[Cdt-l] trail partnership

[Chris dePolo]

Brian,

I'm wondering the same things.  I'll be attempting the CDT with my girlfriend next year, don't know if you remember that post on WB but I think you may have commented on it.

I frequently mention how I love to be alone and have no obligations to anyone while hiking.  I think it is going to be tough to hike with a partner.  I know that we are both going to want our alone time so I've been wondering how to manage it.

I'm debating picking up two lightweight walkie talkies maybe.  I don't really like to carry extra stuff so I don't know.

I plan on taking two shelters, prob a gg spintwin cause I like setting a tarp up for lunch on those rainy days and prob a real tent just to appease my lady.  If we do ever split for a few days I won't be left without a shelter ect ect.  I'd actually like for her to see if she likes a day or two alone so.

I think that doing it on a stretch into town makes sense and I'd prob try that.  I haven't done much research into it yet but how much of the trail is well marked if any?

And on a side note: Gadget, were you on the PCT this year?  I think we met in the desert one rainy day.  You had a little gadget that checked the wind speed if I remember correctly and you are the same gadget.  I think your wife was picking you up from hikertown that day.

-Chance
----------------------------------------
.
Consensus is that if you don't want to hike the CDT literally alone, you
start with one or more partners and you stay close together the whole time.
I like the fellow that I plan to hike with a lot, but I've also quite
enjoyed weeks of hiking alone on both PCT and AT, and even when hiking with
one or more partners I've often hiked much of a given day alone, joining
back up at lunch and at night.  I realize that the CDT is different in this
way, that you have to stay close to stay together at all, but the idea of
being joined at the hip to anyone for months of hiking concerns me a little.

What I've not seen anyone suggest is the idea of periodically splitting up
for a while and agreeing to meet back up at or near a particular trail town.
This seems like it would be a good compromise on the CDT to me, i.e., have a
trail partnership, but have some significant "alone time" stretches.  I
suspect that both of us would appreciate some time apart, and enjoy each
other's company that much more when we reconnected.

The only downside I can see would be if one person ended up waiting quite a
while for the other, and perhaps not being 100% certain that (for whatever
reason) they're actually going to show up.    I suppose another downside is
the risk that, for whatever reason, the designated reunion spot wouldn't be
a good/pleasant/safe/whatever place to hang out for the needed amount of
time.      Have any past CDT thru-hikers tried this approach ("meet you at
this particular motel in a week or so"), and any observations if so?

TIA ---


   Brian Lewis / Gadget
   http://www.postholer.com/brianle