[cdt-l] Great divide basin Timing

[Mark Jernigan]

I live in Laramie    ...about 1.5 hours from where the trail crosses in Rawlins.
   
  Don't have a great deal of experience in the basin per se but Wyoming in general is one of the windiest places I have ever lived.  "Normal" winds are 25 - 30 mph and that's where there are some buildings to break up the pattern.  Open spaces like the basin are literally wind "corridors".  Much better having it to your back than in your face.
   
  Footslogger

Jeffrey Olson <jolson at olc.edu> wrote:
  I know there's one fellow on the listserv who lives in Laramie that can 
comment as well. 

When I lived in Laramie it was not heat that was "usually" the biggest 
factor out in the Great Basin - rather it was wind. If you're heading 
south, you're with the wind usually. I've hiked north once in the Basin 
when it was blowing a steady 30 mph, and if I can avoid doing that 
again, I will. 

This is not to say it doesn't get hot, but remember you're still up at 
6900'. And it's not always windy, but in my memory, it's windy more 
often than really hot... Besides, how many days is a thru-hiker in the 
basin? This is one of the vagaries of the trail that makes it a 
different kind of adventure than the PCT...

Jeff Olson
Martin, SD

Remy Levin wrote:
> you wrote > up to Rawlings and do the Great Basin before the temps rise.>
>
> We always heard a lot about the great divide basin before the 
> beginning of the hike. On the surface, it seems to be a serious 
> problem- a long desert stretch in the middle of the hike, where you 
> would hit it in the middle of summer whether you were on a nobo or 
> sobo continuous hike. I know a lot of people in the past had skipped 
> around to hit it at a "better" time of year... I don't know. when we 
> were in the basin it was mid august, it was partly cloudy the whole 
> way, in the 80's (probably) in the day and 40's at night. It even 
> sprinkled on us a couple of times- in short, very nice weather (and a 
> beautiful section of trail of course). I've heard similar accounts 
> from other hikers, and I've also heard accounts of hellacious weather 
> from others at the same time. the conclusion that that has led me to 
> is that the weather in the basin varies greatly- it is not always 
> hotter than heck during the summer there. It can be gorgeous in 
> august. I think this removes one of the main arguments for a planned 
> flip-flop, and also one of the big mental barriers I remember having 
> before hiking the CDT.
> --Remy
>
> P.S. And the wind was from the *south* ;)
>
> */doug-sue1 /* wrote:
>
> I always enjoy reading the comments of Jim and Ginny and the rest
> of you CDT
> vets. I have often thought that the best times to hike the Great
> Basin and
> NM would be as early as possible. Say, do NM in March mid- April
> then jump
> up to Rawlings and do the Great Basin before the temps rise. And
> then I'm
> completely at a loss what should be done next, continue north into
> the Winds
> or drop back to Rwalings and head south to Cumbres. Too bad NM and the
> Great Basin were in sequence, that would make a fine spring, and
> then the
> mountains for a glorious summer and fall. Someone laid this trail out
> wrong, IMHO. LOL
>
>
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