[Cdt-l] Routes

Wed Jan 7 13:37:11 CST 2009

I highly recommend the Crazy Cook route, especially for NOBO's.  

For sobo's, you are self important triple crowners who aren't going to listen to advice , and are too beat up to take the scenic route, just follow pavement south from Silver City.  Actually, there is an unfortunate logistical problem for sobo's.  From the border it is a full day to a crumby hitch and a couple of days back to a major road.  I can understand how this would be considered an anticlimactic finish, unless you have someone picking you up.  

NOBO's should try to car pool or contact Sam Hughes, or other shuttler, and start at Crazy Cook.  Good to hear the road walk south of Silver City has been eliminated.  

North of Silver City is the worst route choice on the trail.  1)  The official trail is long and dry, it had fire damage which has been reported to be cleaned up, but still gets almost no thur hiker traffic.  It is possibly a reasonable option, but I can't recommend it unless better water info becomes available.  
2)  The Ley route has a horrible bushwack UP Tadpole Ridge.  This route should be avoided by any sane hiker.  It has the advantage and disadvantage of many fords of the Lower Gila (southern part).  These fords may be ok in the fall, but are an extra day of wet feet, going upstream, in colder/higher water for nobo's.  3)  Many people take one of the road (Wolfe) routes until north (northeast) of Silver City and then take the trail over the top of Tadpole Ridge (avoiding the bushwack).  This sets up the cutoff mentality and you can save further effort on: the Creed cutoff, the Mack Inn cutoff, and the Anaconda cutoff.  4)  I followed Boston and Cubby's route out of Silver City to Doc Campbell's:  I followed the road out of Silver City past the Monastery, picked up the official trail which goes a little east, then came back to the road to Doc Campbell's on the Military trail.  There is still 5 to 7 miles of road walk (down hill) at the end.  Also, there is a new building that will make private property a big issue around the Monastery.  If you do not take the short cut past the Monastery, and especially if you take the official trail all the way from Silver City, you have a very dry day and a half.  

The best training is to have my fellow Philadelphian and fellow Jim pour you a pint.  He now does it at The Anderson on the Black Isle.  I'll be there in August.

Melanie:  The weather window is between southern CO and Glacier, and last year the window was very tight.  So, skipping CO does not do much good unless you start late and do NM in the hotter and later spring.  It might be better to start in Glacier at the end of the sobo season, ca July 4, and then skip CO in Sept, going right to NM.  I flipped up to South Pass City and hiked south thru CO.  You could get off at Steamboat? or much more easily at Estes Park, (hiking over the divide in Rock Mt Nat. Pk, which I have also done.)  

Rambler>> > 1. Re: 2009 CDT hikers - crazy cook or columbus? (Brian Dickson)> 2. Re: 2009 CDT hikers - crazy cook or columbus? (Bob)> > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------> > Message: 1> Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 13:00:01 +0000 (GMT)> From: Brian Dickson <briansolar1 at yahoo.co.uk>> Subject: Re: [Cdt-l] 2009 CDT hikers - crazy cook or columbus?> To: cdt-l at backcountry.net> Message-ID: <2750.13511.qm at web27201.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"> > Myself, Brian and my wife, Martina are aiming to hike northbound this year too. We live in Scotland and are flying into Denver on April 13th and aim to start around?April 20th from either crazy cook or columbus NM. We haven't sorted out how we will get there yet!> ?...> ?> Brian Dickson> Black Isle, Scotland> www.pbase.com/briansolar1> > > --- On Tue, 6/1/09, Melanie Simmerman <jennylind50 at yahoo.com> wrote:> > From: Melanie Simmerman <jennylind50 at yahoo.com>> Subject: [Cdt-l] 2009 CDT hikers> To: cdt-l at backcountry.net> Date: Tuesday, 6 January, 2009, 7:49 PM> > Hello, 2009 CDTers> I'm wondering who all is hiking this year and in which direction? I am> planning a northbound, sort of, hike. At any rate, I'm starting in NM> (haven't finalized which terminus-Cook Monument or Columbus) in late April> sometime - don't have the exact date yet.> > I've pretty much done Colorado section-hiking and don't plan to re-hike> what I've done, which means either flipping up to Glacier and going south,> or if possible continuing northbound in Wyoming (if that's possible?). Has> anyone out there done that? What are conditions usually like in Wyoming in early> June? It would be kind of nice to be in Glacier late summer/early fall and not> in snow.> ....> > Hope to see some of you out there!> Melanie ("Lemstar" AT96, PCT02)> 
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