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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Ben,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Very Cool that you are coming down into the San Juans towards Silverton. You’ll get to do one the nicest places on the CT/CDT – Cataract Ridge. When you hit the CDT you will have hiked close to 2000 miles in my estimation. I wouldn’t be too worried about this season’s snow except in AZ. Moab gets pretty warm beginning in early June. That will probably be your biggest environmental challenge…..<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>If your Spot update proves to be problematic you might check out Trackleaders. We have been running a continuous Spot while on the CDT and it works most of the time. (not always – the Spot is not totally reliable and we occasionally have days when it just doesn’t work very well) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>best wishes,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Jerry Brown<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>GPS Mapping Specialist<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>The Continental Divide Trail Alliance<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> cdt-l-bounces@backcountry.net [mailto:cdt-l-bounces@backcountry.net] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Benjamin Mayberry<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, December 17, 2010 2:00 PM<br><b>To:</b> Brett<br><b>Cc:</b> cdt-l<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Cdt-l] AZT to GDT route - can we see the KML file?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I agree that northbound is the psychologically easier direction of travel, in terms of reaching the natural conclusions of several trails and also because I can start my hike much earlier than if I were heading southbound. Impatience is the worst.<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I could send you the file or there are two other options for viewing the route the way you're describing. On my own site, I have a page that allows you to toggle layers. It's at <a href="http://benmayberry.net/spot/map.php?trip=4">http://benmayberry.net/spot/map.php?trip=4</a>. I'll be carrying a SPOT and once I'm actually hiking, this is where the updates will be posted to. It's still under development to some extent so I haven't linked to it anywhere on the site - once I'm hiking, it'll be linked to on my site's home page. Your second option to is head to <a href="http://www.postholer.com/gmap">www.postholer.com/gmap</a> and toggle the trail to "AZT to GDT". If you'd still like to download the file you can go to <a href="http://benmayberry.net/azt_to_gdt3.kmz">http://benmayberry.net/azt_to_gdt3.kmz</a>, which will immediately prompt a download.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>La Nina will make this an interesting balance act. I need to leave the Colorado Plateau before it becomes so hot and arid that hiking is nearly impossible, but enter the Rockies late enough that I won't have hundreds of miles of snow in front of me.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks for the support,<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Ben<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Thu, Dec 16, 2010 at 11:09 AM, Brett <<a href="mailto:blisterfree@yahoo.com">blisterfree@yahoo.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The bad thing about an "AZT to GDT" route is that it skips all of<br>beautiful New Mexico in favor of the much more extreme terrain of<br>Arizona and Utah.<br><br>The great thing about an "AZT to GDT" route is that it skips all of<br>beautiful New Mexico in favor of the much more extreme terrain of<br>Arizona and Utah!<br><br>Bottom line, this trip is bound to be one heckuva wild ride.<br>Psychologically I do think northbound would be the easier direction of<br>travel, since you follow the Arizona Trail and Hayduke Trail to their<br>natural conclusions, whereas southbound you're forced to prematurely<br>abandon your extended love affair with the Continental Divide Trail, and<br>the Divide in general.<br><br>I daresay my own ambitions for a "Great Southwest Circle" seem downright<br>tame by comparison. The "GSC" is still in the dreaming phase, though it<br>appears this AZT to GDT route may have already planned out that vexing<br>Hayduke to CDT connection that would be needed to link up these two<br>trails with the GET and AZT to form a big loop of the region.<br><br>Is there any chance we can get ahold of the KML file for the AZT to GDT?<br>The Google Earth interface is great, but with the file we can overlay it<br>on street and topo maps in order to see exactly where this puppy is<br>headed. Note how Postholer.com lets you toggle between map types, and we<br>can do that sort of thing in a program called TopoFusion as well.<br><br>Thanks, and best of success. Keep an eye toward water conditions in the<br>Southwest, as we're in a persistent La Nina that is likely to spell<br>drier-than-average conditions this spring across Arizona, in<br>particular. (see the US Drought Monitor website)<br><br>Lastly, I'm really excited for you. The sense of anticipation before<br>embarking on a long route of your own making is almost otherwordly, and<br>regardless of the outcome you won't emerge from the experience the same<br>person. It's true for your first long hike, and it becomes true again<br>when you're willing to voluntarily plunge into the unknown. And it's<br>true, because all those early feelings of wonder and doubt and joy and<br>fear and failure and success return once more, and the trail and nature<br>herself become your master. Expect to play the role of apprentice;<br>mapping a route and promoting it feels like empowerment but is actually<br>a recipe for exposing oneself to the four winds of fate. And it is the<br>greatest motivator for perseverance in the face of challenge I know of.<br><br>- blisterfree<br><br><br>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------<br>><br>> Message: 1<br>> Date: Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:17:56 -0800<br>> From: Benjamin Mayberry<<a href="mailto:benmayberry@gmail.com">benmayberry@gmail.com</a>><br>> Subject: [Cdt-l] Trip notification/Shameless self promotion<br>> To: cdt-l<<a href="mailto:cdt-l@backcountry.net">cdt-l@backcountry.net</a>><br>> Message-ID:<br>> <AANLkTim+Cb+KB4qMB4K6fqRX=-tCn4uVOvvpMCG0=<a href="mailto:mFL@mail.gmail.com">mFL@mail.gmail.com</a>><br>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"<br>><br>> A few months from now I'll be heading out on a 4,250 mile thru-hike of what<br>> I'm calling the "AZT to GDT Route". It's a combination of four different<br>> long-distance hiking routes that runs from the U.S.-Mexico border at the<br>> Arizona Trail's southern terminus to deep in the Canadian Rockies at the<br>> northern terminus of the Great Divide Trail. Its largest section is along<br>> the Continental Divide Trail, which it follows for about 1,800 miles from<br>> southern Colorado to Waterton Lakes.<br>><br>> I figure everyone on the CDT-l might be interested in seeing this since it<br>> is, as far as I know, a totally new route that incorporates the CDT. I've<br>> really enjoyed reading about hikers that find new ways to make use of hiking<br>> trails (i.e. not just hiking from end to end like everyone else - no offense<br>> intended to any thru-hikers) and hope that others will find my hike<br>> interesting for the same reason. There's lots of info on my hike at<br>> <a href="http://benmayberry.net/adventures/azt-to-gdt" target="_blank">http://benmayberry.net/adventures/azt-to-gdt</a> and I'll be posting updates<br>> there once I get started.<br>><br>> If this doesn't interest you, I apologize for the spam. I've spent enough<br>> time on the PCT-l and CDT-l to see worse crimes committed than shameless<br>> self promotion, so I assumed this would be permissible.<br>><br>> Happy holidays,<br>> Ben Mayberry<br>> -------------- next part --------------<br>> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...<br>> URL: <a href="http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/cdt-l/attachments/20101215/8164385b/attachment-0001.html" target="_blank">http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/cdt-l/attachments/20101215/8164385b/attachment-0001.html</a><br>><br>> ------------------------------<br>><br>_______________________________________________<br>Cdt-l mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Cdt-l@backcountry.net">Cdt-l@backcountry.net</a><br><a href="http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/cdt-l" target="_blank">http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/cdt-l</a><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></body></html>