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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=3>Two of us hiking nobo never could find Latham
Springs. We came from Summit Lake and planned to camp there, but we
searched for over an hour and never found it. I know we were right in the
area, but we could not come up with any signs or indication that water was in
the area. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=3></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=3>Ended up melting snow for water.
</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=spiriteagle99@hotmail.com href="mailto:spiriteagle99@hotmail.com">Jim
and/or Ginny Owen</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=spolewach@hotmail.com
href="mailto:spolewach@hotmail.com">Scott Polewach</A> ; </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, January 25, 2008 12:06
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Cdt-l] Thru-Hike 08
planning, Route Choices, etc.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>1. Jim Wolf's guidebooks are great and will save you a
lot of effort looking for the trail and water sources. The maps are
helpful, but imo the guidebooks are also necessary.<BR> <BR>2. CDT
miles are much tougher than either the AT or PCT. Many hikers have said that
the CDT is the toughest hiking they've ever done. Both the maps and the
guidebooks are low estimates of the distance. Reality is almost always
longer than described.<BR> <BR>3. In some places the NF maps are
also a necessity. Jonathan's maps don't show a lot of the side trails
and roads that you may need for either navigation or
bailout.<BR> <BR>4. Mosquitoes were a problem in Colorado when we
were northbound, in southern Montana when southbound. Biting flies are
worse.<BR> <BR>5. You probably won't need an ice axe until
Chama. Although you hike at 10,000' in northern NM, it isn't
sidehill. We've never used crampons. Didn't need them. You may
not need the ice axe if you aren't in CO until June 20.<BR> <BR>6.
The San Juans are worth the effort. <BR> <BR>7. Few people do
the Ferris Mtn route. It may be more scenic, but the BLM route is marked
and easy to follow and has water (of a sort) and doesn't have private property
issues.<BR> <BR>8. Macks Inn cut-off is shorter than the official
route and water isn't a problem as long as you find Latham spring.
(That's where the guidebook is helpful.) I think water is more of an
issue on the Henry's Mtns route. <BR> <BR>9. The Anaconda cutoff is
mostly paved road walking (over 20 miles including some highway walking) and
some dirt roads with a stretch thru posted private property. If you
don't like to hitch, it gets you directly into town, vs. having to hitch from
the trail.
<BR> <BR>Ginny<BR> <BR> <BR> <BR><BR>http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/<BR><BR><BR>
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<HR>
From: spolewach@hotmail.com<BR>To: cdt-l@backcountry.net<BR>Date: Thu, 24
Jan 2008 21:55:38 -0500<BR>Subject: [Cdt-l] Thru-Hike 08 planning, Route
Choices, etc.<BR><BR>
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I'm planning on NOBOing starting in the last week of May. I plan to finish
by the end of August/beginning of September. I thru-hiked the AT on 06 and
did a 850 mile section of the AT and the PCT in 07. I plan to do another 850
mile AT section this spring so that I'm prepared for the CDT. I am planning
on the toughness of the CDT miles to be somewhere between AT and PCT, in
general. I do have Yogi's guide, and my LeDorme maps, and J. Ley maps are on
the way. How many NOBOs actually found the Wolf guides to be useful? Most of
the information that I've read about mosquitoes is written by southbounders.
What will the biting insect situation be for someone on my timeline? I plan
on picking up my ice axe in Ghost Ranch, NM. Would Cuba be a better place,
or even earlier? Will instep crampons be useful in the San Juans if If I
plan on entering them around the 20th of June, give or take a few days? I'm
not a big hitching fan, so I'm currently planning on going straight through
from Grand Lake, CO to Rawlings, WY. Is this 240 mile section especially
tough? Most importantly, I'm trying to figure out what route I want to plan
on taking for my CDT '08 thru attempt. I think that I'm pretty decided on
taking the Wolf Route through Southern NM and the San Juans instead of the
Creede. I don't really understand the choice that I have to make between the
Red Desert ant the Ferris Mountains...what is the character of the hike
through each area? Scenic, mileage, trail condition, water, private
property, etc. I also don't really understand the route choices between
Henry's Lake and Mack's Inn. Obviously the resupply on Mack's Inn route is
more convenient, but what again, what is the character of each hike? For the
Anaconda/Butte choice, has anyone actually hiked the Butte Route? >From
what I've heard, the Anaconda route makes more sense in pretty much every
way (shorter, easier resupply, more scenic, less ATVs, etc.) Thanks, Hermes
aka Scott Polewach <BR>
<HR>
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