If you’re planning the CDT, you already know that this trail is a true choose-your-own-adventure trail. It was one of the things I liked most about this hike! However, planning was quite a challenge! I started out mainly calculating mileage and elevation with FarOut. I quickly realized it wasn’t the best tool. I participated in a zoom meeting with the THRU-r hiking community! There I heard about Gaia GPS, it was not the first time I had heard of them, but I was quickly impressed by their capabilities! After that meeting I added the app to my phone and iPad. I purchased the $4.99 monthly premium plan. With this plan I get exclusive activity maps, Gaia and land walks, over 300 layers such as: cell coverage, private land, weather, to name a few. Offline maps and, like FarOut, you download what you need in the city, create routes and you can use them without cell service.
www. Gaiagps.com
This made the difference for me in developing my replenishment strategy and having an accurate plan. I use it a lot, not only for hiking, but also for vacation planning and mapping where we want to go, what we want to see, and where we can stay. Plus, I find hiking opportunities where I plan to visit! If you like to get off trail and into the woods like I do, the GPS capabilities allow me to comfortably navigate and rejoin the trail. This feature was invaluable when I was inadvertently leaving the trail. I hate backtracking, so create a new route!
I also watched some YouTube videos on alternatives for inspiration! on the AT I was a purist: white jacket (gag if you need it too!) which changed on the PCT, especially the alternative of Eagle Creek and Crater Lake! So I knew the value of alternatives. My motto is I go where the trail offers me beauty, I don’t care if it increases or decreases mileage or elevation!
My CDT hike in 24′ was a twist, so I’ll start with New Mexico! The amazing Gila River. The Gila River alternative was everything I expected and more. It was such a spiritual journey that I can’t imagine skipping this section! What I did was try to watch as much as I could, so I started with NOBO at Doc Campbells alternative. We then toured Gila Cliff Dwellings. Do yourself a favor and walk through this! You need to leave your backpacks behind, so this 2 mile hike is a no-brainer and if you’ve ever hiked or seen photos of Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, this is smaller and better! It’s worth the trip!
We stayed with the Gila Alternate and then took another shorter trail to the high route to explore it! We finished 18.5 miles in this section and agreed that it was pretty amazing too. We felt like we had experienced the best of both trails and rejoined the middle fork of the Gila to Snow Lake, which was much tamer with the icy water barely reaching our knees.
Our next great alternative was The Ghost Ranch alternative, the natural beauty of this area captivated and literally put Georgia O’Keeffe on the map. Do I need to say more? But wait, it gets even better! Leaving Ghost Ranch was the most picturesque box canyon I have ever seen! Lihat juga shm4f. This was another deeply spiritual area for me!
After New Mexico, I headed to the international border in Montana and managed to score a great camping itinerary in Glacier Np, courtesy of the lottery’s early drawing! Going to SOBO my first fun alternate trail was the Spotted Bear, the trail notes of heavy washouts encouraged me to accept a shorter route with considerable elevation gain, an easy trade off to avoid washouts, common in the Bob Marshal Wilderness! This alternative in the Bob was plagued with signs of wolves and in an area not far away howling could be heard intermittently. I felt like it was the best chance to see a wolf or pack, but for us, it wasn’t in the cards! This section goes higher than the CDT trail (red) and its dividends are spectacular distant views!
My next favorite alternatives were southern Wyoming. The Wind River Range is spectacular, but my excitement was to leave the CDT fairly uneventful and gain some serious elevation and some technical hiking traversing Knapsack Kol. I compared it to something as steep and challenging as Kathadin (AT), but twice as long, with more bouldering and a challenging snow ledge after the summit. It was another spiritual day for me, it was my favorite day I have ever had on a trail and also the most physically demanding and it was worth it! I ended up wearing a compression knee brace for a week after that! Not as surprising but just as beautiful was the Circus of the Towers! I can’t recommend these alternatives enough, definitely my favorites!
There are many alternatives on this path, check them out, research them and read about them like I did! You will add unforgettable memories on this amazing trail!
Happy trails!
Cat
This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!
For more information, visit the About page of this site.
