Good morning

I have not done an extensive amount of hiking until this last year when my husband and I did a rather grueling day in the Snowies (part marked trail, part making a trail). Well to say the least, the bud to keep going has bit me and bit hard. I want to do the CDT but due to having the time, I am settling on doing at least one section here in my home state. I live in Wyoming and would like to do the Basin next June. What are some tips and hints all of you can throw my way? I do know water is, or can be, scarce and am mentally prepared to know that most of my single item pack weight could be water. I know this is a very grueling and boring area but I have my reasons for choosing this area. I am 49yo and will be going solo.

Good evening.

I want to hike about a 100 mile section from grants to Cuba. I just moved to the area and have a ride. I am an avid hiker and outdoors person. I have the gear. I am just wondering if this is a stupid idea? I know it will be cold. I loved in northern Alaska for 10 years and am prepared for it. Looking for people to say go for it or hold off. It will definitely be weather dependent. While I don't mind the cold I am not a fan of waking uo to a foot of fresh snow on the tent.

Has anyone done anything is,ilar this time of year with advice?

Thanks

To edit this: my main concern through this section would be water. Anyone have advice for water through here during December?

Looking for opinions about the best rain gear combo/start for a sobo thru. big question is how often does it storm in such a way that a truly waterproof shell is necessary, and for how long each time? does a most of the time wind layers, with a WP poncho-packcover combo for occasional short duration storms strategy make sense?

not interested in the silpoly options from lightheart gear or antigravity. sorry just not my jam. i know some people love them, not for me. thanks!

Hi y'all,

I am planning to hike from Cuba Nm to Crazy Cook on cdt in December. This will be my longest hike to date.

Would this be too ambitious for the time of year and my experience level (physically fit and have walked hundreds of miles just not on a trail and with access to services)?

What gear would you recommend?

What's y'alls perspective on food for that period?

Edit: Gear wise I have I have sleeping pad, -10 degree sleeping bag, snow gear, ultralight tent, first aid kit, compass, paper maps, poop trowel, headlamp

Edit:

Shortening from Cuba nm to Grants nm

Edit:

Would it be make sense to pack enough water for first 3 days (comfortable wearing a 50 lbs pack) then turn back if not feasible?

Curious if anyone has hiked any of the segments in Southern Colorado during the winter? Day hikes likely. I collect winter recreation data, mainly across the GMUG, Rio Grande & San Juan, and am looking for people who would be willing to collect visitor use data or chat about areas that are known to have snowmobile incursions into wilderness areas. Thanks!

I'm hopping on the PCT this April and would like to get a few shakedown hikes in this winter. I live in New Mexico, but have never spent any time on the CDT.

Does anyone have any suggestions regarding the first couple sections of the trail? I've got a few days off mid-December and was hoping to do sections 1&2. Will I need to carry in all my own water? Should I maybe leave a cache for myself somewhere?

For context I have a good deal of desert hiking experience and I'm very accustomed to long water carries. I am also aware that nighttime temps will be in the 20s.

Appreciate any and all help!

Hi! I'm planning on hiking as much of the CDT as possible between my college graduation and the start of my job. I should be able to do 25 miles per day, perhaps 30 towards the end of the trip, so I'm hoping to complete ~1000 miles. Which sections would be most rewarding in May and June? Thanks so much for any advice!

Hey guys I’m planning to hike the CDT in 25! I hiked the PCT this year and kinda regretted not knowing more about the ecology of the trail. So if any of ya know any good books to learn more about the flora/fauna and geology along the trail please pass them on! Thanks

From CDTC Facebook:

Planning a 2025 spring CDT hike? Book your spot on the Southern Terminus shuttle beginning November 18th at 7am MT!

The spring shuttle will operate from March 28th - May 15th for the 2025 spring season.

https://cdtcoalition.org/explore-the-trail/southern-terminus-shuttle/

I’m planning on a nobo hike of the CDT next year. I have completed a sobo hike in 2021 and my style of hiking is fast and light. I will be hitting the ground running, and am planning on starting in early May. My SOBO hike took me 105 days, with 21 days in New Mexico. Knowing this and that my nobo hike will probably be a similar pace, but add about a week or so, I’m concerned for the snow pack in Colorado if I get there too early. I don’t want to spend much time waiting for snow to melt and just hanging out in Chama and don’t want to go the low route and I don’t want to deal with a crazy amount of snow in the San Juans. So I’m contemplating a couple of options:

1. starting on the AZT and hiking up to the GET and connecting that to the CDT and go north from there. Would an early May start be too late for this? I can possible start mid/late April if I go this route. I don’t particularly care about missing the lower half of New Mexico on the CDT as I’ve already done it.

2. starting the CDT early May doing a traditional Nobo but then integrating the Northern New Mexico Loop to take some extra time in New Mexico.

I’d love to hear some thoughts on this from y’all. Thanks!

Hi all. I'm new to hiking scene (yay for my mid life crisis) and I'd like to start my journey on this new hobby by doing some volunteer work for the trail. I live in Grants and see hikers all the time. I would love to be able to help out with rides and whatever. How do I go about doing this?

I am currently researching for my University project Thru-Hiking and its Health Effects. I have attached a short questionnaire with a few questions about problems experienced on trail. It would only take a minute or two to answer, all answers are completely anonymous when submitted. It would be really appreciated if anyone would be willing to fill it out.Thanks :)https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfhaMufTl3PV6tbJb89C2pBeEvqs4WkuAxgHNiVl2xUFz5YGw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Are there any particular vaccinations one should get? I got the usual, Hepatitis, Tetanus, etc. anything special needed? Does a rabbies vaccination make sense?

Hi all!

I've been thinking about doing a CDT thru either next year or 2026 (depending how finances work out), and I wanted to get a gut-check on a routing question.

Would it be sensible/logistically realistic to start in Butte in early June, head north to the border, then flip back to Butte and SOBO the rest of the trail?

It'd be my first months-long trek (longest so far: 160 mi in CO), and I don't know how slow I'll be, so I'd like to maximize my hiking time, but I also want to give myself a little extra time to save up if I'm aiming for 2025, and would prefer SOBO generally. I'm just not wild about my chances of hitting NM before winter if I waited til July to start a fully-SOBO hike.

Secondary questions, I guess:

*Would I be likely to hit a problem level of snow in the Bob (or elsewhere) if I hiked this way? *Is there an easily-accessible Montanaho town to start at that'd make more sense for a flip like this?

Thanks a bunch, any input is appreciated :)

I had a bear encounter in another portion of the Gila a number of years ago. Safe to say I try to be bear-aware now. I have read websites talking about bears near Silver City, NM this time of year. Not necessarily recent but past activity. What have been people's experiences around there....notably coming up from the south?

Tale of the Trail: Land Cover Change

https://postholer.com/articles/Tale-of-the-Trail-Land-Cover-Change

Introducing 28 years of land cover change on your favorite trail! This is the latest feature added to Postholer Interactive Maps. It's made possible by USGS and Multi-Resolution Land Cover Characterization Consortium, which produces the National Land Cover Dataset or just NLCD. We've had current year land cover in the online data books for years. This is different as you can actually see the on-trail change from 1985-2023 at very high resolution, about 30 meters.

My partner and I are planning our first thru hike next year and will try for the CDT. We are looking at tents and the Durston Xmid 2 Pro+ is our favourite.

The main concern is the large footprint. Is it too large for the camp sites you typically find on the CDT?

I know the Durston tents are a popular choice, but the 2 Pro+ version is larger

I am starting on November 12 from Crazy Cook for my first 160+ miles to Silver City. Curious if there are going to be SOBOs still on the trail finishing up.

I struggled a lot hiking the Colorado section this summer. I'm almost 60 years old, not super fit, but I managed to walk across Colorado. I had a lot of sleepless nights struggling with the altitude. I had sciatica pain sometimes. I felt slower than I should be. I would get upset with all the rain. And now a couple months later, I miss it so much. I wish I was still out there.

Any fun sections near Butte? Within a 2 hour drive, 20 miles section. I’m working in Butte for a month, and would love to get a good day hike in before the snow really comes down.

Trying to see if it’s worth hiking 20 miles back from crazy cook to 81 to hitch up to hachita and eventually Lordsburg. Curious to see if people had relied on this and how busy that road is. Thanks!

One state to go. Trying to decide on a good start date, the earlier the better because waiting to go will drive me crazy!

Southern Terminus Shuttle Options Fall 2024

CDTC is offering a limited on-demand shuttle (October-December), driving hikers from the Crazy Cook monument to the city of Lordsburg, NM including water caching. Hikers should call 303-996-2759 (M-F 9am-5pm) or email info@cdtcoalition.org to book at least seven days in advance of pickup date. Pickup times from the monument will generally be at 8am.  A minimum of three riders is required, five maximum.

Local Drivers

Tim Sharp offers on-demand rides and water caching to and from Crazy Cook in the Fall. Call Tim at 830-456-6497 to arrange a ride.

I just burned through a bunch of books about the AT and I need a new adventure. I’ll read anything from history of the trail, personal experiences, and even guide books. What do got for me?

Hey! If anyone needs a ride from LORDSBURG to TUCSON Friday evening, I’m already doing a run to pick up another hiker! Or if you need anything brought to you in Lordsburg from Tucson also let me know! ❤️Big Spoon

I know each year is different and you can't predict what the snowcap will be like, etc. But still, I want to pick a good start date for my 2025 thruhike. :)

The annual surveys on Halfway Anywhere all say that the folks who started in May wished they'd started earlier...

Right now, I'm kinda-sorta thinking about April 23-ish. Tell me how you made your own decisions. :)

My buddy and I are planning to hike south from the border of Wyoming and Colorado in mid-October.

Does any one know what the weather is like on the trail during that time of year? We're trying to get worst case scenario weather data, but it's not easy to find. I'm not sure how much are gear needs to change in order to accommodate the weather. Are we talking ice axes or just an extra midlayer?

We are planning 7 days and going as far south as we can get within that time period.

Also, if anyone has any insight into that area, please share :)