The average time to thru-hike the CDT is about six months and most people hike south to north. Hikers can continue north into Alberta and British Columbia via the Great Divide Trail to Kakwa Lake in Kakwa Provincial Park and Protected Area, B.C., north of Jasper National Park. [9], In 2019, the respondents to a survey of CDT thru-hikers were two-thirds male with a median age of 31. By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of data and cookies. I experienced vertigo for six weeks from a dislodged crystal in my ear (BPPV) while postholing through snow and low temperatures in Colorado (October and November). Readers can experience the trail as if their boots were on the 3,100-mile path. Maybe trying to scare a moose away? The lowest elevation of the trail in Wyoming is 6,522 feet (1,988m) about 12 miles (19km) north of Rawlins. If you know you want to complete a thru-hike, but aren't sold on which Triple Crown trail to hike, this article is for you. It was truly miserable. One Reply to "Otter's death on the Continental Divide Trail" Anna says: August 30, 2018 at 5:52 am. Grizzly encounter on day four in Glacier National Park (Montana). Divides are boundaries that separate drainage basins or watersheds of all sizes. Hikers sent sympathy notes to his parents praising Alex as easygoing, strong, cheerful, always willing to lend others a hand. Therefore, you can pretty much do it in or on just about anything with plenty of clearance, good off-road tires, and low gears, but I highly recommend a Jeep with strong off-road tires such as the Yokohama Geolandars. He. Another hazard to hikers is Colorado's 'monsoon season' with violent afternoon thunderstorms that are common in July and August on high mountain ridges [26][27], Notable points on the CDT in Colorado from south to north include:[28][25][1], The official route of the CDT in Wyoming is 513 miles (826km) long,[1] although several alternate routes shorten or lengthen that distance. Of course, there may be more death along the PCT than reported, but the reality is that there is little (but dont trust me). ago. Traveling through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, hiking the CDT is not for the faint of heart. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene (source), FALL | Wayne Paul Pferdehirt | August 26, 2019 | Wayne Paul Pferdehirt (67), died in a fall near Mather Pass (Sierra). vaults I-94 overpass, tumbles to embankment, Who's next? The CDT drops 3,000 feet (910m) from the Continental Divide to the lowest point on the Idaho/Montana trail, 5,764 feet (1,757m). Mountain bikes are allowed on parts of the Colorado Trail. Map of North American showing the Continental Divide -- an invisible line that separates the major watersheds flowing to different oceans. Want to know how you can expect to meet your maker should this hike turn out to be your last? Be alert to all car traffic, which is especially heavy on summer weekends. But Alex stood in the downpour, tending the fire, "having the best time in the rain." This spectacular trail is the direct result of a tremendous amount of effort by Kevin Glassett (aka GPSKevin; www.gpskevinadventurerides.com). Alex always loved being outdoors, his parents said. [16] Andrew Skurka completed the trail as part of the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop in 2007. Id had enough of hiking alone through Colorado storms and just wanted to hitch back into town, but I didnt because the weather was supposed to improve the next day. He didnt understand that the only thing I was afraid of at that moment was. You can drive north on it or south, its completely up to you. Completing the Triple Crown is not an easy feat. Over the past few years, Yokohama (www.yokohamatire.com) introduced two wonderful off-road tire designsGeolandar MT G003 and Geolandar X-MT with the X-MT design being the more aggressive of the two tire designs. Kevin has put years of personal effort into developing this route, along with several alternative routes along the way. WARNING! Sign in. The hiker from Minneapolis had been out of contact for a few days when a search team found him June 9 at his campsite in the Colorado mountains. Hikers don't get the luxury of dictating every aspect of their hikes. We want to hear from you about your journey. The lowest elevation of the trail on the Idaho/Montana border is 5,764 feet (1,757m) along the North Fork of Sheep Creek in Idaho and the highest elevation is 10,091 feet (3,076m) at the summit of Elk Mountain. . Outside of Winter Park, it caught up to me and I, Five days of Bob Marshall Wilderness (Montana) with. Called home crying about, Great Basin (Wyoming), no water at the water cache. Interstate 15. It's also the most remote, and the highest - the lowest point on the entire trail is in New Mexico at 4,189ft . This map was created by a user. I get a lot of people asking every year how to support the surveys and beyond sharing them with your close-knit bubble of weird hiker friends, the best way to support the survey is to contribute via Patreon. Consider all these things while assembling a group and planning your trip. The International Continental Divide Adventure Route is designed to be a self-guided adventure.This route can be navigated entirely by GPS. This scenic trail runs . The free printable Continental Divide Trail maps and guides below are organized by state starting in the south at the Mexican border in New Mexico, and working the way north along the C.D.T. The CDT is considered the most challenging of all the Scenic Trails in the US. They have a variety of newsletters, forums, events and updates on . For four to six months of walking, CDT thru-hikers have a laundry list of concerns that outpace those of many other long trails: grizzly bears, lightning storms, avalanche danger, unmarked or non-existent . From packing lists to recipes, the couple's social media pages and online blog contain preparation tips for hiking the CDT. Join. The award is acknowledged here . His body was not recovered until more than a year later. We are very excited to offer this new adventure route down the entire length of the west coast of America. Obviously, we had neither the time nor the funds to explore every alternative route along the divide, but we did sample several of them. Forest fires often result in parts of the trail being closed and the hiker must take alternative routes. "And not just a little bitty fire," Hannah said. Continental Divide Trail National Logo Vinyl Decal Promote Sale price Affordable prices Tide flow fashion products hesgoal.name, US $7.76 use a razor to gently lift the decal up along with the transfer tape If the decal is not attached Prepare the sticker for application by firmly/carefully rubbing a squeegee or credit card across the clear . The Continental Divide Trail is meant to follow the Continental Divide through the United States between Mexico and Canada, or at least stay within 50 miles of it since it is not always practical to put the trail directly on the divide. Each drainage basin contributes its water to river systems, which in turn flow into distinct larger bodies of water, such as oceans. Share. Crazy Cook Monument. Open full screen to view more. . In northernmost New Mexico, the CDT crosses into Colorado near Cumbres Pass at an elevation of 10,022 feet (3,055m). Keep in mind, that when looking at the map, only 70% of the actual trail routing is . Continental Divide Trail CDT Life, CDT Survey, Hiker Problems. . Grizzly bears become a possible danger from the Wind River Range northward, especially in and near Yellowstone Park. The Continental Divide stretches from Alaska down through Mexico . I felt, In the middle of Montana, I had one day that was. An autopsy produced no answers. 00:59 Alone/Remote04:49 The Trail Is Not Complete07:15 Exposure09:48 Lightning15:10 Dehydration17:41 Wildlife19:20 Snow Traverses (San Juans)22:40 Hypothermi. Yokohama, thinking that 2,700 miles of all types of trails, roads, and highways would prove to be an excellent test, provided us with tires and fuel for all four vehicles; a set each of G003 for the 2013 Jeep Wrangler and 1999 Jeep Cherokee and a set each of the X-MT design for the 1974 Toyota and 2005 Jeep Wrangler. A series of cold days in Colorado in October, especially the cold during the mornings. It is a rare club of hikers that have hiked . Rather than cooking over campfires, we used Coleman stoves; rather than reading by candlelight, we used electric lanterns; and rather than sleeping wrapped in buffalo robes, we snuggled into sleeping bags. Anaconda cutoff. Search and rescue teams on Sept. 7 recovered the body of . As it turned out, we accrued almost 8,000 miles total on the expedition because of all the highway travel to and from the trailheads. It turns out that the Pacific Crest Trail is a safe place to be (and when the zombies, robots, or aliens finally decide to make their move, Ill bet itll be even safer). Box 552 Pine, CO 80470, +1 720 340-CDTC (2382), info@continentaldividetrail.org. "He apparently died peacefully in his sleep on top of a mountain at over 12,000 feet. Speaking of trailheads, because of various issueshealth and mechanicalwe completed the journey in three stages, much as you readers might do if youre as intrigued as I with exploring the Continental Divide: First stage: Mexican border to Interstate 40, second stage: I40 to I80, and third stage: I80 to the Canadian border. Jennifer Coleman, 34, of Richmond, Va., died hiking in the Logan Pass area of Glacier National Park on Aug. 30 or 31, 2021. Glacier National Park. Several additional mountains with elevations of more than 14,000 feet (4,300m) are near the trail, The CDT traverses many of the highest and wildest mountain ranges of Colorado, frequently at elevations near or above timberline which is about 12,000 feet (3,700m) in southern Colorado and 11,000 feet (3,400m) in northern Colorado. A few hikers, especially those attempting to set speed records, are "supported," meaning they have helpers who meet or accompany them along the trail and perform non-hiking tasks, such as food preparation. We were following a trail suitable for motorized travel, and, because of the routes length, we were towing camping trailers. And thats it! The Pacific Crest Trail is a test of mental, physical, and emotional endurance. For the past few weeks, social media has been overflowing with homeowner complaints about missed pickups. These people are in the . With strong winds, I could not set up my tarp and had to retrieve my sleeping pad which blew away 0.25 mile / 400 m. The only way to keep warm was to, I spent most of Colorado trying to keep up with a group, including a friend I started the trail with, who was faster than me, and I burned myself out badly. A man in a pickup blocked the road I was walking in Northern New Mexico. Officials reported that the tree had rotted at the base, causing it to become unstable (source), DROWNING | Wang Chaocui | Mid July, 2017 | In Yosemite National Park (California), Wang Chaocui was discovered in a river in Kerrick Canyon. Minneapolis mansion with mural by highly sought-after 1920s portrait artist lists for $1.295 million, Pickup driver strays over center line south of Prior Lake, hits SUV and kills other motorist, Active Chefs program equipping kids to cook healthy foods, Roseville, nonprofit will partner to add mental health outreach worker, Red Wing lures downtown residents with new developments. [8] In 2007, Francis Tapon became the first person to do a round backpacking trip "yo-yo" on the Continental Divide Trail when he through-hiked from Mexico to Canada and back to Mexico on the CDT. Some road walking is required. He didn't want to be the first to cross the river, he wanted to help everybody else across the river. Frequent route changes and a large number of alternate routes result in an actual hiking . In his 20s, he hiked several trails, including the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail along the West Coast. The cause of death is unknown, but hypothermia is suspected (source), FALL | John Lowder | June 1999 | Its thought John Lowder (69), a doctor from San Diego, slipped on some ice crossing New Army Pass in the Sierra and fell approximately 60 ft / 18 m off into a canyon in the Sierra Nevada. The Triple Crown of hiking is a thru-hike trifecta that includes the three most prominent long trails of the United States - the Appalachian Trail (AT), the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). 15. Hiking the CDT means more than blindly wandering down a path filled with trail angels eager to help hikers on their journey to or from Mexico or Canada. People usually hike from south to north. People used to describe Leadvilles climate as ten months of winter with two months of late, late fall. At any point on the loop, you'll be on one of those two trails. Stretching for 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada, the Continental Divide Trail traverses some of North America's most scenic and remote terrains. The data collected in the survey will always be free and accessible to everyone who wants/needs it. One night in the Collegiates (Colorado), I had already gotten rained on all day and picked a suboptimal campsite just to get it over with. The Oregon Trail developed from the discovery in 1812 of a wagon-safe route over the Continental Divide at South Pass in present-day Wyoming by Robert Stuart, a Pacific Fur Company man returning from Fort Astor. Continental Divide Trail. In 1978, the Continental Divide Trail was formally established with the responsibility for management given to the U.S. Forest Service. Usually most of the red route was about the same as the blue, with a small section of it being difficult. I was tired, hot, and fed up with the desert. The CDT is actually a network of small roads and . We had inadvertently passed them, but spent the whole day trying to catch up. If youre not into Patreon, thats cool, you can instead Venmo @halfwayanywhere, Cash app $halfwayanywhere, or PayPal [emailprotected]. "He didn't need a lot of money to do what he did. Either way, best to sign up for my newsletter, yeah? Most of the CDT is located on National Forest System lands-, traveling 2,140 miles through 20 National Forests and 4 forest service regions. The establishment of the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail inspired proposals to create a Continental Divide trail. "As parents you always worry, but we had a certain level of trust," Tom said. Save the dates and stay tuned for more details! Much of the CDT follows high, grassy ridges with some walking on dirt roads required. Added to that, the thru-hiker carries up to a one week supply of food weighing about 2lb (0.91kg) per day and, in drier areas especially New Mexico, up to five liters of water. [25], Notable points in Wyoming on the CDT from south to north include:[28][25][1], Northbounders leaving Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming enter the Centennial Mountains of Idaho. The Pacific Crest Trail is typically divided into five distinct sections: the Desert, the Sierra Nevada, Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. The combined elevation gain of all the ' Hiking Triple Crown ' is more than climbing Mt Everest 41 times. Hiking tips. That is readily available via the internet and that we know of. Emergency personnel was unable to revive him (source), FALL | Ray No Way Ray Echols | May 15, 2006 | Near Deep Creek in the San Bernardino National Forest (California), Ray Echols lost his footing and fell approximately 200 feet to his death (source), UNKNOWN | John Donovan | May 2005 | John Donovan died after becoming lost on Southern Californias Mt. Pacific Crest Trail Horror Stories (Class of 2022), Pacific Crest Trail Hiking Advice for 2023 (& Beyond), Hikers Lowest Moments on the Pacific Crest Trail (Class of 2022), 1 High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) (unconfirmed). Detailed Description. From Aspen to the peak of the pass is about . CDTC policy is to operate on the honor system, assuming that those who submit a request for recognition have completed a journey between the Mexican and Canadian Border along the Continental Divide . To complete the trail in six months, hikers must average 17 miles per day. A lot of the trail can suck (and sometimes it sucks a lot). It's the highest, most remote, and, in many ways, most challenging of our National Scenic Trails. You must walk a total of nearly 8,000 miles across 22 states with one . Fifteen miles (24 km) from the Southern Terminus, the trail was ill-defined and rocks were making me roll my ankle every other step. T he Triple Crown trails (the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail) offer nearly 8,000 miles of some of the best hiking in the world. Hiker Kiana Van Zanten met Alex on the trail and admired the way he approached hiking "really taking the time to enjoy nature and the trail, leaving no trace, taking the time to befriend other hikers even if you're not sure you'll see them again, willing to go on fun side adventures and not just be so focused on staying the line.". Got, Two different situations of people (non-thru hikers) with, I was on the Big Sky Cutoff and getting closer to Butte, Montana. Hiking The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail . The trail represents a monumental conservation effort, stretching 3,100 miles across the United States, from Canada to Mexico. July 04, 2022 - 11:52 AM . Elk Mountain. Since then, she's completed the Appalachian, Continental Divide, and Pacific Crest trails, and is now adding the 6,800-mile American Discovery Trail to her list. The 2017 hiking season was plagued by many dangerous river crossings because of the unusually high snowpack from the previous winter (source), HEATSTROKE (SUSPECTED) | Marvin Novo | May 29, 2017 | In the Mission Creek Preserve (California), Marvin Novos body was discovered along the West Fork Trail. Starting the Cirque of the Towers alternate in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. On a path as long, high, and remote as the Continental Divide Trail, there is little room for gear errors. So if you ever see a headline something like, Hiker deaths on the PCT jump 200% in the National Scenic Trails deadliest year ever!, know that this means ten people died doing something inherently dangerous (aka its clickbait). The total number of thru-hiker deaths on the Pacific Crest Trail? Just down SR60 from Pie Town (Pie Towns claim to fame is two restaurants serving the best homemade pie west of the Mississippi), Datil is a must stop for anyone who enjoys a good beef steak with all the trimmings, served by some of the nicest people youll ever have the joy to meet. . Riding through Grand Teton on some of the lesser traveled roads, you'll enjoy glorious views of jagged peaks that rise nearly . But in other locations, the divide is barely perceptible. Its not unrealistic to say that a Continental Divide Trail thru-hike could be someones final adventure you could end up caught in an avalanche (the San Juans can be dangerous early in the year), with heatstroke in the desert (the Bootheel is no joke), surrounded by a forest fire (a truly underrated hazard), or in a hitch with a drunk driver (if you have a bad feeling about a hitch, dont get in; wait for the next one). 800-715-HIKE (4453) (9-4:30 Every Day) . Myth #2: Thru-hiking is not a race. In 2012, the Continental Divide Trail Coalition replaced the CDTA to coordinate the efforts of several regional partners engaged in constructing and maintaining the trail. This blue track begins at the Mexican border where New Mexico SR 81 crosses it, and then flows northward through New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana (a green line bypasses Idaho and takes you through Yellowstone National Park, which is the route we chose). We give equal recognition to thruhikers/equestrians and sectionhikers/equestrians. At one point in the Winds I had lost my tent, my wallet, and my flashlight and my phone was dying and I had to bushwack over 10 mi / 16 km of wet blowdowns just to get to a spot where I had a chance of hitching into Pinedale to buy a new tent, flashlight, and phone, and I only had $50 in my pocket. 70% (2,170 miles) of the trail is along land managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Continental Divide Trail. [10], Most thru-hikers begin the hike in April in New Mexico, hike northbound, and finish at the Canadian border in August or September. We were not following the official Continental Divide Trail its for hikers only since we were in Jeeps. The Continental Divide Trail closely follows the Continental Divide, but has a large number of approved alternate routes, some of which are more utilized than the official trail. Her body was found on rocks at the base of a waterfall about 6 mi / 9.6 km northwest of Timberline Lodge (source), FALLING TREE | Phillip Crosby | December 11, 2014 | Camped off the PCT near Mt. Next spring, she plans to hike the Arizona National Scenic Trail from the border with Mexico to . More than likely, youll hit rain or snow, which means mud and washouts. At an elevation of 11,315 feet (3,449m), the highest point reached by the CDT in Wyoming. "Money wasn't important to him," Tom said. I was exhausted and frankly traumatized. So you are interested in hiking the Pacific Crest Trail but you dont know if youre quite ready to drag yourself across a continent for five months and probably die? Hannah got into the tent. The Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail both stretch from Mexico to Canada, but the CDT offers up a far more diverse landscape than the PCT. by David Rosenfeld. [Authors note: If you dont wish to shoot your own photos at the border, or have bragging rights about doing the entire route, or meet the nice folks at the Hachita Food Mart, a ride down State Routes 146 and 81 from Interstate 10 to the border is pretty much just a cruise on a two-lane highway over rolling hills through cattle country.]. When firefighters reached him, they were going over his symptoms when he suddenly went into arrest. One of our side trips was Leadville, Colorado. The CDT stretches 4989 km between Canada and Mexico, slicing the United States from top to bottom, crossing New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Having thru-hiked the CDT twice herself, as well as numerous other long-distance . Many will leave the trail due to injury, some due to weather, others for financial reasons, and, unfortunately, a very small percentage will die. [6][7], Successfully thru-hiking the entire Continental Divide Trail takes an average of five months. Our sleeping bags and everything warm we owned was soaked. With the morning sun at his back on August 12,1805, Meriwether Lewis followed a well-worn Indian trail from southwest Montana's Horse Prairie Valley up Trail Creek, gradually topping out on a 7,373-foot pass. Because the Continental Divide Loop . In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson proposed a national system of trails and in 1968 the U.S. Congress adopted the National Trails System Act. Gatewood endured so much trauma in her lifetimewhich may be where she found the fortitude, endurance, and will to be the first woman to hike the ATat 67 years of age! a 501 (c) (3) national non-profit organization that seeks to create a community committed to construct, promote, and protect in perpetuity the CDNST. The Tour Divide has been raced and completed on both single speed . 1. Camping alone when Id flipped up to Idaho/Southern Montana away from the bubble because I was trying to finish to go back to school. You being in the desert - not this high-altitude chaparral crap on the PCT - you're hiking for nearly 100 mi / 160 km through shadeless and waterless desert. An 11-year-old in the pickup suffered noncritical injuries. The park was voted second among favorite sections of the CDT by hikers in 2019. For hikers who have completed all three trails, ALDHA-West presents the official "Triple Crown of Hiking" (TC). ALSO SEE:The Essential Off-Road Tools You Need for Safe Wheeling on the Trails. The CDT begins here at the border with Mexico at an elevation of 4,297 feet (1,310m) and is accessed only by a dirt road. Read the following knowing that any one of these things could (and very well may) happen to you, should you find yourself on the Continental Divide Trail. A guy on a motorcycle offered me a ride and then said he didnt have helmets but it was fine because theres no helmet law in Montana, I happened upon a man and a woman digging in some dirt on the shoulder and they had their truck parked off the edge of a forest service road. The average base weight of a thru-hiker's backpack in 2018 was 16.4lb (7.4kg). Frequent forest fires in late summer often force closure of sections of the trail and early snowfalls in late September may make the trail in Glacier National Park impassable. The Continental Divide Trail (CDT) is a long-distance trail that runs from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. Much of the CDT route in New Mexico traverses desert and dry mountains and a challenge to hikers is finding drinking water. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, NJ/PA. There was a lot of snow. It was super windy and the heavy pack was a struggle. The Continental Divide Trail explores this iconic crown jewel of America's trails with more than 250 spectacular contemporary images, historical photos and documents from the Continental Divide Trail Coalition archives, and detailed maps. Though the Internet is now an invaluable resource for hikers, and a number of other authors have created their own guide books, Yogi's Continental Divide Trail Handbook still stands as one of the best resources for CDT thru-hikers. The rest is on land managed by the Bureau of Land (12% or 372 miles), National Parks (10% or 310 miles), and state and private lands (8% or 248 miles). Luckily I found a friend. They may also encounter adverse weather conditions. [11] In 1978 three women hiked the entire trail: Nancy Andujar and the team of Jean Ella and Lynne Wisegart. [25][1], Notable points from south to north on the CDT in Montana include:[25][1]. Coming over a ridge to end what was my longest day so far on the trail (27mi / 43 km), only to see a new, active fire less than 10 mi / 16 km away and no way to escape but forward. 1 / 8. It is the second highest peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. Continental Divide Trail . The hike was supposed to take them around 4 hours to complete and was approximately 4 kilometers long. Jump in and jump out at the various interstates as your free time dictates. The CDT is now 95 percent complete. Bowlin Travel Centers Inc. About halfway through my last state, New Mexico, I just wanted to quit. "My bipartisan bill ensures the trail will continue to provide public access and a continuous route will finally be . ", "Good time to take inventory on gear - and yourself", "Francis Tapon: The first person to yo-yo Americas wildest trail talks heating, eating and the philosophy of lightweight", "2007 Adventurer of the Year: The Walking Man", "Salem 13-Year-Old Youngest to Hike Triple Crown", "Ore. [5] More than 1,000 thru-hikers completed either the AT or PCT in 2019 compared to 150 completing the CDT, a reflection of the isolation and difficulty in hiking the CDT. Lastly, I have also had some reports of deaths on the Pacific Crest Trail that I havent been able to find any source material for. . St. Paul residents ask: When will the recycling truck cometh? Alex Cahoy was 32 and a healthy and experienced hiker. In Montana near the Canadian border the trail crosses Triple Divide Pass (near Triple Divide Peak, from which waters may flow to either the Arctic Ocean (via Hudson Bay), Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean). Print. MWA staff work to maintain the CDT in Montana and Idaho with the help of volunteers and agency partners. So remote and inspiring is the route that Land Rover chose it as a challenge for the North American introduction of the Range Rover in 1989, when six Range Rovers became the first vehicles to complete the entire journey. Here is a detailed account of each of the deaths noted above (in chronological order from earliest to most recent): HAPE (UNCONFIRMED) | Maddie Magee | May 28, 2022 | Twenty-three-year-old Maddie Magee died near the top of Forester Pass (the high point of the PCT) in California's Sierra Nevada of (unconfirmed .