down bags, long underwear, down vests, wool socks, mittens & hats. The date was late August or early September-around Labor Day. We survived, but it wasn't fun.
You may want to carry the 15° bag. In my experience, 30°, and colder, nights are common anywhere in Colorado at higher elevations from late August on. That's why I always escaped from Louisiana between Labor Day and early October and headed for the mountains.
Have fun. Be warm!

Wayne

[Dogwood]

So you think that's late in the season? Started the CT third wk of Sept 2012 going SOBO starting at Salida. Flipped back up to Salida to go NOBO to Denver finishing mid Oct. Went with a tarp and 20* down quilt with a MLD Superlight bivy. Got snowed on a few times rather lightly(less than 4"). Definitely had some COLD nights where I pushed the temp extremes of my sleep system. IMHO Sept is a GREAT month to be on the CT.

[Dogwood]

If I was starting mid Aug planning on 5-6 wks I would go southwest and plan on finishing up around Oct 1 maybe a bit sooner.

Given what you said 40* bag w/liner inside a tent and w/some silk wt long bottoms and possibly a top and you should be OK as far as warmth.

[Highway Man]

I started thru hiking westbound at early August, and finished early September. You could still be lucky without seeing too many cold mornings if you move fast. I was moving relatively slow due to the time lost on HMS, and only encountered 5~7 days with lows below freezing point along the way. A warm sleeping bag, 15~20 F rating is definitely needed to offset those likely cold mornings, plus some good clothes such as down sweater that you can take into your sleeping bag.

[HeartFire]

I'm starting August 1st. I'm a hot sleeper, I have smart wool long jons for sleeping in - top and bottom, and a coolmax liner. I'll make this decision later...!

[TribbleMom]

Heartfire, I think it's easier to cool off by opening a 15-degree bag for ventilation than it is to try to warm up in a too-light bag. I've worked trail crews in August in the Winfield area (about 20 miles SW of Leadville), and it's pretty cold at night. Rain frequently comes in during the afternoon, dropping the temps, and the air stays cool and damp thereafter. Temps in the low 30's are common at that elevation. Just my opinion.