Hey, I’m hoping to hike the CDT in 2010 and am wondering what the pros and cons are of going nobo v sobo. Do more people hike the trail southbound?
Where does navigation get the trickiest??
Anyone else out there planning a 2010 thru-hike?
-kristin
kbg
Check out http://www.pmags.com/joomla/index.php/Backpacking-and-Hiking-documents/cdt_doc.html
About the only place the navigation isn’t tricky is in Colorado, in my opinion. New Mexico may be the trickiest overall, again, my opinion. Much depends on your choice of route. It’s more of a “corridor” trail, really.
Garlic
North bound is clearly the way to go. The only reason many go southbound is due to Wolfs guides are written southward. Maybe also because Yogis incomplete cross section of hikers in her guide reflects nearly all southbounders and also Jon Ley went south, but that is hardly a reason to start up in Glacier. Remember, all three of these folks used GPSs to simplfy their hikes which stripped it of an element that consumes time. I must say though people are increasingly disregarding what previous folks do and more and more are starting their journey Northward. I see absolutely no benefit to going southbound in an average snow year. If you do chose to go south then you best be it tip top shape and hit the ground running busting out 20s+ from the start. Good luck with that in the snow through Glacier and “the Bob” Of course if you are like most who have their savior(the call to civilization=GPS) then route finding wont be too much of an issue. But if you truely want to experience the adventure of a lifetime then leave the cheater gadgets at home. Starting northbound allows you to get a feel for the trail and if you arent in great shape you have plenty of time to reach it before you arrive in Colorado around mid-June. Generally, the clock starts ticking from departing either the San Juans or Glacier. Though i assure you North Montana is more cold than south Colorado in late September. Yet snow can close the high country around the same time in both places. So luck does come into play. Finally, Think of what what your working towards…end in spectacular Glacier or lowly, filthy Mexican border? Good luck!
Looney Liberal
J Ley did not use a GPS (the GPS info was added after his hike and the first set of maps). For various reasons, I did not use a GPS either.
As for SoBo vs. NoBo, like most things in life…it all depends. There is no best.
Many people going NoBo do have to flip, go through a snow slog in the San Juans or go lower. GNP is most definitely a more dramatic finish than Mexico…but the finish points aren’t the trail. 
SoBo? In a normal winter, the snow does not come (permanently) until about Oct 1st. You have a good chance of doing the San Juans without a snow slog. Of course, in 2006 it came about 2 wks early. In 2007? Came almost a month later. Luck does indeed play into it (NoBo or SoBo)
There is no really easy way to do the CDT. A good strategy may be to section hike the CDT in two years. Allowing a hiker to pick and choose the optimum times to hike the trail. San Juans at the height of wildflower season? Glacier in mid-August when a touch of fall hits? Etc. For similar reasons, a Flip-flopping also works well.
I agree with the poster above… “Think about you are working for”. A wonderful journey? Some memories? Time spent in the outdoors?
Debating GPS and its use, water filters, purity, etc. is stupid. When hikers get together, we discuss memories, friendships made and sights seen. No one talks about NoBo vs. SoBo…we talk about the next hikes we want to do and other journeys taken. Some of us like to go outside every now and then.
Paul Mags
Mags, I thought you were one of those in Yogis book that said you carried a GPS but rarely used it. I thought that was funny…a thru-hiker carrying extra dead weight.
Catdog
Nope, I did not carry a GPS.
I wrote “I did not take a GPS It could have been useful at times, but I did not think I really needed one”
As for J Ley (He posts here every so often, he may add more info), this info is on his website:
Using GPS and the Compass Rose
Click here for more information about using GPS with the maps.
You don’t need a GPS to navigate the CDT, and I was a little reluctant to add GPS data. But, people were asking about it, and thanks to a suggestion I received for a clever method of incorporating GPS data, I went ahead and did it. This was added in 2004.
FWIW, the CDT data was added two years after the initial maps.
Take a GPS or don’t. In the end it really doesn’t matter.
Paul Mags