If I were to thru-hike the CDT again, this is the gear list I would start with.
Category: Continental Divide Trail
Most ultralight backpacks are very minimal: main compartment, 3 external pockets, maybe a hip belt. The Gossamer Gear Kumo 36, on the other hand, packs in many features of a traditional pack, while still keeping total pack weight under 2 pounds. From a removable back pad that doubles as a sit pad, to a top … Read More “Gear Review: Gossamer Gear Kumo 36” »
Contrary to what you may have heard, resupply on the CDT isn’t that different to or much more difficult than the PCT.
One of my favorite pieces of gear is my monocular. Not only does it allow me to identify a lot more birds than I otherwise would, it is also great for looking at all variety of wildlife. On the CDT it was especially great for viewing Pronghorn and Moose. On more than one occasion I … Read More “CDT Bird List” »
Day 125: 19 Miles Last days on trail are always a little bit weird, but I think Piñata would agree with me that this was the best one of all. We started the morning messing with him a little bit, refusing to get up early even though he was antsy. We had hot coffee with … Read More “CDT Day 125: Canada!” »
Day 122: 16 Miles Today was great. Piñata and Yoda got up early and went down to the ranger office to be there when they opened. They returned with our permits and itinerary for the final section of trail. It worked out so that we only could do 14 miles today, 25 tomorrow, followed by … Read More “CDT Days 122-124: Glacier National Park” »
Day 120: 31 Miles We woke up 30 Miles from East Glacier, and decided to make it all the way into town for the night. We were slowed down by the abundance of berries. I’ve never seen so many thimbleberries in my life, and there were tons of huckleberries too. At lunch, Enigma found us, … Read More “CDT Days 120-121: East Glacier” »
Day 117: 10 Miles We slept in this morning, knowing there would be no cars to try and hitch a ride with very early. Waiting for a ride, we saw Enigma headed back to the trail, and will try and catch up with him in the next couple days. We got a ride into town … Read More “CDT Days 117-119: It Might be August, but it’s Cold in Montana” »
Day 115: 19 Miles It was a tough and windy day today. We had lots of climbing up ridges, and lots of time above the trees, so there was little windbreak. It was a day to put in the headphones, put the head down and brace against the wind. We managed to get a half … Read More “CDT Days 115-116: From Lincoln to Augusta” »
Day 113: 31 Miles It was a cold night last night. It didn’t rain, but the air was wet and chilly, and everything was damp with condensation this morning. We started hiking with all our layers on, but as the sun finally peered out we warmed up, and were able to dry out the wet … Read More “CDT Days 113-114: Riddling our Way Toward Lincoln” »