To talk about the differences of trail angels for the southern terminus is like trying to compare two donuts at the Sisters Bakery in Oregon. For example, take the Bearclaw and the Maple Glazed Bar. They both satisfy your needs, but offer totally different experiences and they vary slightly in price. Every so often someone gets to the bakery too late and gets a slightly stale donut and their expectation is not as satisfied as someone who got their donut fresh hours earlier. Nonetheless both are fantastic and serve hiker's bellies wonderfully. Unless you've tried both I don't think it's fair to compare or say one is better than the other. All you can do is state your experience in an effort to benefit another prospective hiker's experience. <div>
<br><div>My personal experience involved this: I started at Columbus and between the dreadful busride from Portland and being smack in the middle of a barren desert I felt very uncomfortable in my skin. The CDT is no PCT, as all the CDT thru's have come to find. Keith helped bring a bit of ease to the unsettled hoard of butterflies in my stomach. He helped cache water and when he asked if I could find my way back to this point and I replying with a hesitant yes, he didn't go into a speil about navigating and my just-barely-capable skills at such a task which would have made me feel even worse about attempting to thru-hike the CDT by myself.</div>
<div><br></div><div>So, next time I'll try Crazy Cook to switch things up, as the CDT is the trail we can still make of it what we want. Unlike the AT or PCT, with the CDT you can hike a totally different trail your second time around. There is so much freedom (and ease in getting misplaced) that your route will be completely different if you desire.</div>
<div><br></div><div>PS. And let's not forget about the Pecan Roll up in Stehekin or the Happy Hour Donuts at Pike's Market in Seattle. 40 cents for mondo donuts! I think I ate five with a carton of milk in my puny, nearly-there-northbound thru-hiker body on the green lawn beside the market. Those passerby had something to gossip about!</div>
<div><br></div><div>-speedstick</div></div>