The CDT through NM

Traffic Jam · Aug 25th 2014, 3:03pm

A few weeks ago, I saw a photo of a friend on his bicycle at Loveland Pass. That got me thinking about the CDT and I discovered that my sister lives very close to the CDT in New Mexico. Then I remembered that I hiked in the Gila National Forest and visited the cliff dwellings when I was a kid. I remember laying on my belly, drinking from a stream, and thinking it was the best water I had ever tasted. Now I want to go back and hike some of the CDT in NM.

CoachLou · Aug 25th 2014, 3:23pm

I have been on it in The Bob Marshall Wilderness and The Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, and The Red Rocks Wildlife Refuge, and in Jellystone. Only small pieces, The trip thru thr Bob was long, but only 15 miles of the CDT on it. The Rockies are special.

Dmax · Aug 25th 2014, 3:57pm

I started researching this year the NM section. Plus I've seen most of the videos. I'd like to do the CDT in three sections. The first one being NM. .. My sister also lives close to the trail in NM which could sure work out in my advantage. COLD sodas on a long dusty road walk would sure hit the spot!

PaulMags · Aug 25th 2014, 4:45pm

Love New Mexico in general. Seems to be off the radar out west vs other places. Fine by me.

jimmyjam · Aug 26th 2014, 6:38am

The CDT is beautiful. I have followed several people on that trail thru their journals. Ice Axe has a good journal a few years back.

Traffic Jam · Aug 26th 2014, 4:28pm

Dmax wrote:

I started researching this year the NM section. Plus I've seen most of the videos. I'd like to do the CDT in three sections. The first one being NM. .. My sister also lives close to the trail in NM which could sure work out in my advantage. COLD sodas on a long dusty road walk would sure hit the spot!

You are way ahead of me with research. Can you post the link to the videos? Thanks!

Mountain-Mike · Aug 29th 2014, 10:14pm

I'll email you some info I have from my research. Was looking into hiking it last year.

Traffic Jam · Aug 30th 2014, 7:38am

Mountain-Mike wrote:

I'll email you some info I have from my research. Was looking into hiking it last year.

That would be great, thank you.

Dmax · Aug 31st 2014, 12:58am

Jester has some good videos of the CDT, PCT, and the AT.

CoachLou · Nov 2nd 2014, 8:14am

This weather has allowed me to start reading Bill Cookes Colorado Trail book, that i bought at The Gathering. It is a good tour....it helps to that I have met the man and am on-line friends. Brings the trip alittle closer.
I don't imagine I'll ever get on this trail......I have many miles to walk in Montana.....that I haven't yet

................maybe someday get that Smith guy out there!

Drybones · Nov 2nd 2014, 8:41am

I'm hopeful of doing the Colorado Trail next August, or at least most of it.

Traffic Jam · Nov 2nd 2014, 9:17am

CoachLou wrote:

This weather has allowed me to start reading Bill Cookes Colorado Trail book, that i bought at The Gathering. It is a good tour....it helps to that I have met the man and am on-line friends. Brings the trip alittle closer.
I don't imagine I'll ever get on this trail......I have many miles to walk in Montana.....that I haven't yet

................maybe someday get that Smith guy out there!

How did you get the photo in your post?

CoachLou · Nov 2nd 2014, 9:37am

TrafficJam wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

This weather has allowed me to start reading Bill Cookes Colorado Trail book, that i bought at The Gathering. It is a good tour....it helps to that I have met the man and am on-line friends. Brings the trip alittle closer.
I don't imagine I'll ever get on this trail......I have many miles to walk in Montana.....that I haven't yet

................maybe someday get that Smith guy out there!

How did you get the photo in your post?

The normal way, thru 'More options'..it is a very old photo that I scanned and saved on my computer.

Traffic Jam · Nov 2nd 2014, 9:38am

CoachLou wrote:

TrafficJam wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

This weather has allowed me to start reading Bill Cookes Colorado Trail book, that i bought at The Gathering. It is a good tour....it helps to that I have met the man and am on-line friends. Brings the trip alittle closer.
I don't imagine I'll ever get on this trail......I have many miles to walk in Montana.....that I haven't yet

................maybe someday get that Smith guy out there!

How did you get the photo in your post?

The normal way, thru 'More options'..it is a very old photo that I scanned and saved on my computer.

okay...for some reason I can't enlarge it like I can other photos.

CoachLou · Nov 2nd 2014, 9:54am

TrafficJam wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

TrafficJam wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

This weather has allowed me to start reading Bill Cookes Colorado Trail book, that i bought at The Gathering. It is a good tour....it helps to that I have met the man and am on-line friends. Brings the trip alittle closer.
I don't imagine I'll ever get on this trail......I have many miles to walk in Montana.....that I haven't yet

................maybe someday get that Smith guy out there!

How did you get the photo in your post?

The normal way, thru 'More options'..it is a very old photo that I scanned and saved on my computer.

okay...for some reason I can't enlarge it like I can other photos.

I can not either for some reason. Just as well because when I went back and checked it out on my PC it is very blurry and that is actually a good view. That is in 'Flathead National Forest' 20 miles south of Glacier park in 1991. The 3 standing, we have been friends from Jr. high. the guy squating is from Maryland. My dear friend Joe took this picture( his ashes are in the backcountry in yellowstone). That nite and the next we saw the aurora for the first...and last time.

One more thing...I have been to Glacier 3 times in the last 25 years.....................they are getting smaller.......you can believe Rush or Al.........they are getting Smaller..........I'm glad I was there before they change the name to 'No-Glacier Park'

milkman · Nov 2nd 2014, 10:12am

I haven't been to Glacier since 2007. Absolutely love it. I think another one you would like coach is the 6 glacier hike in Banff National park. I'll see if I can fid a link.

milkman · Nov 2nd 2014, 10:19am

milkman wrote:

I haven't been to Glacier since 2007. Absolutely love it. I think another one you would like coach is the 6 glacier hike in Banff National park. I'll see if I can fid a link.

Here it is coach. albertawow.com/hikes/Plain_of_…Plain_of_Six_Glaciers.htm I've done this hike. Even though you can't feel it moving there's just something "cool" about standing on a glacier. One time I was here they had the ice sculpture contest on Lake Louise and had built a little mini ice castle out on the ice. Really neat. You could skate in and out of it.

hikerboy · Nov 2nd 2014, 10:31am

CoachLou wrote:

This weather has allowed me to start reading Bill Cookes Colorado Trail book, that i bought at The Gathering. It is a good tour....it helps to that I have met the man and am on-line friends. Brings the trip alittle closer.
I don't imagine I'll ever get on this trail......I have many miles to walk in Montana.....that I haven't yet

................maybe someday get that Smith guy out there!

i am considering the colorado trail as another possibility next year, as homebrew and starfail now both live out there, along with a few other hiker trash friends

CoachLou · Nov 2nd 2014, 10:53am

Somewhere I have a picture of a Marmot in Glacier, he is standing like that picture.....waiting for his pay for the photo op!

CoachLou · Nov 2nd 2014, 10:58am

milkman wrote:

milkman wrote:

I haven't been to Glacier since 2007. Absolutely love it. I think another one you would like coach is the 6 glacier hike in Banff National park. I'll see if I can fid a link.

Here it is coach. albertawow.com/hikes/Plain_of_…Plain_of_Six_Glaciers.htm I've done this hike. Even though you can't feel it moving there's just something "cool" about standing on a glacier. One time I was here they had the ice sculpture contest on Lake Louise and had built a little mini ice castle out on the ice. Really neat. You could skate in and out of it.

hikerboy wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

This weather has allowed me to start reading Bill Cookes Colorado Trail book, that i bought at The Gathering. It is a good tour....it helps to that I have met the man and am on-line friends. Brings the trip alittle closer.
I don't imagine I'll ever get on this trail......I have many miles to walk in Montana.....that I haven't yet

................maybe someday get that Smith guy out there!

i am considering the colorado trail as another possibility next year, as homebrew and starfail now both live out there, along with a few other hiker trash friends

I do not recall....did you get Cookers book. I will give it to you if you didn't.

hikerboy · Nov 2nd 2014, 12:14pm

CoachLou wrote:

milkman wrote:

milkman wrote:

I haven't been to Glacier since 2007. Absolutely love it. I think another one you would like coach is the 6 glacier hike in Banff National park. I'll see if I can fid a link.

Here it is coach. albertawow.com/hikes/Plain_of_…Plain_of_Six_Glaciers.htm I've done this hike. Even though you can't feel it moving there's just something "cool" about standing on a glacier. One time I was here they had the ice sculpture contest on Lake Louise and had built a little mini ice castle out on the ice. Really neat. You could skate in and out of it.

hikerboy wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

This weather has allowed me to start reading Bill Cookes Colorado Trail book, that i bought at The Gathering. It is a good tour....it helps to that I have met the man and am on-line friends. Brings the trip alittle closer.
I don't imagine I'll ever get on this trail......I have many miles to walk in Montana.....that I haven't yet

................maybe someday get that Smith guy out there!

i am considering the colorado trail as another possibility next year, as homebrew and starfail now both live out there, along with a few other hiker trash friends

I do not recall....did you get Cookers book. I will give it to you if you didn't.

yup. i had asked bill if he knew of a good book about the colorado trail, and he gave me his personal recommendation

rafe · Nov 2nd 2014, 12:38pm

I've read Bill's book (on Kindle.) It's quite informative, though odds are I'll never be following in his footsteps. It's no "Wild" or "A Walk In the Woods" -- somewhat lacking in drama or comedy, but it mostly moves along.

I do intend to do the JMT, hopefully next summer but 2016 at the very latest. (Looking at you, hikerboy!)

Dogwood · Jul 20th 2015, 9:30pm

Appealing to all EPIC LD hikers and those in need of doing A FIRST. Did you know you can hike trails/routes from Waterton Canyon in Co to Arches NP in UT, THE LONG LONG way? CT SOBO to CDT SOBO to Grand Enchantment Tr WEBO to Arizona Trail NOBO to Hayduke Tr EABO. That gives ya a great taste of varied terrain! I would reverse it though starting in Arches NP and hike with a determined purpose to avoid the worst of the weather. This really is not far from being a loop closing it between Arches NP and the CDT somewhere in CO.

Dmax · Jul 21st 2015, 11:00am

PaulMags wrote:

Love New Mexico in general. Seems to be off the radar out west vs other places. Fine by me.

You should post a link to your page with your down and dirty guide to the CDT.

Dmax · Jul 22nd 2015, 9:23pm

I watched a 30 min video last night of the New Mexico section. It looked really dusty.and got me to think'n....

What kind of shelter to use on a dusty 770 mile hike?
Is it just best to go with a tarp and just deal with the dust? I figure just as much would get in a tent. . ... The last video I watched, they had started in May. They only hit a couple days of rain. They also went through a few days of snow around Taylor if I remember right.

TrafficJam wrote:

A few weeks ago, I saw a photo of a friend on his bicycle at Loveland Pass. That got me thinking about the CDT and I discovered that my sister lives very close to the CDT in New Mexico. Then I remembered that I hiked in the Gila National Forest and visited the cliff dwellings when I was a kid. I remember laying on my belly, drinking from a stream, and thinking it was the best water I had ever tasted. Now I want to go back and hike some of the CDT in NM.

Where does your sister live? My sister lives pretty close to ghost ranch.

Dmax · Jul 24th 2015, 10:34pm

I read wired' journal today that she has on her Walking With Wired dot com page. Great read of the trail day by day with pictures for each day attached.

Dan76 · Jul 25th 2015, 12:20am

Dogwood wrote:

Appealing to all EPIC LD hikers and those in need of doing A FIRST. Did you know you can hike trails/routes from Waterton Canyon in Co to Arches NP in UT, THE LONG LONG way? CT SOBO to CDT SOBO to Grand Enchantment Tr WEBO to Arizona Trail NOBO to Hayduke Tr EABO. That gives ya a great taste of varied terrain! I would reverse it though starting in Arches NP and hike with a determined purpose to avoid the worst of the weather. This really is not far from being a loop closing it between Arches NP and the CDT somewhere in CO.

Drybones wrote:

I'm hopeful of doing the Colorado Trail next August, or at least most of it.

DryB;. Which way So or No?

The Kokopelli Trail winds from Moab to Grand Junction. The downside is hikers most likely will have cache water as it is tough at times to access the CoRiver in my experience and the trail is frequented by ATVs and dirt bikes.

I've been looking into the potential of tying the KP into the CoTrail.

Traffic Jam · Jul 28th 2015, 4:02pm

Dmax wrote:

I watched a 30 min video last night of the New Mexico section. It looked really dusty.and got me to think'n....

What kind of shelter to use on a dusty 770 mile hike?
Is it just best to go with a tarp and just deal with the dust? I figure just as much would get in a tent. . ... The last video I watched, they had started in May. They only hit a couple days of rain. They also went through a few days of snow around Taylor if I remember right.

TrafficJam wrote:

A few weeks ago, I saw a photo of a friend on his bicycle at Loveland Pass. That got me thinking about the CDT and I discovered that my sister lives very close to the CDT in New Mexico. Then I remembered that I hiked in the Gila National Forest and visited the cliff dwellings when I was a kid. I remember laying on my belly, drinking from a stream, and thinking it was the best water I had ever tasted. Now I want to go back and hike some of the CDT in NM.

Where does your sister live? My sister lives pretty close to ghost ranch.

I have a sister in Las Cruces, a nephew in Albuquerque, and a niece (from a different sister) in El Paso.

The CDT through NM

The CDT through NM

Re: The CDT through NM

Dmax wrote:

Mountain-Mike wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

TrafficJam wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

TrafficJam wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

TrafficJam wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

TrafficJam wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

milkman wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

milkman wrote:

milkman wrote:

hikerboy wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

milkman wrote:

milkman wrote:

hikerboy wrote:

CoachLou wrote:

PaulMags wrote:

TrafficJam wrote:

Dogwood wrote:

Drybones wrote:

Dmax wrote:

TrafficJam wrote:

Share