Am I tough enough for the CDT???

[quasarr]

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. 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 piña 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!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtVx6y_Stac

[Sly]

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.

PS Check out the CDT Mailing Labels page in my sig. The links page will point you in the right direction!

[Mags]

Maybe this will help? Answers some common questions and concerns.
http://www.pmags.com/a-quick-and-dirty-cdt-guide

[Spirit Walker]

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]

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. :-)

[Venchka]

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.

[Venchka]

oops...

Trail Journals...
http://www.trailjournals.com/journal..._divide_trail/

Read previous years too for an idea of the variables from year to year.

Wayne

[Dogwood]

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!

[Colter]

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]

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!!

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.

[quasarr]

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! Seems like you can do a lot more miles and still carry more beer cans with you that way. Very tempting!

[Miner]

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]

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]

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 . . .

[Mags]

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.

[Dogwood]

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.

[BrianLe]

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.

[Dogwood]

...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]

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.

[Malto]

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)