I am so happy to see this forum. I think the CDT is truly the creme de la creme of long distance trails: less people, more spectacular scenery, and rugged as can be!
Any hikers considering a hike on it? I have done day hikes from Denver…but won’t be able to afford a thru-hike for a while.
I am doing trail work through CDTA (Continental Divide Trail Association) and they are a great resource for information.
Cross Country
Hey Cross Country,
Recently I’ve been dreaming about chucking everything and taking off for the CDT. As with you, I don’t think I can pull it off this year. Maybe if I sell my truck…
I’m currently living in Bozeman, Mt. I am a veteran of of the Pacific Crest Trail, and consider that hike to be the best experience of my life. I am also considering kayaking the inside passage from Olympia to Glacier Bay. I have done much of the Puget Sound portion of that trip, and a few weeks of paddling in B.C. The deciding factor between the two may be my dog, who is an amazingly strong trail dog, and the fact that my beloved old golden retriever, who could no longer handle 20+ mile hiking days, died recently.
What draws me to the CDT is the chance to experience real wilderness. Living on the northern edge of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, I see black bear, moose, elk, mulies or white tails on an almost daily basis. Being near a complete ecosystem, i.e. one that contains griz and wolves On drives, day hikes and day ski trips to Yellowstoned this winter, I saw over 50 wolves!!!; and I saw a griz sow with three tiny cubs on a 10,000 foot ridge in the Absarokas!!! Again, I loved the PCT, but I’ve read that you see a great deal more wildlife on the CDT.
A drawback for me about the CDT is the relative lack of companionship compared to the PCT and of course the hyper social AT. I met my two best adult friends on the PCT. I hiked over a thousand miles with a couple from Germany, a forester from Vermont, and a giant accountant turned firefighter who now resides in Oregon. As much as the trail was wonderful, these people and others made the trip magic!!! I subsequently worked seven years for a company run by a PCT vet; ah the benefits of fraternity life!
With all of this talk of company on the PCT, you could choose whether or not to have a solo or accompanied hike. I did both, sometimes purposefully getting ahead or behind my hiking companions for a day or week alone.
Back to contemplating the CDT. With the PCT, you can buy the two guidebooks, buy your gear and be off. Believe it or not, I spent less than a month preparing for the PCT, and as I have kayaking experience and all of the gear, I could put together an Inside Passage trip in the same amount of time. The CDT would be different because of the number of maps to purchase and route planning. Also, there is the matter of grizzlies in Montana, northern Wyoming and perhaps the San Juans of Colorado. It is safer to hike with others through these sections. From what I have read, griz have never or very rarely injured anyone in a group of three or more. Having written this, I must say that I have spent probably three or four months hiking alone in griz country.
This is a long reply to your posting, but I am thinking seriously about taking off. Because I probably couldn’t be off before June 1st, my hike would have to be southbound. Glacier Park and the Bob are phenominal, amazing and fantasticly wild, and would be a more dramatic ending to the trip than New Mexico, but, winter starts when it wants to up here.
All the best,
Charles, aka “The Mighty Thor!!!” (PCT appelation)
Charles
My friend and I are AT hikers and we recently returned from a 10-day backpack in the Wind Rivers. We talked about trying the CDT while we were there. The area we were in had no trails- we just followed Moose poop. It was incredibly rugged and amazingly beautiful. My question is: can we expect the CDT to be like that?
Katydid
I’m currently planning a trip on the AT for 2002. However I find the posiblity of a trip on the CDT in the future an interesting idea. I also live in Bozeman, so portions of the CDT are only an hour away! I’ve seen and hiked portions in Glacier, Bob Marshal, Yellowstone, and Wyoming. It is very beutiful and rugged, would make for one hell of a hike!
Sandain
Hi, folks.
Be sure to visit the Continental Divide Trail Society website at www.gorp.com/cdts/
Happy trails!
Jim
Jim Wolf
I loved the CDT when we thruhiked it in 1999. We plan to go back and do it again in a few years. I thought it was much more scenic than the PCT, much more remote and wild, with a lot more wildlife. To Katydid - we followed more cowpoop then moose poop - but I know what you mean. The Winds were gorgeous. We did very little bushwhacking, since we’re good at using guidebooks and maps and prefer to stay on the trail when possible, but some people end up doing a lot of cross-country, either on purpose or by accident. And To Charles - we went southbound. It has a lot of advantages, such as the fact that the Wolf guidebooks are written north to south, the fact that you don’t have to push to finish before Montana closes down for winter in early October, the fact that you don’t have to jump sections because of snow, etc. Colorado in the autumn is great. New Mexico in November was also nice. Montana in June and July - snow in the north, wildflowers in the south - terrific. Not having a partner can mean a very lonely hike, but there are a fair number of hikers planning to go out this year. I know at least a dozen who are going.
Ginny
This is the next place to go.
I am certain of it.
It is like days of old.
Before the crowding.
Sincerely–Paul English
Paul English
I graduate from college in May 2003 and would like to find a partner to thru-hike the CDT with. I have a lot of bakpacking experience on the AT and in Switzerland, but I don’t have much snow experience. I’m looking for someone who is knowledgeable on the snow and who would be willing to start out at about 15 miles/day and work up to 20-25-30 miles/day. I’m not set on going north-south or south-north. Anyone interested?
Sunner
I through hiked the AT this year ( all but 164 miles which I did in 99 ) . It was hard . I almost quit repeatedly in Virginia . Friends - having friends - made it happen . I am thinking about the CDT . I like the idea of Yellowstone , Bitteroots , Montana , Glacier . I lived and hiked in Colorado - C . Springs . I felt eventually OK about the black bear . I wonder still , however , about grizzly bears - very much so . Maybe not in 03 but soon . Any books ?
Rafter Jack
If you think it was the people who helped you through the AT, you might want to reconsider the CDT – there are very very few hikers out there, most of the time. We only met 11 other long distance hikers in 6 months, and never hiked with any of them. Most were met in passing or in town. Get a partner, if at all possible. You might want to do the PCT first too, as it is easier than the CDT (though much less beautiful). There are a lot of really good CDT journals on line (www.phlumf.com is one of the better ones) but not that many books. Karen Berger’s book is the best: “Where the Waters Divide” by Karen Berger and Dan Smith. Cindy Ross has a book, “Scraping Heaven” on her family’s 5 year hike of the CDT. Steven Pern had a CDT account, “The Great Divide” that is out of print. The Westcliffe photo/journal coffee table books are generally quite good (i.e. “Along New Mexico’s Continental Divide” and the pictures are lovely. For guidebooks, get the Jim Wolf guides, they are much better than the Westcliffe books.
Ginny
Hi, we are thinking about the cdt in 94… have hiked the At,Pct and others. We do have a dog and I don’t think she can do the whole thing. She did 1000 miles with us on the pct last summer. The heat did her in. I heard yogi and some others from last year are heading out next year ??.. thanks for any info…
yappy
Just got back from a thru on the AT so my hiking feet are taking a little breather. However, the wife and I are contemplating the Wyoming section of the CDT in 2004. We live in S East Wyoming (Laramie) so it’s sort of a “back yard trail”. Anyone out there with good and recent info on that section ??
Footslogger