[Cdt-l] [cdt-l] David Horton's planned speed hike

[Horton, David]

Glen,
Do you know when I could purchase this from you??   I am starting the
CDT on 06-07-08
dh

-----Original Message-----
From: cdt-l-bounces at backcountry.net
[mailto:cdt-l-bounces at backcountry.net] On Behalf Of glen fleag
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 10:17 PM
To: cdt-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [cdt-l] David Horton's planned speed hike

Hello David and welcome to the CDT.
We first met at one of your masochist races (91) and then I contacted
you a 
few times when i was attempting a long run/hike in 2001/2002

Anyway it's good (IMO) that you are doing this BUT, of course there will

always be some controversy over this "official" thing.
  Many of us CDT hikers don't want the trail to be a continous marked 
footpath and enjoy the CDT for what it is: a hike to test your skills in
map 
reading, bushwhacking, water finding, route creating, and sometimes: how
far 
can i go before i have to head to town, among some.

Of course there are lots of "official trails"

Theres the CDTA   (people who prefer to leave it out of wilderness
areas)

There's the CDTSociety's  :   Jim Wolfe's route which is probably the
best 
in terms of putting the trail where it belongs in terms of scenery, 
wilderness, water sources, etc.

Theres Jonathon Ley's :   The one that i believe most thru-hikers now
take 
because it's a cheaper option buying the maps.

Theres Backpacker Magazine (that dirt bike and 4 wheeler mag that is
trying 
to create their own route for some reason)


There's Ray Jardines (i remember he skipped a ton of beautiful scenery
in NM 
so he could go past a Howard Johnsons near Grants, which completely
turned 
me off from his recommendations)

There's mine:  Which changes every time  i hike it     and THAT's what
makes 
the CDT the BEST!

There's a hundred other peoples.

And there's yours.    I hope you do lots of research cause you have a
lot of 
choices:

The start:   (not only 3 different places for northbounders,  but
immedietly 
you have actual divide (private land), road walk (get used to that), and

some semi marked trail through desert that may get you good and lost
right 
in the git-go.

Through the Gila,

Tierra Amarillo vs Jicarilla vs the hiway,

Creede cutoff (i understand neither Brian Robinson nor Squeaky took it
but 
most of my friends have, simply cause they were northbounders and there
was 
too much snow)

Coming into Winfield there's a few different possible routes,  (tincup,
snow 
pass,

Red desert (of course i skipped most of CO which has many choices
everyday)  
  but the Red Desert area of WY has lots of choices also.   cut through
the 
middle (not much water but probably not a concern for a supported hike)
go 
to Rawlins and then cut through the middle (more water but of poor
quality)  
  or go the northerly route through the mtns.  (Probably the most scenic
and 
best but longer)

Through yellowstone: you have to go where they let you as there's often 
grizzly closings

Out of Mack's Inn;   Jim Wolfe probably has the best here

Out of Lima (we searched for over a day to find our friend Sly in 2002
on 
all the known routes and found out later we were close but theres' so
many 
different ways to go.)

Anaconda cutoff:   Again, not as close to the divide, or wilderness but 
probably the route that most take (I believe)

Through the "Bob"  (my favorite section)   but so many choices  (in
2002, we 
took a westerly route that was awesome because of too much snow (in
July)   
not official but compromises need to made on this trail almost daily.

Then of course through the most scenic NP in the lower 48:  Through
Glacier! 
   And once again, you have to take what they give you for grizzly
reasons 
as well as snow and bridges.
I am always a bit bummed when i see people more and more going out at
the 
Chief Mountain takeout on the border as it makes for a boring, in the
trees, 
non scenic finish to a great trail.   when the Waterton Lakes finish
makes 
for THE MOST SPECTACULAR finish of any of the big 3!
(and there's a restaurant in the Canadian town there that has caribou on
the 
menu!)

Anyway, I'm not trying to turn you away from your goal of holding (at 
different times)  records for the 4 most popular trails in the US (west 
coasters might argue the LT vs so many good ones in the west)

I think it's a grand goal,   but i do believe you will have to do a lot
of 
research and count on getting lost  quite a bit.    Possibly you'll have

people along who know the trail and will take you their favorite way.

It's a great trail.   I know that you will get some flack from folks who

don't like doing it fast.  I also know that you will catch more sunsets
and 
sunrises then they will and see more wildlife because you will be out
there 
when the wildlife is busy.

Have fun and hopefully i didn't piss too many people off with my ideas
and 
thoughts.     fiddlehead



Hi to all of you on the cdt-l.   I am planning on doing the CDT in the
>summer of 2008.  I am a ultra runner who lives in Lynchburg, VA.  I
have
>previously set the speed record on the Long Trail, AT, and PCT.   I
plan
>on starting the CDT around June 5-10, 2008 at the Mexican border.  I
>know that Squeaky set the record of 75 days in 2005 unsupported.   I
>plan on doing it supported somewhere around 65 days, plus or minus 5
>days, depending on the length of the trail.
>
>
>
>I know that you are thinking, how can you set a record on a trail that
>is not complete or has various routes?  I plan on hiking the official
>trail as much as possible and not taking any shortcuts.
>
>
>
>How long is the trail if I do it this way??   I hear the CDTA saying it
>is 3100 miles.   When Squeaky and Flyin Brian did it, they both
reported
>2700 miles.
>
>
>
>I know I have a lot to learn and I look forward to learning from many
of
>you.
>
>
>
>I love the trails
>


_______________________________________________
cdt-l mailing list
cdt-l at backcountry.net
http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/cdt-l