The Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail are both long-distance hiking trail connecting the Mexican and Canadian borders of the United States. Every year, a class of hopeful thru-hikers sets out on (what is many times) a once-in-a-lifetime journey with the hopes of completing the
Why the PCT Is Better Than the CDT
The Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail are largely regarded as two of the greatest long-distance hiking trails in the world. Hiking one of these trails requires a huge amount of time and dedication; time and dedication that many people will only be able to accommodate once (if
17 Movies To Watch Before Hiking The Continental Divide Trail
Waiting to start your thru-hike can be a lot like sitting on the toilet waiting for a bowel movement. You don't want to rush it, you're excited for it to happen, and you need something to keep you entertained during the wait. Thankfully, we have movies to solve this problem. But before we get
Continental Divide Trail In Photos: San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains of Southern Colorado are the first real challenge of the Continental Divide Trail (that is, if you're hiking northbound and you don't consider the nearly 800 mi / 1,300 km of New Mexico to be much of a big deal). New Mexico has some climbing, but it does nothing to prepare
Continental Divide Trail Week 11: Farewell Moisture
DAY 71: Dog Attack (Arrive Grand Lake/Denver, CO) I wake up early, 5:30, since today I'm trying to reach Grand Lake with enough sunlight left to hitchhike the 100 mi / 160 km to Denver - where I have a chest x-ray scheduled for tomorrow (and where I have a friend who I am hopefully staying
Guthook Guides (Atlas Guides) CDT App Review
There exist two distinct epochs on the Continental Divide Trail - pre and post-Guthook. What is Guthook? Guthook, by Atlas Guides, is an app made specifically for the Continental Divide Trail. It's not a mapping or GPS tracking app that also happens to have the ability to help you out with your CDT
Continental Divide Trail Thru-hiker Advice For 2019
As part of the Continental Divide Trail Survey I ask CDT hikers what they would do differently, given the chance to do it all again, and what advice they have for future CDT hikers. I share this information in the hopes of giving an idea of what mistakes people typically make pre, during, or
Continental Divide Trail Week 10: Shortcuts to Town
DAY 64: Mount Elbert (Arrive Leadville, CO) When we wake up, the wedding party has yet to arrive. I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing. What is a bad thing? All of the frozen condensation on my sleeping bag. I can't wait for all of this to melt while my sleeping bag is stuffed away in my
Horror & Heartbreak On The Continental Divide Trail (2018 Edition)
The Continental Divide Trail is frequently thought of as the most difficult of thru-hiking's "Triple Crown". As part of this year's Continental Divide Trail Hiker Survey, I asked hikers about their lowest moments on trail and the moments on trail that made them legitimately fearful (whether this was