4 things I’m doing differently for the CDT after my first hike

My first hike was the Pacific Crest Trail in 2024 and I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know what advice to trust online and I didn’t have enough miles under my belt to trust my instincts.

As I prepare for my hike south on the Continental Divide Trail later this year. I’ve been reflecting on how different I’m doing and how much of what I’m doing is a far cry from what I was doing before that first tour. I’m excited to see how different the CDT is with these changes.

1. Pack more boxes

Yes, more boxes. Although packing as many boxes as I did for the PCT was a big mistake. Since I hadn’t hiked before and had no idea what I would look forward to on the trail, or how much. It didn’t end well. Plus, it led me to commit one of the worst hiker sins: leaving unlabeled mystery powders in hiker boxes.

However, I also found restocking in some cities incredibly stressful. After being on the road for months, a grocery store is a nightmare zone with loud music, bright lights, and people who don’t understand that yes, I need three boxes of Gushers, damn it.

Now I have a better idea of ​​what I look forward to while hiking. I also feel much more confident that I am packing foods that I will actually eat in the boxes I am preparing. Once I found food that worked for me along the way, I tended to eat the same thing. I still plan to buy my resupply in larger cities. Where I am most confident I can get the food I like to eat. I plan to ship boxes anywhere I’ll need to refuel from a gas station, or anywhere I can avoid a potentially long trip to the city.

2. Buy all my shoes before the Trail

If you are a first-time hiker and reading this: DON’T DO THIS. No want be doing it. My shoe size went from an 8 to a 10 in the first month on the PCT. It’s much easier to shop as you go, so you can be flexible if things change.

I’m lucky to know how my feet respond to walking, since the shoe I chose went out of production last year. Since then, the offer online and in stores has been decreasing. I spent the last year and a half trying to find a suitable replacement and unfortunately was unsuccessful. Now, the only places I can reliably find shoes in my size are online resale websites.

The beginnings of my shoe treasure.

The idea of ​​having to review shoes of different sizes, quality and price is quite annoying out of the way. But on the way? It’s a logistical nightmare. Especially considering having to hitchhike into town, hoping the post office will be open the day you arrive, and the unreliability of the reseller’s time. I’ll be dealing with 2/3 of these anyway, but at least I won’t have to waste valuable time in the city browsing eBay. In total, I plan to buy 6 pairs of shoes to send to me on the road.

3. Plan less time in cities

My partner and I took 36 (I know) zero days on the PCT. Many of them were because I started early and wanted to wait for the snow to melt in the higher elevations. Many, however, were completely unnecessary and ended up draining my budget. I also discovered that the city could be a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, spending the occasional night in bed and replenishing the much-needed calories is essential. On the other hand, I often found myself losing the mental drive to hike while in the city.

Leavenworth, Washington, USA

As of now, our flexible CDT plan includes taking about half the zeros we take on the PCT. Instead, we’re planning more nearos (for us, that means walking less than 10 miles in a day) and more «heroes» (get in, eat, resupply, get out). I hope doing this will mean more enjoyment along the way and, more importantly, more room in my budget for unexpected expenses that may arise.

4. Obsess over the weight of my backpack

Before starting my first hike, my motto was “light, but not ultralight.” I started with a base weight of around 12 pounds and, like most hikers, reduced the weight of my pack as I headed to Canada.

If I were hiking again for the first time, I would follow this rule. Stressing about being below a certain number wouldn’t have been productive for me. Especially because I think that after a certain weight, profitability decreases. I’ve seen people (myself included) debate spending hundreds of dollars in order to save a few ounces.

My backpack somewhere in Oregon, having discarded much of the gear I started with.

Since going off trail, I’ve purchased new equipment and gained more experience in a variety of conditions. I managed to get my base weight down to just over 9 pounds (a cheeky addition to my gear list here). Which I’m a little more proud of than I’d like to admit. The reasons I’m doing this are pretty simple. First, I prefer to walk on higher mileage days. Secondly, I carry a frameless backpack. Since food and water transports on the CDT are long and therefore heavy, it’s best for me (and my shoulder) to keep the weight of everything else I’m carrying low.

TODAY

I should finish by saying: there is nothing wrong with doing any of these things before your first long ride. Personally, I think doing any of these things before the PCT with my level of experience would have scared me even more. With a few more miles under my belt, I’m excited to see how my prep work pays off.

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