View Full Version : Speed record on CDT
Hi guys, can anyone out there let Squeaky know, who has the speed record for the CDT and how many days is it. Thanks (his mum)
There is no speed record. The trail isn't "officially" complete and very few people actually take the same route without some variations.
Thanks for that Sly.
Squeaky's mum Stephanie
No problem.
Much of the "trail" has been established by previous hikers, many don't even bother with the official route in some areas.
Since the trail isn't offically complete and there are a number of more scenic alternatives to the proposed or established route, like hiking trails through forest instead of "official" paved road walking or routes with water instead of 30 mile waterless stretches or the ability to take cut-offs when pressed for time or if the trail is snowbound, any claim to a speed record probably won't be seriously recognized anyway.
fiddlehead
08-27-2005, 21:57
Let's hope it stays that way too!
For example: The Tierra Amarillo Land Grant section. What to do here? Wolfe's guidebook tells you to go around it to the east (if you try that you see that all the beauty is just to your west where it's much better hiking ) The Alliance guidebook tells you to roadwalk the big hiway between the land grand to it's west and the Jicarillo Indian Reservation.
The 1st time i hiked, i went dead center through the land grant. beautiful stuff but those locals don't want you in there. the 2nd time, we snuck through the indian reservation and got scared cause they were having a big powwow. we had to finish it with the alliances' road walk. won't do that again.
Next time, i'll try to get permission to follow the actual divide thru the Jicarilla. (or permission from one of the landowners thru the landgrant. I doubt many actually hike that horrible roadwalk, it must be 50 miles+, but that would probably have to be the so called "official route" if they ever had one.
The trail is full of places like this with private land, checkerboarded land, arguments as to safety because of possible water problems (windmills don't always run) In yellowstone, we were told to roadwalk because a griz had a cub near the trail. Well, while we roadwalked thru there, 6 cops stopped us to ask what we thought we were doing and when we told them, they had never even heard of the CDT! (i say cops but they were officially NP rangers!)
You must be flexible to hike this trail and i doubt you could do it the same twice. Hence: no speed record can be done because everybody does it different. Now, if only it could stay this way.
Let's hope it stays that way too!
Hear, hear!!! The CDT, the trail of alternate mind expanding routes!
I want to underscore what Sly and Fiddlehead have said. The CDT is hike your own hike, find your own way, choose your own path. I just returned from a 160 mile section of Montana CDT that illustrates the idea.
The official CDT circles the city of Butte on a path that is said to be a confusing jumble of ATV and jeep tracks that many judge to be a place that is easy to get lost in, that is not worth walking.
The alternative is the Anaconda Cutoff, which is what I elected to do. Yes, there was a bunch of roadwalking, but also an interesting bushwhack across open rangeland. Some roadwalks suck, but on this one, I managed to have two great restaurant meals, a cold beer, a hot shower, several swimming opportunities (two of which I cashed in on), a chance meeting with the sister of "SuperDave," who is now finishing up the PCT, and another chance meeting with Ray, a MT wildlife biologist who may become a future hiking partner. After I completed the 160 mile section, Ray drove me to a bar (the Club Moderne) in Anaconda, where we enjoyed cold microbrew on draught. Life is indeed very, very good.
Oh, and how many hikers did I encounter in 160 miles (eight and a half days, Cadotte Pass to Storm Lake)? Two. That's right, 2, both day hikers. If you're seeking solitude and a real sense of adventure, the CDT beckons.
Alot of people heard me complain about being alone for so long out west this summer. When I finally hooked up with a hiking companion in Wyoming coming south of Dubois - we hiked together for one day before each of us mistakenly took the wrong route - two different wrong paths than the CDT should be following. We lost each other for two days! We compared estimated mileage once we found each other again - definatley not a trail in which you will ever experience walking the same trail as other hikers like the AT. All in all - an absolute blast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If anyone was to try a speed record out there - they are just wrong in the head!
Spirit Walker
08-28-2005, 11:51
Fiddlehead - we took Jim's route, slightly modified in a few places, through Northern NM and thought it was a good one. Certainly better than the highway walk south of Chama. I think the Jicarillo are really reluctant to give permission to cross their land, but you may get lucky. Let us know.
And yes, I agree - one of the best things about the CDT is that each hike is unique. No one will exactly end up with the same route. That's one reason we wanted to hike it before the trail was 'finished'. Of course, even where there is a route, you still get lost or choose alternate routes because of weather conditions -- so it will be a while before there is only one way to hike the trail.