PCT to CDT sobo

[Styles_for_miles]

So wondering about when do most Sobos leave on the CDT ? I'm going to be heading north on the PCT starting in April and plan hiking rather quick, when do you think I'd need to be finishing the PCT


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[garlic08]

Late June/early July is pretty average, assuming 600 miles/month average. You should plan to get through Southern Colorado (roughly 2000 miles) by early October, and you'll likely get some September snow. If you can hike up to 1000 miles/month by then...well you can do the math. After getting to Cumbres Pass in NM, there's not as much hurry, though winter in the Gila has killed at least one CDT hiker.

[garlic08]

By the way, good luck on the trip. If you get an extra month from a fast PCT hike, try the PNT to connect the PCT with the CDT. If you do those three trails, you'll achieve in one season what took me three!

[Dogwood]

How fast is fast? MPD average anticipated. EXACT April start date?

Perhaps starting later avoiding snow as much as possible facilitates faster PCT NOBO thrus.

I've seen the scenario repeated often with eager NOBO thru-hikers(AT, PCT, and CDT) starting early and hiking fast with no or limited zeros getting into timing issues by reaching heavy snow locations slowing them down significantly. Sometimes, to such a degree those who start later catch and perhaps surpass them doing overall shorter duration thrus.

If you desire a very speedy thru a worthy approach to consider to facilitate successfully attaining this goal is starting later and/or low snow yrs. And, even then low snow yrs DOES NOT mean NO snow years or NO snow travel.

[Dogwood]

I don't logistically understand how you're planning for your fast hike.

[Styles_for_miles]

How fast is fast? MPD average anticipated. EXACT April start date?

Perhaps starting later avoiding snow as much as possible facilitates faster PCT NOBO thrus.

I've seen the scenario repeated often with eager NOBO thru-hikers(AT, PCT, and CDT) starting early and hiking fast with no or limited zeros getting into timing issues by reaching heavy snow locations slowing them down significantly. Sometimes, to such a degree those who start later catch and perhaps surpass them doing overall shorter duration thrus.

If you desire a very speedy thru a worthy approach to consider to facilitate successfully attaining this goal is starting later and/or low snow yrs. And, even then low snow yrs DOES NOT mean NO snow years or NO snow travel.

Planing to do 20+ days, when I hiked the AT when I had my legs 100% I was doing 35+ days, so planning to get there, and starting on 4/20,


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[Dogwood]

Ok, got it now. You're doing a PCT thru followed up by CDT Sobo.

I know I'm not qualified to answer based on personally experiencing this scenario. What I will comment on is the early CDT SOBO start date needed and/or need for hiking fast to get below the San Juans before the major snow flies if you intend on actually hiking the CDT on trail and not taking major road or lower elevation alternates which starts being debatable IF you even are hiking the CDT. With the early CDT SOBO starts the greater the extent of snow travel.

Starting a CDT SOBO on June 23 at Belly River in 2010 it was continuous solitary snow travel with miles and miles and miles of post holing until almost out of Glacier. No trail. No signage. Then a few dozen miles seeing a tread. Then back to post holing in the Bob.

[Malto]

Recommend going back and looking at Swami's Calander year triple crown blog. You will see his schedule, it was an early May start on the PCT, Late July PCT finish and CDT start and a mid October finish. Highly unlikely you will keep his pace, nobody has yet on the CDT. YOur problem is not the CDT start, it will be when you are able to finish the PCT. No amount of early starting will change that date. Only Mother Nature and a boatload of snow travel will allow you to impact that date. Consider for just a minute what a mid- July PCT finish would entail.

check out Thehikinglife.com it will be listed under twelve long walks.

[Styles_for_miles]

Recommend going back and looking at Swami's Calander year triple crown blog. You will see his schedule, it was an early May start on the PCT, Late July PCT finish and CDT start and a mid October finish. Highly unlikely you will keep his pace, nobody has yet on the CDT. YOur problem is not the CDT start, it will be when you are able to finish the PCT. No amount of early starting will change that date. Only Mother Nature and a boatload of snow travel will allow you to impact that date. Consider for just a minute what a mid- July PCT finish would entail.

check out Thehikinglife.com it will be listed under twelve long walks.

Awesome thanks! I was even thinking depending on when I finish the PCT I could start halfway on the CDT, finish half of it and then the next year finish it, trying to finish my triple crown sooner than later because I plan on opening a hostel in Vermont along the AT within 3-4 years,


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[Dogwood]

If you go PCT NOBO or SOBO with too early a start doing a extremely speedy thru you could get into snow slowing you down. Likewise doing a CDT strait direction uninterrupted thru desiring actually hiking the CDT rather than some crazy road walk alternates with too early a start you can get into snow slowing you down too. The degree to which these scenarios play out is dependent on yearly weather. Carefully consider schedule of where you want to be when factoring in that yrs's current climate and regional weather patterns. For example, making note of el nino or la nina yrs and how that might affect the scheduling. I've seen this happen by speedy, and supposedly speedy, LD hikers doing just one leg of your thru many times. The hike can become something very much different a route then either the PCT or CDT commonly resemble.

If I had your goal wanting to not play leap frog all over the place I would start PCT NOBO around May 1 with that start date moved up or back depending on that yrs snowpack patterns. Aim to get done in 3-3.5 months(max). Jump to the CDT for a SOBO starting in late July, first wk Aug(max) in fine LD built for efficiency form to get back south past the San Juans actually experiencing the SJ's on trail rather than some shortened road walk, trail combination.

[Malto]

Awesome thanks! I was even thinking depending on when I finish the PCT I could start halfway on the CDT, finish half of it and then the next year finish it, trying to finish my triple crown sooner than later because I plan on opening a hostel in Vermont along the AT within 3-4 years,


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two other hikers also did both the PCT and CDT this year. Both did the PCT before the CDT. LEgend did it as part of his CY TC and Dirtmonger did it as well. LEgend also kept a pretty good journal so you can see his timing.

[Venchka]

The CDT isn't always about snow. Fire. Flood. All of the above.
Be flexible. There are lots of places where you can get fairly close to the trail and go in either direction.
Kalispell and West Yellowstone, MT, Jackson Hole, WY, Steamboat Springs, Denver and Durango, CO.
Good Luck!
Wayne


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[Dogwood]

I'm more into eating and playing poker today so I missed all of Malto's post #8. I come to the same conclusion as he did without having read what he had already written.

The hikers that do the PCT and CDT in a CY or CY TCs are the elite most efficient most disciplined often with extensive skill sets. These folks aren't just fast or athletic or fit. There abilities go beyond all these traits. They have so much more dialed in than just that stuff. More goes into pulling off the fastest hikes and doing back to back to back extremely tight window very long thrus than many who opine about the feats know about.

If it was me going after CY PCT and CDT thrus or a CY TC I'd be contacting those who have lived it and done it...which I've already done to some extent out of my own curiosity. We can yakkety yak, speculate, and arm chair quarterback this to death. I'm not going to do that.

I see pulling off a sub 100 day AT thru vastly overshadowed by back to back CY PCT and CDT thrus or CY TCs. It's taking it to another five levels higher pulling off the later two scenarios IMO.


I wish you well in your endeavor.

[Pressure D]

I spent a night with Dirtmonger in the San Juans on September 21. He said he was hiking around 35 miles /day give or take. By the way we got hit by a snow storm the next day and I spent 40 hours in my tent.

[Venchka]

I spent a night with Dirtmonger in the San Juans on September 21. He said he was hiking around 35 miles /day give or take. By the way we got hit by a snow storm the next day and I spent 40 hours in my tent.

I left the San Juans on September 11. I missed the fun. Shucks.
Wayne


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[Styles_for_miles]

How long would you say it takes to get to the San juans from northern terminus starting late July ?


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[Styles_for_miles]

I left the San Juans on September 11. I missed the fun. Shucks.
Wayne


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That sounds like a lot of fun haha, when did you start ?


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[Venchka]

I was just in southern Colorado backpacking with an old friend.
I did do my first CDT section. 6+ miles SOBO from the Middle Fork of the Conejos River to Blue Lake. A new area for me.
Wayne


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[Dogwood]

Perhaps an easier TC pair to pull off in a CY is doing the AT NOBO first (sub 120 day) beginning in Feb or early March in a lower snowfall late winter/anticipated lower snowfall early spring yr, hiking through the AT bubble and getting ahead of it, followed by either a CDT or PCT SOBO or, possibly being a speedy SOB, do a rapid PCT NOBO. A PCT NOBO can be pulled off with up to an about June 1-15 start date at Campo. Scott Williamson did something similar. I think Jackie "Yogi" McDonnell of guidebook and TC notoriety did a CY AT NOBO followed up by a CDT SOBO in 2013 or 14. If the goal is to TC, after having experienced it for myself, I'd want to not finish on the AT. I'd want to finish on the PCT as either a SOBOer or, more preferably, a NOBOer or CDTer in New Mexico. I think that's what Yogi desired too and I feel the same if I was going after a 2nd TC accomplished in a 2 yr timeframe. Maybe Garlic can opine as he complete the AT last in his TC feat?

If one sincerely is going after this feat and knows, not assumes, they can pull it off doing a 90-120 day AT NOBO first leaves a lot left in the tank, allows peak LD form to be super dialed in, let's one know if they are immediately ready to jump into another 2500+ mile hike, to allow for an on cruise control LD hike of the a CDT or PCT SOBO push. Before assuming one is up to this task of two or three TC thrus in a CY, PLEASE NOTE WITH SOME PERSONAL SOUL SEARCHING HONESTY TO BE KEPT TO YOURSELF, people who have done this are almost universally bringing to the attempt considerable LD backing experience, all seasons LD backpacking experiences, typically having done 3ooo miles or more in a CY, and/or have previously thru hiked TC trails. I'd strongly advise don't attempt this as a training run to see what one can do as an athlete in another sport or without first knowing in your heart of hearts you have a burning desire to LD backpack ALOT and knowing you are up to the task of banging out more than 5k a yr. Armchair quarterbacking, cyber hiking, or narcissistic pontificating doesn't count as valid experiences!

No medals, special awards, lavishing attention, TV deals, huge financial incentives, ticker tape parades, or stick on smiley faces will be included for attempting or pulling off such backpacking agendas. However, you may get an asterisk by your name on some list that points to a footnote that says same yr or CY. HYOH

[Styles_for_miles]

Perhaps an easier TC pair to pull off in a CY is doing the AT NOBO first (sub 120 day) beginning in Feb or early March in a lower snowfall late winter/anticipated lower snowfall early spring yr, hiking through the AT bubble and getting ahead of it, followed by either a CDT or PCT SOBO or, possibly being a speedy SOB, do a rapid PCT NOBO. A PCT NOBO can be pulled off with up to an about June 1-15 start date at Campo. Scott Williamson did something similar. I think Jackie "Yogi" McDonnell of guidebook and TC notoriety did a CY AT NOBO followed up by a CDT SOBO in 2013 or 14. If the goal is to TC, after having experienced it for myself, I'd want to not finish on the AT. I'd want to finish on the PCT as either a SOBOer or, more preferably, a NOBOer or CDTer in New Mexico. I think that's what Yogi desired too and I feel the same if I was going after a 2nd TC accomplished in a 2 yr timeframe. Maybe Garlic can opine as he complete the AT last in his TC feat?

If one sincerely is going after this feat and knows, not assumes, they can pull it off doing a 90-120 day AT NOBO first leaves a lot left in the tank, allows peak LD form to be super dialed in, let's one know if they are immediately ready to jump into another 2500+ mile hike, to allow for an on cruise control LD hike of the a CDT or PCT SOBO push. Before assuming one is up to this task of two or three TC thrus in a CY, PLEASE NOTE WITH SOME PERSONAL SOUL SEARCHING HONESTY TO BE KEPT TO YOURSELF, people who have done this are almost universally bringing to the attempt considerable LD backing experience, all seasons LD backpacking experiences, typically having done 3ooo miles or more in a CY, and/or have previously thru hiked TC trails. I'd strongly advise don't attempt this as a training run to see what one can do as an athlete in another sport or without first knowing in your heart of hearts you have a burning desire to LD backpack ALOT and knowing you are up to the task of banging out more than 5k a yr. Armchair quarterbacking, cyber hiking, or narcissistic pontificating doesn't count as valid experiences!

No medals, special awards, lavishing attention, TV deals, huge financial incentives, ticker tape parades, or stick on smiley faces will be included for attempting or pulling off such backpacking agendas. However, you may get an asterisk by your name on some list that points to a footnote that says same yr or CY. HYOH

Good info! I already hiked the AT 15' so I would be completing my TC if I can do the PCT and CDT this year, planing on leaving mid April Nobo on the PCT, so my question again do you know the lastest to leave sobo on the CDT would be ? Or any ideas? Thanks!


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