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

Fri Dec 12 14:26:33 CST 2008

Wow, there's more feedback on this than anything in the past 4 months! 
Here's my 2 cents...

First, I have some thoughts on this on the FAQ on my site at:
http://www.phlumf.com/travels/cdt/cdtfaq.shtml
(see the bottom)

But, this isn’t exactly the question you asked… Here’s more of my take…

Both of these trails are spectacular and wild, and I doubt you’d regret 
either experience. The PCT is a more consistent trail. The tread is 
generally always good, it’s nearly all actual trail, the views are 
almost always superb, the weather (at least in California) is often 
consistently nice during the summer, the grade of the trail is never too 
steep, and it’s easier to find your way around. That said, it is 
certainly a wilderness experience, and very tough challenge – if nothing 
else, simply for the walking. There are a couple areas (stream crossings 
& mosquitoes for example) that can be more of a challenge on the PCT 
than CDT (depending on the year). The weather in Northern WA can often 
be a real challenge too.

The CDT generally has higher highs, and lower lows. Some of the scenery 
is really mind-blowing (Wind River Range, Glacier NP, San Juans), but 
there are also stretches of walking on (usually remote, gravel or dirt, 
and traffic-less) roads, or through forested tunnels, or across 
relatively uninspiring landscapes. Often, the trail is well-graded, 
well-marked, and well-maintained… sometimes, it’s none of these. The 
weather can be a real challenge… it’s generally a colder experience (at 
least it was for me – I was wearing warm clothes more often on the CDT 
vs. PCT). I cowboy-camped (i.e. went without tarp/tent) a lot more on 
the PCT than on the CDT. And navigation can be more of an issue…  The 
“weather window” either NB or SB on the CDT is narrower as well. That 
tends to “bunch-up” the population of hikers… at least at the start.  
Then again, there is a lot more variety of routes and “approaches” (i.e. 
flipping, NB vs. SB, etc) on the CDT, which has a mitigating effect on 
the bunching.

As for the people, you’ll encounter other hikers on either trail… and in 
either case, since the “thru-hike window” is narrow, there will be 
others on a similar schedule as yours. On the PCT there will be more 
people – this can be good and bad… It’s good because it can be really 
nice to hike with someone; the people are generally very interesting and 
kindred souls. But, if you really want to hike alone you can. It's just 
that it might mean saying adios to some friends you've made... that can 
be the harder part of it. That said, there will be plenty of 
opportunities to find solitude and a wilderness experience without too 
much effort. I think it’s a good mix. On the CDT, there are fewer 
people… that’s again good and bad. It’s good if you want to hike alone 
more. But, if you do want to hike with others for occasional 
companionship, there are fewer people to pick from.  Luckily, most of 
them will be very cool & interesting people, but it’ll more likely be a 
small pool of them…Everyone has a different style and pace, so if you 
want to hike with others, it helps to have a larger pool. One other 
thing – there is more of an established community along the PCT (i.e. 
more trail angels, more day-hikers & week-enders, easier hitching to 
towns, and more planning/logistical resources, etc.).

Also, the PCT has better stickers. They're silver/shiny, and look cool 
on your car bumper. The CDT ones that I've seen aren't quite the same. ;-)

So, which trail is "right for you"? I have no idea.

-Jonathan

Roger Nussbaumer wrote:
>
> 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 to 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 <mailto:ronussbaumer at hotmail.com>)
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Hol dir noch heute die neue Beta des Windows Live Messengers! Hier 
> klicken! <http://download.live.com/>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Cdt-l mailing list
> Cdt-l at backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/cdt-l
>   
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/cdt-l/attachments/20081212/c980ec86/attachment.html 