[Cdt-l] PCT vs. CDT - some questions

[justin whitell]

Roger,
doing the CDT for your first thru hike is very possible... I had alot of the same thoughts and concerns as you and I decided to do the CDT first.  It was an amazing trip. You have to be very honest with yourself about your abilties and skills before you go. The  thing about the CDT is that there arent many people out there and there are even less people out there that are hiking their first trail. You will have to learn alot on your own and have to possibly deal with a lot of solitude. If the CDT is the trail you are drawn to the most, I say go for it, just make sure you prepare yourself for it. Let me know if you have any CDT questions.
-ATLAS



--- On Fri, 12/12/08, cdt-l-request at backcountry.net <cdt-l-request at backcountry.net> wrote:

> From: cdt-l-request at backcountry.net <cdt-l-request at backcountry.net>
> Subject: Cdt-l Digest, Vol 15, Issue 11
> To: cdt-l at backcountry.net
> Date: Friday, December 12, 2008, 12:00 PM
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> Today's Topics:
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>    1. PCT vs. CDT - some questions (Roger Nussbaumer)
>    2.  PCT vs. CDT - some questions (Frank Gilliland)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:19:48 +0000
> From: Roger Nussbaumer <ronussbaumer at hotmail.com>
> Subject: [Cdt-l] PCT vs. CDT - some questions
> To: <cdt-l at backcountry.net>
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> 
> 
> Hey folks, 
>  
> I guess many CDT hikers on this list have done either the
> AT or PCT before. That?s why I come up here with my
> questions. I have been planning to do the PCT in 09 for
> several months now, but some weeks ago I was beginning to
> lose a part of my eagerness, because, mainly, I heard of the
> CDT. After some researches I think the CDT is the more
> ?extreme? and remote of the two. I also got disappointed
> when I subscribed to the PCT-L and read discussions about
> the ?herd? and the masses who hike the PCT. For me, it makes
> the adventure less special and attractive when so many do
> the same thing as I do and it?s just not what I expect from
> a trip in the wilderness (I hope you get the point here ?). 
> There are other facts that make the CDT more attractive for
> me, for example more freedom in choosing the route (I think
> for the PCT you don?t even need maps) and I even read from a
> thru-hiker that the landscape/ nature is more beautiful on
> the CDT (what personally surprised me a bit?). Coming t
>  o my questions:
> Which trail is more worth to thru-hike in your opinion? 
> Am I wrong with all my concerns about the PCT? Is it really
> crowded on the PCT when starting in late April? Which of the
> two trails has more rewarding landscape/ nature? What kind
> of trails can I expect on the CDT (percentage of small
> hiking trails, bushwhacking, jeep roads, roads and in
> comparison to the trails on the PCT)?
> Is it the right choice to start thru-hiking the CDT, not
> having done other thru-hikes before (my longest was two
> weeks through the Swiss Alps?)?
> I hope you can help me a bit in choosing the ?right? trail
> for me. I know that?s not possible, but hearing different
> opinions about this subject can?t harm. Actually I don?t
> think I can go wrong with any of the two trails, but I?d
> like to know what to expect in case I would go for the CDT.
> Thanks in advance for your answers!
>  
> Greetings from Switzerland,
>  
> Roger (ronussbaumer at hotmail.com)
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> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:43:19 -0700
> From: Frank Gilliland <frankgilliland at comcast.net>
> Subject: [Cdt-l]  PCT vs. CDT - some questions
> To: cdt-l at backcountry.net
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> 
> Roger.
> 
> I have had the same questions before.  What I have
> concluded on my  
> Thru and Section hikes. is that there is no
> "Best".  I don't want to  
> get too philosophical here, but it is not so much about
> which trail to  
> hike.
> 
> It is instead how "You" hike the trail.
> 
> There is a lot of opinions abut which trail is best, which
> back pack  
> is best. which boots or shoes are best.
> 
> Just pick a trail, start some planning, learn back country
> and map  
> skills and start hiking.
> 
> 
> 
> Now, if you have some technical questions about what maps
> or books to  
> get, transportation issues, weather, etc.  feel free to
> contact me off- 
> list at my email address:
> 
> frankgilliland    at    comcast    dot    net
> 
> StarMan
> 
> 
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> End of Cdt-l Digest, Vol 15, Issue 11
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