When to start hiking the cdt
Pre CDT Thru-hike FAQ
hey y'all Dixie here today I want to
talk to you about the Continental Divide
Trail also known as the CDT as many of
you know I'm aiming to thru-hike the CDT
this year in hopes of completing my
triple crown journey which includes
hiking the 80 the PCT and the CDT
so I've had people in the comments
section asking questions about the CDT
and you know a lot of folks don't know a
whole lot about it because it's not as
popular as say the Appalachian Trail or
the Pacific Crest Trail so today I want
to cover those questions for you all as
like an intro into the next chapter of
this channel which is going to be the
CDT and my journey on it because I plan
to document it like I did the PCT and
the 80 so to start with where is the CDT
well the CDP spans 3100 miles from
Mexico to Canada across the Continental
Divide and it passes through New Mexico
Colorado Wyoming a little bit of Idaho
and then through Montana are the CD in s
T and C DT the same thing so CD in s T
is Continental Divide National Scenic
Trail and then C DT is Continental
Divide Trail basically I think people
just use CD T to shorten CD in St just
like the Pacific Crest Trail is actually
the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail
from doing some research I think where
the confusion on this comes in
especially with the CD T is that the
United States Forest Service has like
one route mapped out for the CDT NST but
the thing is a lot of the trail is not
complete in that like there isn't a
specific route in some parts and parts
are bushwhacking from what I'm told
or maybe walking dirt roads Forest Road
there are a lot of alternate routes and
so I think that because most people end
up not actually on the CD in st as it is
specifically mapped out because there
isn't really an established trail the
whole way and I think the CDT is more of
a like design your own adventure trail
so I looked into the requirements of
being a 3,000 mile or according to the
Continental Divide Trail Coalition and
they said to be a 3,000 mile are the
issues of sequence Direction speed
lengths of time or substitutes of the
official route are not considered and
the website also states that basically
the CDT C by the honor system the people
who apply should have
completed the trail from Mexico to
Canada along the Continental Divide so
it's not so much that has to be along
this one mapped out route as much as
like more of a corridor mentality that
you finish the steps from Mexico to
Canada on the Continental Divide how
many miles are in each state New Mexico
has 775 miles Colorado has 800 miles
Wyoming has 550 miles and then through
Idaho and Montana there are about 980
miles where does the CDT start and end
the southern terminus is located in New
Mexico at the border of Mexico and it's
called crazy I think crazy kook Monument
it's spelled crazy kook Monument but
I've heard rumor of somebody was
murdered there back in the day so that's
why they call it crazy kook I guess then
the official northern terminus is up in
Glacier Waterton Lake National Park
right there on the US and Canada border
now just like with a bunch of alternates
to the trail there actually are
alternate southern and northern termina
but from what I understand those are the
official ones and those are the ones
that I plan to start in finish out when
do people typically start a CDT through
hack well if you're going northbound
then people generally start mid-april to
early May and if you're going southbound
people usually start about mid-june to
early July do you have to have a permit
to hike the CDT so the answer to this
one is yes and no there is no specific
permit for the CDT like there is the PCT
so it's not like you apply for a permit
select a certain date and you have to
start you know on a certain set date
instead you can start pretty much
whenever you want but when you get to
say Glacier National Park or Yellowstone
National Park or some of the wilderness
areas and then if you take there's an
alternate that goes through Rocky
Mountain National Park for those
specific areas you might have to have a
permit but there's no like one permanent
that covers from Mexico to Canada
as far as navigation goes what maps or
apps can be used to navigate the CDT
there are several apps that can be used
the one that I aim to use is gut hook
sin other popular one is hiker bot there
may be several others I also plan to get
the lame app so a guy named Jonathan Lai
created maps for the CDT when he hiked
several years ago I've heard a lot of
CDT through hikers tend to use
a balance somewhere between the lame
apps and gut-hooked because I guess got
hooks isn't as accurate from what I've
heard on the CDT as like the PCT and the
80 you can print out those lame apps or
there are other paper maps available I'm
not a hundred percent sure if I'm going
to carry paper maps or not probably
through the San Juans I will try to have
some paper maps and maybe a compass to
you know rely on those skills if I need
to as a backup but for the most part I'm
probably going to use my smartphone to
navigate using the lame apps and got
hooks the CDC recommends having two
different avenues of navigation so if
you're gonna use it your smartphone they
recommend either having two smartphones
in case one breaks or is lost or having
an app on your smartphone and then also
having the paper maps is backup I also
plan to have an in reach just so I can
communicate with people or call for help
if I need to but hopefully that won't be
an issue how difficult is it to find the
trail or to navigate through the CDT
well the answer is I don't know because
I haven't been out there yet I've heard
that there are some areas where you've
got trail and then suddenly it becomes a
bunch of brush that's not maintained or
you know you might have to figure out
ways to get around certain things by
using dirt roads forest roads but the
truth is I don't really know because I
haven't been out there and seen it for
myself but I will let you all know
whenever I get finished
are there Grizzlies on the CDT and if so
what do you plan to do about them yes
there is a chance that I could run into
Grizzlies and Yellowstone or glacier
hoping kind of to see one just because I
think it would be cool but maybe a very
far distance but then the other part of
me is like you know I just I don't
really want to see one but as long as I
could see want to know that it wasn't
gonna eat me I think I'd be cool with
that as far as what I plan to do about
them I'm definitely gonna be daunting my
eyes and crossing my T's at camp in
grizzly country and I'm gonna make sure
that I'm cooking in a separate area than
I am sleeping that I am hanging my bear
bag I don't plan to carry a bear
canister the whole way and honestly I'm
not going to carry a bear canister
unless I'm in an area that requires that
but you know otherwise yes I will be
making sure that I do everything I need
to to prevent bears being in my camp at
all costs and then I likely will carry
bear spray when I'm up in grizzly
country well you have to rely on
packages for a resupply I think the best
answer for this is maybe as far as I
know up in
Tanna and wyoming even though the towns
that you go into are more remote and
probably smaller than you know say the
other trails I think that there will be
options for buying food there will be
grocery stores or gas stations in New
Mexico and going up into southern
Colorado I don't really know what to
expect I think the first few towns I
come across will have some kind of
selection so I think that there will
probably be a mixture just because these
towns will be smaller I'll probably have
my mom mail me more things than she did
say on the 80 or PCT but I assure you
that when I get done with the trail I
will definitely list out places that I
would recommend getting a resupply box
you'll definitely be on the road less
traveled what are your plans for dealing
with the extended solitude and isolation
honestly I think that I will probably
just focus more on capturing the
critters and the beauty of nature and
you know if it kind of starts to get to
me a little bit just knowing how
isolated and how far away from
civilization I am you know I will know
people on the trail know I won't see
them every moment but if nothing else
I've got podcasts I've got audiobooks
and I make a point to keep in only one
earbud so if any of you like to listen
to music and podcast I definitely
recommend only putting in one earbud
that way you can hear you know bears or
snakes or anything else people around
you is perk going on the CDT - yes so
Perkins gonna come down from New York
grab me up here in Alabama and then
we're gonna road trip out to the CDT and
they're actually two other people
starting with us but you'll have to
watch to see who those folks are and
they're not from like the original 80
Trammell E or anybody on the PCT is
Mayer going northbound with you
unfortunately no his little dog katana
she lost one of her eyes while they were
on the PCT together due to glaucoma so I
guess shiba inu that's like a common
thing for them so the one eye that she
has left is actually starting to go
blind now - and there's a potential that
she'll have to have surgery to have it
removed so there just wasn't enough time
to kind of see how that was gonna go
also he's working on his book that he's
writing about the PCT so he wants a
little bit more time to get that done
and you know he didn't get to complete
his southbound trip last year so I think
he's got like a personal thing against
you know he's got a beat go and so
so if he is out on the CDT this year
it'll likely be so Bo
are you carrying the same gear as on the
PCT so some of it might be the same some
of it might be a little different but I
am gonna put out a CDT gear video before
I get started so y'all can probably look
out for that next week well you need an
ass axe or micro spikes slash crampons
I'll probably take an ass axe and my
micro spikes into the San Juans they
worked well for me last year in the
Sierra Nevada while on the PCT so I like
having that extra weight and extra
comfort and I think it's definitely
worth it in snowy slash icy terrain so
because I don't really know what to
expect I'll probably total then after
that I'm not really sure I'll just kind
of play it by ear and see what the
weather's doing or if there's still snow
pack around in areas that I'll be what
areas on the CDT are of concern
weather-wise and we need any extra gear
from what you carried on the PCT or 80
so as far as I can tell the CDT is going
to be pretty exposed I think that being
high elevations will be a little sketchy
with thunderstorms and lightning as far
as any additional gear I don't think
that that'll really be necessary I might
go with colder rated sleeping bag maybe
a 5 degree sleeping bag in the higher
elevations but start out with not really
gonna be carrying anything that I wasn't
say on the PCT in the desert and then
for the San Juans I'm probably gonna
have the same stuff that I did on the
PCT and the Sierra Nevada except I might
go with a little bit warmer clothing or
for sleeping bag how will the CDT relate
to the PCT or the 80 well isn't that
just the question of the year so I think
you know the idea of it's a through hack
it's gonna be pretty similar however I
think that like the PCT I'm gonna go
through a desert us area and then you
know higher elevations with snow in the
San Juans like the Sierra Nevada but I
think that the elevation change like the
up and the down will be more closely
related to the 80 just like without the
green tunnel so it's almost going to be
like the worst of the two trails
combined but I think that because it's
going to be more remote that it'll be
more interesting in the way of wildlife
and critters I think that I'll see a lot
more of that well I think it will be
similar in certain ways to the 80 and
PCT I think it's going to be an
adventure of its own just looking at the
different mileages and the total
elevation
gained and lost so the Appalachian Trail
is 2,000 189 miles approximately with an
elevation gain and lost at a total of
five hundred and fifteen thousand feet
the PCT is two thousand six hundred and
fifty miles approximately and the
elevation gain and loss on that one is
three hundred and fifteen thousand so
that's two hundred thousand feet
difference and finally the CDT is at
3100 miles approximately and the total
elevation gain and loss is at four
hundred thousand feet and also as I
mentioned before I think that one
noticeable thing about the CDT will be
probably the lack of establishment you
know I don't know because I haven't been
out there but the 18 and the PCT were
designated under the national scenic
trails act back in 1968 while the CDT
wasn't designated until 10 years later
in 1978 so to be fair the CDT is a newer
trail and that is to be expected what
are you looking forward to most sites to
see along the CDT I think the thing that
I'm looking forward to the most is the
Wind River Range I've just heard how
beautiful it is and that it's like a
living postcard so and then also the
fact that I'm gonna be going through
Colorado because when I decided to quit
my job and just done with the rat race I
was in Colorado at the time I was living
there and you know I quit and headed to
Alabama to prepare to hike the 18 and so
it's just kind of neat to be going back
through there on what's you know
hopefully the final leg of my Triple
Crown are you nervous
and or excited yes I did a video on this
before you know is it normal to be
nervous before a thru-hike and I think
that yes I think if you're not then you
don't have that sense of
self-preservation and that's probably a
problem I am less nervous probably and
just just at the idea of going on a
through hack or you know a long-distance
backpacking trip because you know I know
how to cover my bases of shelter or
water food and all the necessities but
now that I have more time invested in
this Triple Crown journey it is a little
unnerving to think like what if I don't
complete it like what if I'm not
successful I just have to tell myself
you know have a little faith in yourself
and I know I can do this and just get
out there and do the best you can and
and I think
that's the most important thing is just
believing in yourself and going for it
because if you fail then you know at
least you tried and you had something
worth something to fail that I think one
of the hardest things about leaving
though and that that makes me sad and
nervous too is leaving my dog children I
know it sounds ridiculous but you know
my dog son Hank is 11 now and when I
lost sugar while it's on the Appalachian
Trail some of you may remember who were
following then you know she passed away
while I was out on trail and I was
actually rushing back to try to get home
to see her because she was sick and so
he's at that age now so that makes me a
little nervous too I mean he's had a
good life and everything but you just
don't want anything to ever happen like
that while you're gone on a trek like
this have you prepared differently for
the CDT and then the 80 or PCT I would
probably say have been more lacks this
time which might not be good but like I
said before you know once you've done it
you just kind of have to adjust to the
different terrain or weather or what you
know whatever you plan to encounter it's
the same idea of getting out there
sleeping in your tenant waking up and
walk in and kind of doing it on repeat
what is the highest point on the CDT the
high point of the CDT is at Gray's peak
in Colorado and it's 14 thousand two
hundred and seventy feet what have you
done to Train physically for the CDT the
answer would be pretty much nothing I've
been trying to eat you know relatively
healthy since I've been home I generally
do that when I'm off trail but as far as
like training or working out a lot I
worked out when I first got home a
little bit but in the last couple months
I really haven't done anything but I'm
fairly active I'm not you know a person
who sits down and watches a lot of TV or
anything like that so I think the main
thing will be taking it slow taking it
easy luckily in New Mexico to start with
is relatively flat alright y'all well
those are the most common questions I've
received so far about my upcoming
through hack of the CDT if you'll have
any other questions feel free to comment
those below now I am in the preparation
stages so I'm kind of like I don't crazy
run around like a headless chicken so if
I don't get to them right away don't be
upset with me but I will try to get to
those and get y'all some answers that
you might be wondering like I said
before stay tuned for my CDT gear video
if you want to see exactly what I'm
carrying
as I start out and I will probably end
up splitting those into sections of the
trail you know when I have to adjust my
gear for different terrain if you'd like
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