[Cdt-l] Flip Flop Question

[Jim Eagleton]

The Winds get lots of snow, but you would have to do a really weird flip flop to hit them too early or too late in the season.  Wait... you are proposing a really weird flip flop.  

 

ca June 7, 2008, we hit Battle Pass the first morning the road was open.  If we had hit it a day earlier, we might have been able to get a ride down with a snowplow, but I don't know about a ride up.  Where are you starting???  Don't go into the Winds in early June to avoid snow.  

 

The standard nobo flip flop is to flip from Chama, NM/CO to South Pass City, WY and hike south.  This didn't work that well because there was a lot of snow the last few days in WY and a lot more in northern CO.  It did help knocking off the Great Basin in cool weather, and the resupply distances are much easier than the San Juans.  

Jim 

 

 

Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:26:31 -0800
From: Louis Maurer <ironmaurer at hotmail.com>
Subject: [Cdt-l] Flip Flop Question
To: <cdt-l at backcountry.net>
Message-ID: <SNT130-w1534B64DB06E12F7DD9D62C9870 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
 
 
I am planning on doing the CDT trail during the summer of 2010. I came
up with the idea of a planned flip flop hike that starts by going north
from southern wyoming in mid to late may to the montana/canada border
. Then flipping to my start point in southern wyoming and finishing
the trail by going south through colorado and new mexico. There are
numerous pros and cons to any plan for a thru hike but my thinking was
that this would be a good way to minimize the amount of snow I
encounter. I am expecting that this would put me in colorado during
august and early sept which seams ideal for snow pack. 
 
I am
looking for input from previous hikers on this idea. Is it realistic
to start a hike in the great divide basin in mid to late may and be
able to continue through the wind river range in june when considering
weather and snow. All of the reading and topo research that I have
done so far leads me to believe that this is not a bad idea. 
 
What
do previous thru hikers think of the plan? Has anyone done this
approach in the past or known anyone who has? How did it go? I would
welcome any feedback. Thanks.
 
Happy Trails, Louis

 		 	   		  
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