Memories of the CDT and Hiking on the AT

I was going through some pictures, and I found this shot taken from near the top of Parkview Mountain in northern Colorado.  I miss the CDT.  Tomorrow, I am hoping to meet up with Luna, who just moved up to the Bay Area.  He is looking at hiking the Appalachian Trail starting in June, and he's hoping to do it in just 2 1/2 months!

View of the Divide from Parkview Mountain

I am also looking at a hike on the AT starting in March.  I am thinking about starting in Georgia with the rest of the pack, and walking north to Damascus, Virginia, but I am still open to doing something different.  My interest in the Appalachian Trail has been rekindled following a 70-mile hike back in September 2010, and I am eager to do some hiking before getting serious with an upcoming career opportunity.  Happy Trails!

One Year Later...

Are you kidding me? I just realized that today is the one year anniversary of my completion of the Continental Divide Trail. I guess I am now a 'has been' in the thru-hiker world of the CDT. Ugh! Nonetheless, I have been reflecting on my life over the last year, and mulling the post-trail dreams that have come to fruition, or have yet to be accomplished. Here are a few of them:

• My CDT video.  I have 26 hours of footage that I have uploaded to a hard drive, so where's the movie that I am supposed to produce?  Well, ummmm... it's not done... Heck, I have not even stitched on clip together.  I did get some footage from So Far three weeks ago, so I guess that I can say it is in progress.  That said, I need to get my butt in gear, and produce the video.  It will be a long, dark winter up here in Portland, and I will have a lot of evening time to work on it.  Until then everyone has to entertain themselves with my collection of videos here.
• Trail maintenance.  When I was on the trail, I expressed interest in doing trail work when I finished, since I felt that I needed to give back to the trail, and maintained I did!  During the month of July, I joined up with a Northwest Sevice Academy crew at McArthur-Burney Falls State Park in Northern California, where I helped maintain a 3-mile stretch from Peavine Creek to Red Mountain.  I had a great time, and one can read about my adventure here.
• Print, mount, and display pictures of the CDT.  Since I have little to no expendable income, I have not done that.  However, I sent my best pictures to the Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA) for their photo contest.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that I win.
• Renew my commitments with the Continental Divide Trail Society and the CDTA.  I will renew memberships in December.
• See my friends from my hike.  After the hike, I got to spend time with George and Luna in California, and I saw Luna again at ADZPCTKO.  Also at the Kickoff, I spent some time with Toothfairy, and later saw her up at McArthury-Burney Falls State Park when I was doing trail work.  I also spent time with So Far when he visited California, and now I get to see him weekly as I moved here to Portland.  Panda also lives up here in PDX, and I have yet to visit with him now that I am here.  Finally, I got to see Patch down in Tennessee-North Carolina when I did a 70-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail.  I'd say I have done a good job in this category!
• Build a hikethecdt.com website.  I just bought the domain last week, and I have started to put the site together.  I look to publish the site in the next week, so be on the lookout for it!
• Hike.  I'd like to get back on the CDT next year.  Where?  I don't know.  It sure would be fun to do a northbound hike starting in southern New Mexico, as I would love to see that state in blossom in the spring, especially the Gila River Wilderness.  However, I did manage to hike several chunks on the PCT this year... about 150-miles.  I also did a 70-mile Sierras loop hike with my friend Wes, a 20-mile hike at Point Reyes National Seashore with my mom, and a 70-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail.  Not bad for an off year.
• Get more involved.  I continue my service as the Presentation Coordinator for ADZPCTKO, and since I moved to Portland, I am now involved with the Mt. Hood Chapter of the PCTA as a trail volunteer, and as the chapter secretary.  I am also in the works of applying for a job with a certain trail organization that must remain nameless at this time.  Again, keeping my fingers crossed!

There you have it - my post-CDT trail recap of the year.  Here's to another year of living off the trial... Ugh!  Until next time, enjoy this little video from the bone cave in Montana.

What Do You Think of Warren Lake?

I just did a presentation on the Continental Divide Trail with friends here in San Francisco.  I found this video clip, and I just had to share it here on the blog as a token of the absurd conversations that I had out there with my companions.  Enjoy.

Still in Withdrawal

It has been five months since I have finished my hike on the CDT - God I miss the trail. Like some haggard war veteran, I daily experience flashbacks from the trail, but these flashbacks are pleasant. My mundane work is offset by memories of 360-degree views from a high peak in Colorado, supper around a camp with George, Chance, Luna, and So Far in Montana, and beautiful sunsets in Piedre Lumbre section in New Mexico.

It's these visions, however, that are haunting me. So often I wish I could just throw everything in a storage unit and go running off to the mountains for the summer to re-live all those pleasant memories from the trail. Reality is that I cannot. I need to find a vocation that will bring me inner-peace, happiness, and a sense of purpose, and running off to the trail is a bit of escapism. Nonetheless, the trail calls me.

This summer I am going to explore a vocation that has to do with the trail, as I dedicate a few weeks of my life to trail building and maintenance. Today, I got in touch with a volunteer coordinator with the Pacific Crest Trail Association, and we talked about me helping out a trail crew near Burney Falls State Park.

If there is one thing I lack in my trail experience, it is serious trail work, so I think I will go for it. Perhaps through the experience, my relationship with the trail will be transformed to a whole new level. Until that time, I will continue to daydream about windswept vistas, roaring creeks, and living in a tent.

Tooth Fairy Makes the News

An article appeared on the web about Tooth Fairy about her hike on the Continental Divide Trail. Check it out. Go Tooth Fairy!

Cool Possible Re-Route in Colorado

Merry Christmas CDT!  I just got word from the Summit Daily News of a 300-acre acquisition of land near the Grays-Torreys peaks area in Summit County.  The land acquisition includes Revenue Mountain, which means that the Continental Divide Trail can now take a true divide route from Grays Peak to Argentine Peak to Santa Fe Peak.  Currently, the trail drops down next to the zinc-polluted Peru Creek, and takes a long, dirt road walk to Montezuma only to have to climb up 2,500-feet to get back up to the Divide again.  Jonathan Ley has included an alternate cross-country route as far as Argentine Pass, and now he can complete his dashed route on the divide until a trail crew gets up there and blazes a more permanent path. 

This past year, I made the hike over Santa Fe Peak, Sullivan Mountain, and Geneva Peak, and the experience was incredible, as the trail hovered over 13,000-feet through this area.  There were spectacular views of the Snake River Valley, Grays and Torreys Peaks, and Mount Evans and Bierstadt.  Hiking the Divide on this new route from Grays Peak down to Glacier Peak will provide yet another incredible high-altitude highlight in Colorado.  Enjoy!

Salida, Colorado Is Top Trail Town for 2009

Salida, Colorado tops the list as the top trail town along the Continental Divide Trail, according 2009 southbounders. Salida, which garnered five first place votes, narrowly edged Steamboat Springs, Colorado (four first place votes) and Pie Town, New Mexico (also five first place votes).

Salida, a town of about 5,600 residents, is located about 30-miles east of Monarch Pass, and it is the new home of The Simple Lodge and Hostel, which is nestled near the center of the artsy town. The hostel opened in early 2009, and it has welcomed hikers with open arms, offering a warm, homely refuge from the cold environs of the rugged Sawatch Range.

One respondent remarked, “The Simple Hostel and its owners were incredibly helpful and concerned with hikers comfort. The town itself had personality, decent gear shops, good food, a theater, a cool place to watch a football game, and all of it was located within a mile. Great town!”

Another said, ““The hostel (Simple Hostel) was great. I love that you could borrow a bike and cruise around. The little shops in town were fun, and Moonlight Pizza was very good.”

Jon Fritz, co-owner of Simple Lodge and Hostel, said, “Most of the folks I know in Salida live vicariously through thru-hikers and love to hear their adventures. People don't have a lot in this town, so they really appreciate people and nature. I give credit to the business owners, who have gone out of their way to create welcoming shops and cafes that serve our tourists and locals alike.”

Hikers remarked that Salida had great beer, a friendly library, fun shops, an awesome place to get a slice of pizza at Moonlight Pizza, and a great place to get a cup of coffee at Café Dawn. The friendliness of the residents in Salida drew high marks, as one hiker noted, “the people had smiles.”

Not to be lost in the shuffle was Steamboat Springs, Colorado and Pie Town, New Mexico, which came in second and third place respectively. Steamboat Springs, a prominent ski resort town in Northern Colorado, provided hikers with wonderful re-supply options with good gear shops, multiple grocery stores, and delightful restaurants. In spite of being spread out, Steamboat Springs provides a free bus service, which “made the town accessible.” Hikers also noted the friendliness of the owners at the Nordic Motel, and the two hot spring resorts (Hot Sulphur Springs and Strawberry Hot Springs).

Pie Town, a small town located in west central New Mexico, scored high marks primarily due to the work of Nita Larronde, the owner of the Toaster House, and Kathy Knapp, the owner of the Pie-O-Neer Café. Nita raised her five children in the Toaster House, and now she welcomes hikers into her now former home (she lives in her own place just outside of town). The home comes equipped with a wood-burning stove, stereo system, five beds, a shower, washer, and a large porch for hikers to spread out their gear.

The Pie-O-Neer Café is conveniently located close to the post office in town. Owner, Kathy Knapp, is well aware of hikers passing through, and went out of her way to help hikers with use of her vehicle, and by simply making great pies.

Pie Town is not well known for hiker services, but what it lacked in re-supply options, it made up in great hospitality. One hiker said, “Although Pie Town actually sucked as far as amenities go, the people there were so warm and inviting that you felt like you just arrived home. That made it very hard to leave.” Another said, “So much love! This town was full of love and kindness.”

There was a four way tie for the worst town on the trail. Rawlins, Wyoming, Old Faithful Village in Yellowstone, Macks Inn, Idaho, and Benchmark Ranch in Montana received the worst scores.

Deming Headlight Article

Just before I left Deming, the owner of the Grand Motor Inn told me that there was an article in the Deming Headlight about the sixteen of us finishing our hike at the border.  The article is short, sweet, and to the point.  Panda and Valley Girl did a great job summarizing the experience on the trail, especially in southern Colorado.  My only wish was that all sixteen of us could have been interviewed!

I arrived in Olathe, Kansas yesterday around 7:00 am, and I hung out with my sister and her family most of the day.  Today, I am meeting with Yogi so I can give her a bunch of updates for her CDT Handbook, and I look forward to sharing more of my experiences with her.  Other than that, I still have a lot of typing to do in order to finish my Trail Journal.  If you are keeping up with my trip on Trail Journals, please be patient, as I continue to get all the typing done.  Later!