View Full Version : Am I tough enough for the CDT???
So in 2008 I did New England on the AT, and this year I did California on the PCT (had to leave to start grad school). And now that I'm off, all I can think about is the next big thing......... The CDT!!
Anyway, in two years I'll be done with grad school and maybe have a few free months to do another big section, maybe even my first ever thru hike. :banana But I know the CDT is a big step up and I am worried that I am not tough enough! I feel like I can rise to the challenge but I would really appreciate some input from people who know the trail a little better. I am still flexible as far as start date and NOBO, SOBO, or flip.
So far my biggest concerns are......
Snow - I got really lucky with 2013 being a record low snow year, so the Sierras were almost snow free. I am from the South and I don't have any winter backpacking experience.
Navigation - Not toooooooo worried about this one because I know I can learn pretty quickly. But right now I don't know how to do it!
Loneliness - I hiked solo for much of the PCT and never felt unsafe. But I did feel lonely! And there were many other hikers around. A more remote trail like the CDT makes me nervous about safety as well as going crazy from hearing the song, "If you like piņa coladas!!" in my head a billion times. Maybe I just need a Spot and some audiobooks?
Desert - I really suffered in the section from Hikertown to Kennedy Meadows. Even with my umbrella! If I did it over I would night hike a lot more. And night hiking on the CDT seems less practical because you have to navigate.
Speed/Hiking window - After the Sierras I did at least 25 a day, but never a 30. While hiking I could rarely keep up with other PCTers. I know this shouldn't matter but it does hurt my confidence! I am not a 4 month thru hiker, which will make the weather window more difficult to hit (I think!)
I don't want to sound like a downer! Overall I really enjoyed my PCT hike and I feel really confident with my 3 season gear. And I have two years to work on my concerns. Also, I made a YouTube video of my gear! I think the same stuff should work on the CDT but I would appreciate any recommendations. Note in the video I forgot to show my fleece pullover, water bottle, and fuel bottle.
Thanks!! :banana:banana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtVx6y_Stac
The CDT isn't necessarily tougher than any other trail. You mostly need route finding capabilities (map and compass) since it's not very well marked in areas, and sometimes when the "official trail" is well marked it peters out. A GPS will help. Hiking in/over snow is certainly a quality you'll need most years, and there will be days you don't see another soul, but it's cool when you get used to it. Your gear looks great. Amazing how much your pack holds. Five months is a good time frame to complete the trail.
You also need to love wildlife, the CDT is awful that way. :D
PS Check out the CDT Mailing Labels page in my sig. The links page will point you in the right direction!
Maybe this will help? Answers some common questions and concerns.
http://www.pmags.com/a-quick-and-dirty-cdt-guide
Spirit Walker
08-20-2013, 10:38
If you do a southbound hike, you can start in mid-June and hike until November or December. You will likely have snow on the ground the first couple of weeks, and you will run into falling snow in September-October in Colorado and maybe in NM, but it is doable. The fall snows usually melt within a few days. The spring snow is not usually continuous, but rather intermittent. Have good map skills and an ice axe and you'll be fine.
Loneliness can be an issue for solo hikers. A lot of SOBOS start at the same time in June, so you could have company through the snow and through grizzly country, if not farther. We hiked with someone in Montana who didn't want to go through bear country alone, then when the snow was gone, he took off at his faster pace.
On our NOBO hike we ran into a fair number of other hikers, mostly in town. Be careful not to get pressured to hike at an uncomfortable (for you) pace just to stay with other hikers. It can ruin a good hike.
If you aren't sure you want the pressure of finishing in a narrow window of time, then just plan on a 3 or 4 month section. Montana takes about two months. Wyoming less than a month. Colorado another 4-6 weeks.
Gear - the CDT tends to be cooler than the PCT because of the elevation, but can get hot too. It isn't necessarily an issue of desert v. mountains. I got hypothermia in the Wyoming desert (cold drizzle) and almost had heat stroke at 10,000' in Colorado. The trail is extremely variable, both section by section and year by year. Our SOBO hike was on a cold wet year. Our NOBO hike was an extremely hot dry hike. If you understand that unpredictability, you'll be prepared. Understand that you may have freezing nights, even in the summer. After mid-September, carry winter gear, whether NOBO or SOBO.
treesloth
08-20-2013, 10:38
I've been following Wired's blog all summer as she trudges the CDT, though diminutive in stature she seems like a tough chica. She's getting close to being done. Perhaps you can draw your own inspiration from reading up on some of her posts. http://www.walkingwithwired.com. Just recently she mentioned how she loves the CDT, but does not feel 'connected' to it the way she did with the PCT because she always felt like she had to be on guard with her navigation. Born with an absolutely crappy sense of direction myself, I can totally relate to her fears. She claims as Sly does that a GPS has been a big help to her. I know I wouldn't hit the CDT without one.
Best of luck to you, I hope you have a blast. :-)
You can do it. Lots of ladies are doing it now. Read the trail journals here. Pay particular attention to start dates & location (Mexico or Canada) and time to reach key milestones. For example: Glacier N.P. to Old Faithful in Yellowstone N.P. - 6-8 weeks on average. There are similar NOBO milestones, I haven't studied those yet.
The number of off-trail hich/shuttles seem daunting to me. Like 35 miles one way to Lander, WY. I know it isn't too terrible as folks do it.
The trail journals also speak of loose group formations that form, break up, re-form or morph into other group associations. Hikers don't seem to be really alone unless they choose to be alone.
If I were contemplating a long section of the CDT, and I am doing just that, Glacier N.P.-Yellowstone N.P.-and a side trip to Grand Teton N.P., I would pick the prime time in the northern Rockies: mid-July to mid-September. The SOBO folks who start in mid-June are faced with a lot of snow and (worse) unbridged flood stage stream crossings. The Park Service puts up bridges as soon as they can, but that usually isn't until July. Talking to the Backcountry Ranger office will give you a good idea of conditions in Glacier N.P.
Be advised, regardless of your direction of travel, that services in Glacier start shutting down right after Labor Day. By September 15 almost everything you will need, (buses, stores, etc. are closed. The same thing happens in Yellowstone between September 15 & September 30.
Water management can be more critical than route finding even in Montana, Idaho & throughout the mountains.
Do your homework and then, "Just Do IT!"
Wayne
ps: I didn't look at your video yet. If you don't already have one, get the best down vest you can find. It will be worth it's weight in gold.
oops...
Trail Journals...
http://www.trailjournals.com/journals/continental_divide_trail/
Read previous years too for an idea of the variables from year to year.
Wayne
I don't think you sound like a downer at all. Once you know how the CDT differs from the PCT and AT AND then adjust to it by addressing those differences for the 3000 mile or so CDT trek I see no reason why you're less capable than anyone else. You will have to step it up though with thru-hiking the CDT as you seem to like cherry picking sections of other trails. You make no mention of wanting to come back and finish the rest of the AT or PCT either, which may be telling in itself! Perhaps you're more of a section hiker. PERHAPS, cherry picking seasons and a section of the CDT is your better way to think about an anticipated CDT hike? Despite what ANYONE says or implies, being a section hiker, particularly in my mind a long section hiker, as it seems you've been, has GREAT advantages, particularly on the CDT! IMHO, the CDT is one of those long distance trails, for many reasons, that might best serve some hikers as doing in sections, perhaps something like two or three long sections. If you did that it might be more in line with what your accustomed. If you did the CDT that way you could minimize, perhaps even eliminate, some of of your noted concerns.
If you still decide on doing the CDT as your "first thru-hike" you might consider it's really only in name as you already have done thru-hikes - the thru-hike of California and the thru-hike of New England. Actually, you might say you have more thru-hiking experience, as far as trail miles, than someone who has thru-hiked the LT, JMT, and BMT COMBINED!
Odds are, you probably can do the trail physically. And you could/can probably do it mentally if you had/have to for whatever reason. The thing is, on a thru-hike no one is forcing you to keep going.
In general on the long trails, most people think they can make it, most of those people probably COULD make it, and most of them don't. There are always things beyond our control, but barring an injury, chances are you'll "make your own luck."
capehiker
08-20-2013, 16:08
I don't want to sound like a downer! Overall I really enjoyed my PCT hike and I feel really confident with my 3 season gear. And I have two years to work on my concerns. Also, I made a YouTube video of my gear! I think the same stuff should work on the CDT but I would appreciate any recommendations. Note in the video I forgot to show my fleece pullover, water bottle, and fuel bottle.
Thanks!! :banana:banana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtVx6y_Stac
Thanks for sharing your video. It appears you have things dialed in and I think you're not giving yourself the credit you deserve. I can't comment on the CDT aspect but I think you have enough mileage under your belt to be successful. It'll be the mental side of things that you need to contend with.
Thanks for the replies, everyone!
I have read Mags' guide and Wired's blog (thanks for the heads up on that one!) Wayne, I appreciate the info about dates as well. As a few people suggested, I am thinking about doing a 3-4 month section to hit the best weather. Seems like the San Juans and Glacier are the limiting factors? Part of me says, I want the satisfaction of a full thru, and part of me says, what's the point of doing all that road walking in New Mexico? :-?
I did my AT section before joining the Navy, and I just got out in January and thought I could hike a few months before going back to school. I really loved the PCT and feel 100% confident that I would have finished if I were free for 2 more months. I liked the more laid back Western feel and the wide open spaces, so I have no desire to go back to the AT. And I want to try something new! Also I spent some summers doing trail work on the CDT in CO and WY so I would love to see those places again!
Anyway, thanks gain for the advice. Next year I plan to keep up with some trail journals (I like reading them "live") Who knows, maybe I should start mountain biking and do the great divide instead! :eek: Seems like you can do a lot more miles and still carry more beer cans with you that way. Very tempting! :) :-?
Not thinking about finishing the PCT first? The Cascades get better the farther north you get. Northern Washington is second only to the High Sierra though a few argue its better.
If you aren't tied to doing a thru of the CDT, I've heard many former CDT thru-hikers say that hiking it in chunks might be better since you can time a section for the best conditions. You'll still need to learn to navigate off a map.
bearcreek
08-20-2013, 23:06
Part of me says, I want the satisfaction of a full thru, and part of me says, what's the point of doing all that road walking in New Mexico?
Some of the most interesting parts of the CDT are in NM.
Spirit Walker
08-20-2013, 23:14
Agreed. NM has a lot of beautiful and interesting country. There are a lot of highlights there, especially if you choose some of the alternate routes. The Gila, the area around Ghost Ranch, the Dittert site in the Cebolla Wilderness, La Ventana . . .
If you aren't tied to doing a thru of the CDT, I've heard many former CDT thru-hikers say that hiking it in chunks might be better since you can time a section for the best conditions. You'll still need to learn to navigate off a map.
Myself included. A two part (or even three part) CDT hike lets you cherry pick the seasons. Something to be said for the longer journey of a thru hike, I must confess, though.
re: New Mexico
As Bear Creek said, New Mexico is beautiful. Lots of new single track and trail options vs even five years ago (be it alt routes or the designated route).
Northern New Mexico with its arroyos, red rocks and mesa was stupendous.
Quasarr, your words and actions are telling.
"I am thinking about doing a 3-4 month section to hit the best weather."
I think it good you are keeping this option on the table.
"Part of me says, I want the satisfaction of a full thru,...."
My first thought is, what else is new? So many want to say they did a thru-hike yet when you look at the wanna do a thru-hikers who attempt their first thru-hikes(which as I said you really aren't, it''s just a matter of labels) we know most fail. Of course, that can happen for several reasons but IMHO one reason is that, in hindsight, they probably would have been better off doing a section hike and perhaps intending to do a section hike from the gate rather than getting caught up in the I wanna say I did a thru-hike or I am a thru-hiker mania. So I ask, why do you want to do a full thru-hike? Just consider what I'm saying without discounting it. Is it because you're getting caught up in wanting the thru-hiker label or reaping what you think will be the rewards(notoriety) of having done a thru-hike of a long distance trail? Why do you hike? And, what kind of hiking best serves the person you are?
You said you enjoyed the PCT but yet you make no mention of wanting to go back and do more of it or finish it. Why? If it's variety you seek the PCT offers up lots of it. Granted, so does the CDT though too.
When you said this, "... and part of me says, what's the point of doing all that road walking in New Mexico?" it tells me you haven't done your CDT research because as others have said this doesn't have to be the situation. It may be signaling to you that in your heart you want to do a cherry picked CDT section hike. Cherries can be scrumptious too!
This is also telling, "...I want to try something new! Also I spent some summers doing trail work on the CDT in CO and WY so I would love to see those places again! Will staying on one trail for 5 months or so give you the variety, consistent freshness, and sometimes nostalgic familiarity that it seems you crave. Is it in your nature, or could it be, to stay with one trail for that long a period? Ask yourself why you hike?
I mention all these things because to actually complete a 5 month CDT thru-hike HAPPILY you are probably best served by going in KNOWING you immensely enjoy hiking for many months at a time and doing it on a trail with the CDT's characteristics. A lot of people aspiring to do their first long thru-hike find out at some point in their attempted hikes they aren't as enthralled with hiking for 5 month durations as they thought they would be. Yet, when they go on say two month hikes they have immensely enjoyable experiences.
I'm also of the opinion that if you're not just really certain that you want to thru-hike the CDT that doing it in a couple of chunks would be better. My feeling is that unless you have a pretty favorable snow-year then a thru-hike of the CDT is significantly tougher than a PCT thru-hike. Just in general, I found the CDT was better at finding new and creative ways to kick my ass all the way along.
...Just in general, I found the CDT was better at finding new and creative ways to kick my ass all the way along.
So, I'm not the only one. My opinion too. With all the higher elev alternate routes I took and NEVER taking short cuts to reduce trail mileage even more so. CO kicked my arse. Never had such strenuous hiking on a day in day out week in week out basis as the CO CDT and those higher elevation ridgeline alternates. Made me tougher though.
Grand Canyon and Sierras off trail is pretty tough too but it was never of the duration of the CO CDT.
handlebar
08-21-2013, 18:10
One more to chime in for the "Chunk Hike", since that's what I wound up doing when circumstances (family commitments, slow progress, and a bad case of giardiasis) caused me to the bail on my 2010 CDT thru at CO Hwy 114 before Rabbit Ears Pass. I'd planned to finish in 2011, but ran into snow burying the trail N of Rabbit Ears Pass and wound up bailing to Rawlins and hiking as far as Helena. Found I would be too late to catch shuttles at the US-CA border and wouldn't have time, again due to family commitment, to finish so bailed from Helena. Finished in 2012, filling in the gap from Rawlings down to Buffalo Pass then hiked from Helena to Chief Mtn finishing at the end of Sept. I tried to time the start of the 2nd and 3rd "chunks" to be a few weeks earlier in the season than when I got to the same point the previous year. Since I had the time, I took some of the longer routes like the Butte route and the Henry's Lake Route and found these enjoyable. Once the "Thru Hike" was abandoned, I didn't feel a lot of pressure and think I enjoyed it more. Plus, I got to return to the Divide, well now it's 4 years in a row, since I did the Colorado Trail and two alternates in Summit County (Copper Mtn to Jones Pass and Jones Pass to Copper Mtn via Georgia Pass). And, I've become expert at using bus service to get from place to place along the trail.
Ok, I will offer a different view based on what you wrote. I would finish the PCT. you want something different then that last "two months" however long that is, will be completely different then the rest of the trail. IMHO, Wa is some of the coolest hiking on the PCT and to not do it because "you want a different set of three letters doesn't make a lot of sense. But PYOT. :). (Pick your own trail)
Spirit Walker
08-22-2013, 10:46
If you don't really care whether or not you thruhike, chances are good you will not finish a thruhike. It takes a pretty strong desire to finish to keep you going when things gets hard. That's true of all the long trails. I've seen a lot of people quit because they simply didn't want it enough.
On our first CDT hike, we started the trail with a younger much more fit and experienced hiker. One day he said, "If it were just a matter of being fit, I'd be the one sure to do the whole trail. But I don't have the fire in the belly that you two have. So reality is, you're a lot more likely to do a thruhike." He was right. He got off the trail at Yellowstone.
So you guys are making some strong arguments for the "chunk hike." I think Spirit Walker and Dogwood are right, for now I don't have the fire in my belly to finish a thru. In fact on the PCT I found this to be very liberating. For example, in Tehachapi I skipped the 8 miles between the highways, as well as hitching on the road walk into Seiad Valley. I thought, well it's not a thru anyway and I've had enough of these windmills!!
What would everyone recommend for a long section, for some nice scenery and most likely have good weather? My school semester will end in early May.
As far as New Mexico, the impression I got from Wired's blog is that she often had 50+ mile stretches of road walk. There was even a 10 mile paved road into town, which I would have hitched without a second of regret! I don't know if this was due to her route choices or if it is avoidable. The Gila looks amazing though!!
Early May on the CDT? Hmmmmm...
New Mexico, NOBO from Silver City, NM.
Stop when snow accumulation makes you stop. Probably in southern Colorado.
Later in the year, a crescent shaped hike in Wyoming would be nice. Northwest through the Wind River Range, with a side trip to the east side of the Divide through the Wind River Indian Reservation (Thanks to Mags for this), through Yellowstone N.P. and then southwest along the Teton Crest in Grand Teton N.P.
Wind River Reservation:
http://www.backpacking.net/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=147130
Teton Crest:
http://www.awayfromthegrind.com/blog/hiking/leapfrogging-the-teton-crest/
Wayne
with a side trip to the east side of the Divide through the Wind River Indian Reservation (Thanks to Mags for this), through Yellowstone N
Wayne
Part of the divide / Wind River Range most people don't see! Awesome, awesome, awesome place.
From http://pmags2.jzapin.com/gallery2/v/wyoming/winds07/
http://pmags2.jzapin.com/gallery2/d/15652-2/aaj.jpg
http://pmags2.jzapin.com/gallery2/d/15696-1/abc.jpg
http://pmags2.jzapin.com/gallery2/d/15700-1/abe.jpg
Wyoming is hard to beat.
Wayne
Quasarr, pull up Jonathan Ley's WELL DONE CDT mapset. It's free. you can also get a hard copy for a donation to Ley for all his continuing hard work on this mapset. You can look at what is typically recognized as the "official" CDT route and the MANY alternates. He even has on his maps notes describing the possible advantages/disadvantages of the alternates verse the "official" route. You also have lots of CDTers trail journals that describe why they took what route they took as well as CDT trail materials, such as Wolf's CDT trail materials, that describe why one route might be preferable over another. It depends on your hiking desires and WHY you hike. There are basically an infinite number of ways to thru-hike or section hike the CDT. It makes the CDT very much a trail, both in terms of boots on the ground and in the planning stages, a hike where you have to stay mentally engaged to a greater extent than the AT and even the PCT. The CDT was my 9th or 10th long distance thru-hike(when applying known trail/route labels) and even with all the thru-hiking organizational experience I had previously I still found my CDT prep work to entail the most amount of work than any thru-hike I have ever done. I took lots of ridge line alternates and added about 250-300 miles of additional non-CDT trail mileage on my CDT thru. There are really endless worthy variations/additions to a CDT hike IF YOU DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN THAT I'M A THRU-HIKER I DID A THRU-HIKE LABEL! IMHO no one I know is currently applying this mindset better than Andrew Skurka. What he came up with on that Great Western Loop was awesomely creative. I like what Francis Taupon did on the Camino de Santiago too. It's the same with the AT IF YOU ARE WILLING TO FOREGO WHAT"S TYPICALLY DEFINED AS A THRU-HIKE! HYOH.
Spirit Walker
08-22-2013, 17:21
Mid-May is early for most of the CDT. You could start in Grants and hike north, but if it's a normal snow year, you'll hit serious snow in southern Colorado the first couple of weeks of June. It's very remote country, so kinda like starting in the Sierras at the same time of year. Hard when you aren't at all trail hardened. If you wait until mid-June, you could start at the border and hike Montana and northern Wyoming - about 1000 miles. There is a lot of beautiful open country, with lots of wildlife. If you have extra time, spend a couple of weeks exploring the Winds.
Mid-May is early for most of the CDT. You could start in Grants and hike north, but if it's a normal snow year, you'll hit serious snow in southern Colorado the first couple of weeks of June. It's very remote country, so kinda like starting in the Sierras at the same time of year. Hard when you aren't at all trail hardened. If you wait until mid-June, you could start at the border and hike Montana and northern Wyoming - about 1000 miles. There is a lot of beautiful open country, with lots of wildlife. If you have extra time, spend a couple of weeks exploring the Winds.
I'm curious, for my own thinking & scheming. Is there a problem with starting in May farther south in Silver City?
Wayne
Perhaps I will see you on the trail. I was thinking AT but some of the guys steered me this way I live not far from the trail in Wyoming in the prairie portion. If you get in trouble in mid Wyoming give me a call. 307 747 7424. My wife and I could perhaps find you. Be safe and I have no doubts you are better prepared and capable than 99% of folks who contemplate this adventure. I hope to do the part of Wyoming from where the Wind Rivers Peter out to Colorado. Then I would do the bear country part later. Rich
"I hope to do the part of Wyoming from where the Wind Rivers Peter out to Colorado. Then I would do the bear country part later."
It's helpful to be able to do bigger mileage days through the Great Basin portion, as water sources are pretty far apart in there. And it's good country to cruise right through anyway, IMO. An interesting experience, but four days of it was more than enough for me (Atlantic City to Rawlins).
My point here is from where you're talking about starting, you won't have your trail legs yet.
As far as New Mexico, the impression I got from Wired's blog is that she often had 50+ mile stretches of road walk. There was even a 10 mile paved road into town, which I would have hitched without a second of regret! I don't know if this was due to her route choices or if it is avoidable. The Gila looks amazing though!!
On the CDT, many forest service and county roads (dirt) are trail. It's not that bad and you get used to it fairly quick.
Hitching on paved roads won't be your greatest loss. Having to skip the Weminuche or Glacier because of high snowpack, regardless of whether you road walk around, will.
I'm curious, for my own thinking & scheming. Is there a problem with starting in May farther south in Silver City?
Wayne
1st of May is a normal start date at the border. Average mileage will get you to southern Colorado (Cumbres Pass) in mid June. You can expect lots of snow any earlier in normal snow years.
ChinMusic
11-20-2013, 17:02
The CDT possibility will be a few years down the road for me, if I ever get to it. I too wonder if I would be "tough enough". I'm only getting older. If I thru again it will be the PCT first.
I did the AT this year in 6.5 months but could have easily cut half a month off of that. I may have struggled to complete it in 5.5 months.
With my current health I feel I would have a good shot at the PCT. The CDT seems daunting. Can a person whose max is a 6-mo AT hike do a CDT thru?
I've said it before, but in many ways a two or even three year section hike of the CDT is something to consider.
A thru-hike of the CDT means you are constantly moving, good chance you'll have to take a lower route due to snow, fire closures are de facto part of the CDT experience every summer since 2005 (if not earlier) and so on.
By doing a "chunk hike" (a term that is cool..wish I coined it! :) ), you can cherry pick the sections that work well for you and your time frame.
Colorado in the wild flower season, northern Montana when the snow is melted out, the insects are mainly gone and you are not racing to beat the snow, spring in the desert...well, you get the idea!
I absolutely loved my thru-hike experience on the CDT, but it is not the optimal way to experience the CDT at times.
MuddyWaters
11-20-2013, 23:22
Am I tough enough for the CDT??? (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?97712-Am-I-tough-enough-for-the-CDT/page2)
Your tough enough, your smart enough, and gosh darn it.. People like you.
24967
You might think about riding The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (adventure cycling.org). It runs along CDT and you are in lots of the same towns as the CDT and it is doable in 2 months. Its like thru-hiking on a bicycle, it's 80%dirt-10%single track-10%paved . I did it in 2010 in 56 days and loved it.
www.crazyguyonabike.com/artimas (http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/artimas)
That was on time info Draggin. THX Sounds like you had a great trip. How did you like the maps Adventure Cycling puts out for the GrEat Divide Mt Bike Route? pros.cons? Did u stick entirely to the bike route maps?
The Maps were good but you need the book by Mccoy (Cycling the Great Divide)to go along with the maps. I followed the maps and book for the whole trip.
Spirit Walker
11-22-2013, 00:03
The CDT possibility will be a few years down the road for me, if I ever get to it. I too wonder if I would be "tough enough". I'm only getting older. If I thru again it will be the PCT first.
I did the AT this year in 6.5 months but could have easily cut half a month off of that. I may have struggled to complete it in 5.5 months.
With my current health I feel I would have a good shot at the PCT. The CDT seems daunting. Can a person whose max is a 6-mo AT hike do a CDT thru?
My husband did the AT at age 53 in a little over six months (185 days). Seven years later we did the CDT. It took us exactly six months. The PCT a year after that took 5 months 5 days. His second CDT hike at age 66 was again 6 months. He has very bad knees, but otherwise good health, if that helps.
The PCT is easier, certainly. The trail is easy to follow and well graded for the most part. There is a strong community both on and along the trail. The CDT, is, in many ways, more of a challenge, but it is also very beautiful, very remote, and with a lot of wildlife that you don't see on the PCT. We did the CDT before the PCT because we figured that if we only had time/money/knees for one more hike, we wanted it to be the one we most looked forward to doing. The CDT remains our favorite of the long trails, though we enjoyed the others a lot. Don't let fear of the challenge keep you from doing it, if the CDT is something you'd like to do. It's hard, but it is doable.
Just Bill
11-22-2013, 01:17
Quasarr- Your avatar looks like it's already on the CDT and doing quite well. My guess is you will too.
1st of May is a normal start date at the border. Average mileage will get you to southern Colorado (Cumbres Pass) in mid June. You can expect lots of snow any earlier in normal snow years.
In regards to hiking in the San Juans on the CDT when there's snow a highly recommend Tapon's Seven Myth's of the CDT referring specifically to Myth # 3. http://francistapon.com/Travels/Continental-Divide-Trail/7-CDT-Myths He elaborated further elsewhere on Myth #3 and I suggest you read that as well IF planning a CDT thru-hike.
I also HIGHLY suggest you read over Tapon's What You need to Thru-hike. http://francistapon.com/Travels/Advice/What-You-Need-to-Thru-Hike.
Tapon is a guy that gets it done on the trail and in life. Well traveled and well worth paying attention to him. Consider carefully what he says. I have.
Paddlefoot
11-25-2013, 10:43
Something to be said for the longer journey of a thru hike, I must confess, though.
And I wish I knew exactly what that "something" was. What exactly is it? Bragging rights?
A series of chunk hikes of the CDT would make a lot more sense for me because of work, family, and the hiking logistics.
But I want to thru-hike!
In regards to hiking in the San Juans on the CDT when there's snow a highly recommend Tapon's Seven Myth's of the CDT referring specifically to Myth # 3. http://francistapon.com/Travels/Continental-Divide-Trail/7-CDT-Myths He elaborated further elsewhere on Myth #3 and I suggest you read that as well IF planning a CDT thru-hike.
Tapon is a guy that gets it done on the trail and in life. Well traveled and well worth paying attention to him.
Dogwood, what are you trying to say, Tapon's advise is better than mine? Quaasar already thinks she's out of her element and you want her hiking before dawn in a snowpacked Colorado?
What? Just putting different info out there so the one doing the hike can find what's right for them. This isn't about Sly's, Tapon's, Dogwood's or anyone elses' but Quaasar's hike.
bamboo bob
11-25-2013, 11:36
I did NM last year and hope to go north from Chama. At what date am I likely to have no snow in the San Juans assuming a "normal" snow year. Any guesses? I was thinking June 25th or so. Last year I stopped May 24th, and there was a fair amount of snow on the Official route coming into Chama.
bearcreek
11-25-2013, 12:28
I have done the ridge top route Tapon described, but late in the season when most snow was gone. He doesn't mention that following the actual divide instead of the trail requires some mountaineering skills and experience. Lots of short 3rd class rock climbs along the way, with major exposure. I wouldn't recommend it to hikers. Much easier to carry a little bit of gear for steep, snowy sidehills, and stick to the trail as much as possible. I suggest carrying a lightweight ice axe and some microspikes or crampons. You can send them home from Silverton.
Late June is about the earliest time that you will have a good chance of avoiding most of the snow.
This is shaping up to be a strong, wet winter here in the San Juans. Wolf Creek Ski area already has 64" of snow. The SNOTEL stations to watch are Cumbres Trestle, Wolf Creek, and Beartown.
And I wish I knew exactly what that "something" was. What exactly is it? Bragging rights?
A long journey on foot is something that is quite wonderful. To be out for months at a time, to see a different sunrise and sunset every day, to see the landscape change from glaciated peaks to desert floor in a continuous journey..wow.
That's all.
Paddlefoot
11-25-2013, 13:22
A long journey on foot is something that is quite wonderful. To be out for months at a time, to see a different sunrise and sunset every day, to see the landscape change from glaciated peaks to desert floor in a continuous journey..wow.
That's all.
I know, I know!
I was being tongue-in-cheek.
It would be so much more practical to section-hike the CDT - but I think back (way back) to my AT thru-hike in 1991, and I just know it wouldn't have been the same standing on Katahdin after a series of section hikes.
I wish I could change my mindset.
Paddlefoot
11-25-2013, 13:26
This is shaping up to be a strong, wet winter here in the San Juans. Wolf Creek Ski area already has 64" of snow. The SNOTEL stations to watch are Cumbres Trestle, Wolf Creek, and Beartown.
I am pondering a SOBO sometime in the next 4 years.
Do you know what the best places to get data for snowfall affecting the passes on the northern Montana CDT would be?
I was kind of thinking I might wait for at least an average or below average year for snowfall so I could get started in mid-June.
I know, I know!
I was being tongue-in-cheek.
It would be so much more practical to section-hike the CDT - but I think back (way back) to my AT thru-hike in 1991, and I just know it wouldn't have been the same standing on Katahdin after a series of section hikes.
I wish I could change my mindset.
Got it. :)
Chunking the CDT makes logistic and practical sense. Not so much on the romantic (in the Byron sense of the word) level! :)
I am pondering a SOBO sometime in the next 4 years.
Do you know what the best places to get data for snowfall affecting the passes on the northern Montana CDT would be?
I was kind of thinking I might wait for at least an average or below average year for snowfall so I could get started in mid-June.Postholer.com has a snow information page for the CDT that has data for stations near the trail. But after spending the winters before my PCT and CDT hikes obsessively checking snow levels, I think that you're better off getting information over a wider area since a single station may not be representative of the larger area. So try one of the links below. They're updated almost daily during winter (they display the same information; the first link has nicer maps, but the second link also has total precipitation)
http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/gis/images/west_swepctnormal_update.png
http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/snotelanom/basinswe.html
Spirit Walker
11-25-2013, 23:10
What we used in planning:
ftp://ftp.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/data/snow/update/mt.txt
ftp://ftp.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/data/snow/update/nm.txt
ftp://ftp.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/data/snow/update/co.txt
ftp://ftp.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/data/snow/update/wy.txt
Just be aware, that low snow doesn't mean no snow. When we hiked north in 2006, the snow in the south San Juans was about 75% of normal, but they get about 480 inches a year, so there was still plenty on the trail. It was interesting though to look at the various locations: southern NM was at 25%, Creede was at 100% of normal.
fiddlehead
11-26-2013, 07:45
I can't imagine no snow in the San Juans before perhaps the end of July.
Passable snow? 3rd week of June on a normal year is probably a good guess.
Beautiful section for sure.
I chunk hiked the PCT and now I've done two sections on the CDT. I have no regrets and no sense of inadequacy or missed opportunity for not having done a thru-hike. I think chunk hiking is an awesome way to do it. I would love to do the New Mexico portion of the CDT some day.
Here's something I've been looking at. A long distance hike involving hiking from one of the CDT's southern terminus NOBO on the CDT in New Mexico to the the Grand Enchantment Trail(GET) junction near Albuquerque, taking the GET WEBO to the Arizona Trail(AZT) near Phoenix, and taking the AZT either SOBO or NOBO. This would give the option of flipping back to near Phoenix on the AZT and completing the AZT as well. This gets a HUGE chunk(almost all) of the CDT done in New Mexico, almost all the GET(could easily come back and nab the rest of the GET miles if wanting to do every single mile of the GET) and a HUGE portion of the AZT done(with the option of coming back and nabbing the rest of the AZT on a section or flip flop thru-hike).
Here's something I've been looking at. A long distance hike involving hiking from one of the CDT's southern terminus NOBO on the CDT in New Mexico to the the Grand Enchantment Trail(GET) junction near Albuquerque, taking the GET WEBO to the Arizona Trail(AZT) near Phoenix, and taking the AZT either SOBO or NOBO. This would give the option of flipping back to near Phoenix on the AZT and completing the AZT as well. This gets a HUGE chunk(almost all) of the CDT done in New Mexico, almost all the GET(could easily come back and nab the rest of the GET miles if wanting to do every single mile of the GET) and a HUGE portion of the AZT done(with the option of coming back and nabbing the rest of the AZT on a section or flip flop thru-hike).
I bet that would be an amazing hike full of so much variety and some of the most beautiful scenery in America. It's cool when people invent their own adventures, too.