It’s been a month and a half since I left Montana and I’m now starting to feel at home again in my cozy house in the middle of nowhere in California. Getting off the trail was much more difficult than walking it in many ways, as I faced financial and social obstacles, including my father’s funeral. And when I get home it is always difficult for me to understand that there are still more mountains to climb, especially for me, to find a new career and a new life routine that works for me. Before the trail, I did a little snowboarding but didn’t walk at all. I was working, working at home, or doing something to prepare for the road and I was exhausted all the time. But I remember those long, quiet days of CDT… all alone in a vast expanse and it makes me long for that stillness back home more and more. I want to thrive in my community, my relationships, my work, and be more present than ever. And I finally feel like I’m accepting the fact that I deserve it.
thriving
It has become easier for me to step back and say no to things that don’t align with prosperity. The friends, the guys, the employers that don’t really show up for me, I don’t have time for them. And perhaps the reason why I haven’t felt compelled to write post-trail is because I’ve already left the trail behind and I’m fully here in the present. It feels strange to come back. But I wanted to share my thoughts and advice for those planning their own trips or those who want an end point.
Let’s leave out the big, scary things.
I didn’t see a single bear on my entire walk.
I definitely smelled them (grizzly bears apparently smell 10 times worse than black bears), but I was very diligent about making noise, whether it was singing or yelling. I ended up walking alone through most of the grizzly bear territory, and the only place I felt really uncomfortable was at the Bob Marshall. But again, that was totally crazy since I didn’t see any bears. For those who don’t know my background, I know black bear country very well and have worked many years in the wilderness on public lands. Don’t be as afraid of grizzly bears as I am!! Before the CDT, he had never backpacked alone into grizzly bear country, and his lack of knowledge made the experience much more difficult than it needed to be.
Tips: Carry two cans of bear spray if you’re going alone and hike alone in grizzly bear country beforehand.
I saw two rattlesnakes near Rawlins and not many others.
There was much less wildlife in the CDT than I had previously imagined coming from the west coast. I barely saw any snakes of any variety, one fox, one coyote, no raccoons, five moose, and mostly just moose. Which were great 🙂
Tips: The moose were also cute and responded well to tapping my trekking poles as a warning as I walked. PROPERLY PRESERVE YOUR FOOD. I used a bear hanger for New Mexico and a bear canister for Colorado (I moved it up from Rawlins to Lander). Then you can mail it home to Glacier since it’s easier to hang it there. With the container I slept well knowing my food was safe, I wasn’t harming the local wildlife and I didn’t have to take extra time to find the right tree.
Cows are now my least favorite animal..
A mother cow and a bull attacked me and luckily there were trees. Personally, I walked around a lot of cows because I didn’t want to deal with them, but at the end of the road I was done with them and they had to be the ones to move, not me. At the end of New Mexico I couldn’t tell the difference between me and cow poop.
Tips: Definitely bring water tablets in addition to your filter. Be strategic and know that there may be a rare time when a water trough is too full of cows to reach; This happened to me once before Cuba, New Mexico, and I had to go 10 miles in the heat and without water.
There are more roads and highways to walk on the CDT than on most transit routes, so bring pepper spray if you are alone.
I ended up calling the police about a strange man in a four-door car near Rawlins, WY and had to return to Silver City, New Mexico for the night after a strange encounter with a man who knew where I would be camping. I did the scariest hitchhike of my life. While I’m not afraid to be a solo hiker and have hiked thousands of miles this way, I found the CDT a little more sketchy than other trails I’ve done at times when it comes to human interactions.
Tips: Even in rural areas where you have been waiting an hour for a car, if you have a strange feeling, DO NOT take the ride. It doesn’t matter how hungry and desperate you are. I always ended up getting a good ride, even in the most remote places in the CDT.
Sometimes the most difficult part of the trail is planning the route.
Be prepared to navigate a hill, swerve around a fire, or circumnavigate private property you accidentally stumble upon.
Tips: Have something like CalTopo or Gaia in addition to FarOut, paper PDFs, and any local information you can find. But don’t stress about the planning like I did, have fun and leave something to figure out as you go. Yes, purges are fine.
The CDT is more expensive than the PCT.
There aren’t as many towns set up for hikers on a budget, and it’s much harder to find things like hiker boxes. I know it’s not the case for everyone, but I was rarely able to split the accommodation costs.
Tips: The hostels that do exist take reservations, so book in advance if you don’t want to have to pay for a hotel or campsite that night. Take the time to go to visitor centers and other common places to see if they have PUBLIC gearboxes. Some have guest-only gearboxes, so respect that. The places where most people ship boxes, like Ghost Ranch, tend to have huge boxes to restock on and a market to get additions. Take advantage of all the places that have free or included laundry. Do side quests to walk instead of hitchhiking to resupply towns when you can to avoid the possibility of having to spend money on gas. Send a box to Lima, MT. Just do it, trust me. I spent over $150 on absolutely disgusting food there.
The weather windows for the CDT are generally the same, so don’t be surprised.
Yes, if you arrive in San Juan in May there will be too much snow, so start later or take your time. These days, snow in Glacier usually doesn’t fall until October, although services usually close in late September.
Tips: Ignore other people’s anxiety about weather windows and use your own wisdom about mountain weather.
Feel free to post unique questions for me in the comments 🖤
Final thoughts
The CDT is not a friend of the PCT. It will take you to the depths of your despair, where you believe there is no possible way forward and often there is no one to sympathize with. It will pound your feet for 30 miles of road hiking and then send you through 7,000 feet of elevation gain during major storms. I am a solo hiker and have hiked over 8,000 miles alone, but I would personally like to pursue trails with more people in the future. That being said, I have never loved myself more than after this journey, because I saw how strong and compassionate I could be.
The CDT is screwed. But so is life. So what better place to finally get over yourself?
Thanks again to everyone who contributed to my fundraising for Doctors Without Borders. I ended up walking about 2650 miles and raised over $3100 🖤. See here.
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