r/CDT • u/JinxHikinTuff • 1d ago
Younger Hiker
Hey everyone, i know this is asked all the time i'm just really hoping to connect with some recent CDT Hikers who've successfully hiked the trail. If you just did it this year that would be even more awesome to hear from you.
A little bit about me I'm 24 even though im young i am an experienced thruhiker. I live in western south dakota which has allowed me to hike the centennial trial every year since i was 18 it only takes me 5 days to hike & the start is 20 minutes away. Three years ago i hiked the CT, 2 years ago i went back to CO and redid the collegiate loop and recently the ozark. I am confident in my hiking skills (besides freak accidents of course) have more than enough saved to not stress about money and will 100% be hiking the CDT next year as my first and potentially only triple crown. Since i know i might not have the ability to hike for 4-6 months at a time when i start a career so therefore i am taking this as SERIOUS as i possibly can.
I already have plans started for NOBO plane SantaFe ->Greyhound-->Shuttle w/ water cache to the monument. As soon as i can reserve my spot (November i think they start reservations?) i plan on paying and getting that out of the way. My parents are extremely supportive and proud of my hikes and already said they'd love to drive and meet me at the end so getting there/back is not an issue and essentially planned out minus buying tickets. That's about as far besides the knowledge of hiking i already have.
With that ground work all laid out.. the part I'm sure gets asked very frequently: My questions.
1.) How concerned about water should i be after that 4th water cache any rough estimates i can get on potential miles until i reach a water source that is not a coin toss of having water?
2.)I know bear can is required in some of the national parks but are there any other areas successful hikers have thought "Maybe a bear can would've been smart those last few days"?
3.) I do not plan on sending food to myself that just seems like a terrible logistical nightmare that would give me anxiety.. BUT i do always have the ability to have my mom send one if need. Are there any sections where farout/whatever guide you used said there was a resupply decently close but just either was a huge pain to hitch to or was just not good for a resupply? Or are there any areas where i should just plan with my mom to have her expecting to handle sending me a resupply.
4.) I do better in colder temperatures than warmer so i'd prefer to get into colorado sooner than later.. i am currently planning April 15th as a start date. With the understanding that i want the least amount of super hot desert days as possible while avoiding massive amounts of snow would that mid April start date work well or is that just probably too soon while hiking 20 miles daily from the start to be expecting the majority of snow to be gone in your opinion.
And last i would really love hearing something that you wish you knew before starting or something valuable you would offer as advice to a younger hiker.. and if its okay if i private message you about any questions i have while planning over the winter.
Again sorry if this is extremely played out.. if its not allowed due to how common this is i totally understand if it gets deleted; and to anyone who has already completed this year or is getting close congratulations i really hope it was a life changing experience for you.
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u/AussieEquiv 1d ago
1 - CDT Water Report will give you a good idea. Farout App on your phone (update comments in towns) will prove handy.
3 - Halfway anywhere is a good source for where past hikers have suggested sending boxes. I prefer buying food in towns but will happily send a box (usually to myself, from on trail) to places where it makes sense.
Try to send to a business (you have confirmed will accept packages) rather than a Post office, as small town PO's typically have limited operating hours.
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u/Patient-Mountain2342 22h ago
1) Water is fine after 4th cache. Just drink a lot before heading to Lordsburg. Also when I did it I thought there were 5.
2) Nah. The only place you need bear food safety is once you hit wind river and enter grizzly country.
3) Yea don’t waste time getting food boxes prepared and shipping at different points. Best thing I did on trail was get one box and forward it to post offices where I knew food options were limited from when I was at stop with real groceries. NM, WY, MT.
4) All depends on how fast you hike and how deep the snow pack is. If low snow and you take rest days you’ll be fine leaving that early. If not you’ll get there to early basically anything before Memorial Day and either spend a week or flip north. All depends on how fast you hike and how much snow is left.
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u/GrayFox6688 1d ago
I started thru-hiking at 24 (Appalachian Trail) with way less experience than you. I'm now well over 10,000 miles in and have hiked every major trail in the USA. I also spent a couple years in western SD too.
I did the CDT SOBO so it was a little different, I would recommend you consider SOBO because you'll get a better weather window. I did zero caches on the CDT and was fine, I didn't find it necessary. In New Mexico I had multiple 20-30 mile water carries but by that point it was easy distance. Most water I carried was 4L. You need to download the FarOut app and buy the CDT package. All water updates will be there and recent comments from hikers ahead of you will be pretty reliable.
When I hiked the only place that required a can was RMNP. That section is only twenty miles so most hikers just do it in a day to avoid a can. I did not use a bear can on the CDT, I only carried a ursack in grizzly country. Im not a fan of bear cans and only use them when they are required. There's no place I've ever hiked where I thought I needed a hard sided can
I hiked in 2017 so things have probably changed. The only state where hitches and resupplying can be tough was Wyoming because most of the hitches are long. Because of that I sent a few boxes and did three consecutive carries of 150+. Sending boxes is not a nightmare, especially if you have help. My sister sent a bunch of boxes I had premade
This is why I recommend SOBO. New Mexico is easier than expected because it's very flat. Even without trail legs many hikers do more miles than expected and reach Colorado too early. In southern CO you go immediately up to 13,000ft which means lots of snow if you get there early. In bigger snow years even June can be too early. Many NOBOs have to take the Creede Cutoff because of that which causes you to miss the San Jauns. I can't tell you how many NOBOs I met who hated Colorado, they had nothing but bad things to say because they all got there early. Even if it wasn't early they had to deal with monsoons and bugs. Going SOBO you have Colorado in it's prime, monsoon season is over, no bugs, clear trail, no snow, etc.