Day 1 at the CDT
My trip along the Continental Divide Trail began on April 28 with excitement and anxiety. This trail is approximately 2,700 to 3,000 miles long, depending on the route from the New Mexico-Mexico border to the Montana-Canada border. This is considered the most difficult of the three long trails in the US. The hot, dry, boring desert, sharp cacti, long water carries, and rattlesnakes are some of the things that give me some anxiety at the beginning of the trip. A ferry full of six hikers took us from the town of Lordsburg to the Mad Cook Monument at Southern Terminus. Hulk was joined by Sidewinder, Weasel, Charm, Kristina and Ravioli. I touched the border wall and took photos with the group and myself at the monument.
The trail was very flat, weak and at times difficult to follow, traversed in washes and dirt roads at times, also with short ups and downs over washes. I went off the road once because I continued down a wash too long and missed a turn off the jeep road. This turned into a very frustrating three bonus miles. I was angry at myself, but humiliated. This path must be respected. The lesson learned was that when your instincts tell you you’re off the trail, check the map sooner rather than later! I backtracked into the wash rather than take a more direct route back to the trail because it would have been more walking through thorny bushes and the desert plant life was already scratching my legs. The day ended up being 20 miles. I was rewarded with an epic sunset and a flat spot to pitch my tent.
The next few days
The hike continued over similar terrain for days two, three, four, and five. There were sandy and rocky trails, more dirt roads, washes, and navigating through a maze of thorny bushes and cacti. The views ahead were mundane, but looking to the west and east you could see beautiful mountain scenery. It was very exposed and fortunately the high temperatures only reached the low to mid 70s. It felt much hotter and shady trees were rare. Breaks in the shade are critical at midday and will need to start earlier when temperatures reach above 90 degrees. I stayed consistent with my mileage doing 23, 22 and 18 after the first day. I did day five and an easy four mile day into town, known as NERO, close to zero (generally considered 8-10 miles). A ZERO day (no walking miles) is great for resting, but can be expensive in terms of food and lodging in the city. Los Neros are ideal for having a full day to relax and do town chores. Hikers consider resupplying food, charging electronics, doing laundry and showering. Sometimes a resupply stop has no laundry or showers and involves camping or the hiker is on a budget and can’t get a motel room. They can opt for a sink and shower. Hulk is not a fan of that! Hikers on a tight budget or with a rigid schedule will make a HERO day in the city. Miles in the morning, housework during the day and miles away. Anyway, I spent one night on a real bed mattress at the Motel 6, the same place I stayed the night before the transfer to the south terminal on the first day. It wasn’t anything fancy, but a shower and a good night’s sleep are a luxury during a hike.
Rethink ultralight equipment
The first section of the CDT makes Hulk reconsider whether an ultralight gear/kit is worth it. My base weight, which is the weight of your gear before food and water, is about nine pounds. UL is generally considered less than 10 pounds. My tent is a Gossamear Gear The One trekking pole tent. Tents that are considered freestanding use poles, which means more weight and more things to pack. I had two super gusty nights on the trail, which made setting up my tent extremely difficult and stressful. Freestanding tents are more stable too! I also don’t have camping shoes, which are a nice luxury. But more weight and more things! My backpack is a frameless Nashville Pack Cutaway, a great backpack with great features, but for carrying food for six days or carrying water for a long time it can be a little uncomfortable. Most of the time this is not a problem so I went with UL. I don’t carry a stove or fuel container, instead using the cold soak cooking method. It is usually ramen or couscous and is simply soaked in water for 30 minutes and is ready to eat. There is a theme here, less stuff and less weight. You can travel more kilometers with less weight and it is more fun with fewer kilos on your back, it is a give and take, I think valid arguments can be presented for not going ultralight. In the background. I am competitive with myself and cutting weight has been a challenge for me. Or maybe I just want to be one of the “cool kids”? What I do know is that being a minimalist and carrying less stuff usually means less stress, except setting up that tent on a gusty night! Damn! What is the answer? I can’t win. Ha ha. Anyway, that stressful, gusty night four became meaningless when the tent was set up and I witnessed the most epic sunset. Along the way, we say “embrace the suck,” as the highs cancel out the lows.
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