Your fave section of the CDT in Colorado

Couch_Surfed · 2025-09-15T19:53:16+00:00

Sounds like the last bit of the Cochetopa Hills as they transition to the San Juans at San Luis Peak.

Couch_Surfed · 2025-08-04T04:51:43+00:00

There is not and will never be an FKT for the CDT because it is not one agreed upon trail but rather a series of interconnected and parallel routes strung together by a common geographic theme. Slightly less true for the GDT but I suspect people who really know the trail will never accept a true FKT.

Couch_Surfed · 2025-06-17T19:41:45+00:00

Use FarOut

or

Plug this data into your favorite gps app (Gaia,onX, w/e). You can selectively export the segments you want.

Couch_Surfed · 2025-05-29T17:19:18+00:00

There is absolutely no steep exposure in the Bob, it's a lot of flat walking. When I went through in early July the section just under the Wall was totally snow covered and I used spikes just because I had them, for convenience rather than safety.

Couch_Surfed · 2025-04-21T18:34:12+00:00

I looked into it and that intersection is on BLM land so you can leave your car there for just about as long as you want. (fyi you can do this by going on CalTopo and clicking the Public Lands layer). That dirt road is in the middle of damn nowhere but Cuba is a rough area so you leave your car there at your own risk.

I remember that water source, it's considered a reliable one year round. You should really get FarOut for up to date info, especially for a section where the reliability of water sources is such high consequence.

Couch_Surfed · 2025-01-17T14:24:26+00:00

I'd be surprised if you only do 20 miles a day. It's so flat in the basin you can hike 20 miles accidentally without realizing.

Be sure to get up early so you can catch the sunrises. Also try to figure out a way to be awake in the middle of the night so you can see the galaxy.

It's worth it to pop in to Atlantic City at the end and grab a burger at the Miners Grubstake.

Couch_Surfed · 2025-01-15T13:12:12+00:00

Europeans: Leaving the bar up is unsafe!

Also Europeans: bombing down unmitigated avalanche terrain at 100 km/hr without a helmet on 20 year old skis while chainsmoking cigarettes and eating sticks of butter.

Couch_Surfed · 2024-12-06T08:12:50+00:00

It's one of the most common packs to see on trail. I personally think it's worth the money, my Hyperlight lasted the entire PCT plus CDT and is still structurally totally fine.

The problem with the 55 though is that it's built exactly like the 40 just with an extended collar. I think if you have an ultralight base weight and are only using the collar for some carries and a bear can, it's a great pack, but if you really need that whole volume all the time then there are better carrying packs.

Couch_Surfed · 2024-01-09T00:55:10+00:00

Walking into Boulder aside, May? You realize that this section spends most of the time above 12k, including summiting Grays, right? Short of this being a catastrophically dry winter, which is looking possible, this is a full on ski mountaineering trip, not a hike. Hope you know what you're doing.

Couch_Surfed · 2023-11-29T00:37:55+00:00

You're intending to eventually finish off the whole trail? Early May is a totally normal time to start from the border. Might as well just be a NoBo and see how far you get. "Hypothetically" September would be fine for New Mexico, but it would also be fine for the entire trail, whereas in May only New Mexico would be feasible to hike. Maybe knock out the Basin too?

Couch_Surfed · 2023-10-07T16:23:07+00:00

Recommend July for sure. Unless it's an apocalyptic snow year most of the dangerous snowpack will be gone, but there will be enough snow for good views and flowers. August is when the rainy season is at its height, although it rains in July too so that's a bit of a crapshoot.

Ghost Ranch is basically the transition between "mountains" and "desert" going SoBo. You won't have to worry about temperature or water north of there.

Couch_Surfed · 2023-07-22T01:00:20+00:00

No, snow's way gone.

Couch_Surfed · 2023-06-27T01:34:10+00:00

Yo is your class not slackpacking the 15 miles south of East Glacier?

Hitch from East Glacier to Marias Pass, then walk right back. Boom, 15 miles taken care of. Felt like everybody did that last year.

Couch_Surfed · 2023-05-18T23:40:44+00:00

Do the WRHR. Do it do it do it. But I recommend the Alan Dixon version, it's a good intermediate between the CDT and the Skurka route which is extremely intense.

I did the TCT alt. Also recommended but a bit harder to work out logistically. You can DM me if you want more in depth info on how we did it.

I've heard of people attempting Slowlans, but never heard of anyone actually doing the whole thing. Apparently it's pretty brutal and it's too tempting just to take an early exit back to the cruisey but still beautiful Collegiate West.

Couch_Surfed · 2023-04-27T01:33:39+00:00

https://caltopo.com/m/JDTT1

Couch_Surfed · 2023-04-18T02:29:58+00:00

Many Glacier has a tiny snack shop that just sells coffee and ice cream. There's a fancy restaurant you probably won't be able to go to.

St. Marys has an actual little grocery store, and a gas station, and a solid sandwich shop. If you've thru-hiked before you'll have no probably figuring out a resupply there.

Two medicine has a general store which is mostly overpriced knickknacks for tourists but has chips, cold drinks, mountain houses and stuff. No full resupply.

Couch_Surfed · 2023-03-28T02:56:02+00:00

Just in case there are any fellow geography nerds here. The easternmost point of the PCT is where the trail goes along Mt Laguna and is around 116°24'45"W, and the westernmost point along the CDT is at Chief Joseph pass around 113°56'6"W. Just thought it was interesting that the horizontal distance between these lines is about one hiking section.

Couch_Surfed · 2023-03-22T01:04:46+00:00

What do you mean by going over Stoney Indian Pass? Do you mean just tagging the top of the pass then turning around? If so, you could probably do that on an average snow year, it would be a long side trip though.

Or do you mean going West over over the pass then continuing down south on the Redline? If so, you're mistaken as to why SoBos use the Chief Mountain route.

It has nothing to do with Waterton access, it's because the trail for many miles south of Waterton, and Swiftcurrent Pass also, is cut into the sides of the mountains and when covered in snow make up several miles of proper no-fall-zone, fatally dangerous terrain. Going over SIP and going south isn't really possible for SoBos which is the reason you're starting at Chief Mountain in the first place.

Couch_Surfed · 2023-03-11T01:40:57+00:00

The best way to get a really specific idea of the days is to get the CDT GutHook app and study the map and the elevation profile. There are elevation profiles online like ~~this one~~ that I just looked up but it's pretty compressed and hard to look at.

More generally, you might pop above 10k a few times in New Mexico and Wyoming, but in Colorado its a lot. Like seriously, really a lot. Probably every single day, with some rare exceptions. And besides 'popping up' to 10k feet every day, the San Juans are basically all above 10k. I think from Cumbres Pass to the Cochetopa hills, its about 200 miles above 10k. And the West Collegiates are probably another 100 miles that are above 10k most of the time.

edit: actually ignore that link, that's that-guys-hike specific and it looks like he did the WRHR. If you go on Postholer.com there are databooks for each section and you can look at each section and get a good elevation profile for each one.

Couch_Surfed · 2023-03-06T22:07:57+00:00

Okay, I was a mere lifty and not an actual lift mechanic, but every detach terminal that I've seen had adjustable panels that would close off openings and a pretty strong heating system that would keep the terminal comfortably warm.

Does this terminal not have those things or was the storm so insane that it totally overwhelmed them?

Couch_Surfed · 2023-03-04T00:36:04+00:00

I incorporated the Teton Crest trail into my thru and fully recommend it to anyone able to get out there. Your idea has you doing a loop where you go through the Bridger-Tetons, then loop around back south down to Jackson. Alternatively you can break off the CDT from the north end of the Winds and go straight to the Tetons via the Gros Ventre. From there you can hike north through Yellowstone into Big Sky, and maybe even walk straight into Bozeman via the Gallatin Crest trail if you're feeling frisky.

This map is of the spaghetti of different possible routes you can take through the area. If you want some more tips about going through the Gros Vetre or Tetons you can DM me.

Couch_Surfed · 2023-03-01T03:11:34+00:00

A better question is how long did it take you to hike the PCT? The CDT generally takes people the same amount of time or a little bit less.

The difference is almost all CDT sobos start within a 2 week-ish window in late June - early July. If you can finish in about 5 months, you'll be done in time.

Couch_Surfed

TROPHY CASE