We’ll be out there too, next year. Probably heading north, at least to start.
A good starting place for CDT information -
www.spiriteaglehome.com - then CDT
It has both hard stuff (resources, town info, etc.) and head stuff (what it’s like to hike the CDT). Plus it has my journal from our 1999 southbound hike.
To specifically answer your questions - yes you will probably need an ice axe in Glacier at least, and maybe the Bob Marshall. It all depends on the snow levels. We sent our ice axes home in mid-July (but it was a high snow year.) You may not be able to get a permit in Glacier in mid-June if the snow levels are really high. Usually they’re okay as long as you have an ice axe and some snow experience.
Yes, you can resupply out of the gas stations and minimarts along the way, for the most part. A few small towns and backcountry resorts really do need a maildrop. But you can prepare those in the larger towns and ship them to the places than need a maildrop. (Read the details on the town information to get a better idea of which is which.)
I used a 10 degree bag the whole way. I was hot in July and August (we had about 3 weeks of summer). My husband used a 20 until Silverthorn Colorado - about a week too late - when he switched to a 5 deg. bag. We had a few nights in Colorado in October that were really cold. Our last spring snow falling on us was July 4, our first autumn snow falling was September 3. But we had a freezing night in the Winds in early August and someone in a journal this year mentioned getting snowed on last week - in mid August.
Money - it is hard to slip in and out of town in a hurry. They are often way off trail and it can take a few hours to get a ride. So usually when you get to town, you stay a while. Prices are higher than on the AT because tourist season is shorter. i.e. in Glacier they have 100 days to make enough money to live on all year. You can camp in most towns and there are hostels in several (E. Glacier, Grand Lake, Silverthorn, Cuba, Silver City) so you can save on motels if you want, but I found that I really needed the break sometimes - plus we had some unexpected issues that required us to stay in town longer than expected, and sometimes when we didn’t expect to - broken gear, snow, health issues, maildrops that weren’t mailed, etc. So - bottom line, save as much as you can because it is likely to cost more than you expect. On the CDT, expect the unexpected - stuff happens. There are a few trail angels, but you can’t count on that. We reached one of the towns that was famous for its hospitality and no one was home. One couple sometimes takes in hikers, if their lives aren’t too complicated at the moment. You can’t depend on that. And no hiker boxes. So some of the AT shortcuts don’t work out there.
Anyhow, our resources list is a good place to start. And have fun. Learning about the CDT takes time, but it can be a lot of fun. And the more you know, the easier it is because there are fewer surprises. Well, at least that’s one theory.
Ginny
$4000 is about the max I can save from now until then, and $1500 will have to go to gear, car insurance, and health insurance.