Sleeping Bag or Quilt. Likewise, the red routes that we sampled werent extremely difficult, just more difficult than the blue road. There are relatively few deaths on PCT thru-hikes, considering the number of hikers, and the main causes of death are heat exhaustion, falls . Having thru-hiked the CDT twice herself, as well as numerous other long-distance . Here are 10 intriguing facts you may not know about the Continental Divide Trail. . You've made it this far, you're either into this site or you're still looking for something. Caf Jax was our final breakfast while actually on the trail. Wed just camped for the final night on the trail and parked at the border for our completion photos, and were celebrating our victory. All we had left to do was to wend our way home on the wonderful and interesting US Highway 93. The CDT, alongside the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail make up the triple crown of hiking. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (in short Continental Divide Trail, CDT) is a United States National Scenic Trail with a length measured by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition of 3,028 miles (4,873km) between the U.S. border with Chihuahua, Mexico and the border with Alberta, Canada. The CDT is actually a network of small roads and . We use data about you for a number of purposes explained in the links below. was banging a pot and spoon all night. 70% (2,170 miles) of the trail is along land managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Not everyone who begins a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike will complete their mission of traversing the country-spanning 2,660 mi / 4,280 km trail. The Essential Off-Road Tools You Need for Safe Wheeling on the Trails, 10 Best Off-Road Tires and How to Pick the Right Ones. This scenic trail runs from the USA/Mexico border into Canada and covers 2,767 miles of spectacular remote wilderness. [Authors note: About 2,700 miles of the trail is within the U.S. It was super windy and the heavy pack was a struggle. Herman Gulch. Here is a breakdown of what has caused them: Here is a detailed account of each of the deaths noted above (in chronological order from earliest to most recent): HAPE (UNCONFIRMED) | Maddie Magee | May 28, 2022 | Twenty-three-year-old Maddie Magee died near the top of Forester Pass (the high point of the PCT) in Californias Sierra Nevada of (unconfirmed) high altitude pulmonary edema or HAPE (source), FALL | Trevor Laher | March 27, 2020 | Twenty-two-year-old Trevor Laher slipped and fell on snow-covered ice near Apache Peak just outside Idyllwild, California (source), FALLING TREE | Finn Bastian | August 27, 2019 | In Stevenson (Washington), Finn Bastian, a hiker from Germany, died after being hit by a falling tree on the PCT. The rest is on land managed by the Bureau of Land (12% or 372 miles), National Parks (10% or 310 miles), and state and private lands (8% or 248 miles). In 2021, the CDT was about 70 percent complete, with a combination of dedicated trails and dirt and paved roads. Over the past few years, Yokohama (www.yokohamatire.com) introduced two wonderful off-road tire designsGeolandar MT G003 and Geolandar X-MT with the X-MT design being the more aggressive of the two tire designs. The epic trail runs about 3,000 miles (4,800 km), but that is simply a rough estimate since there are so many alternates and detours that thru-hikers often take. By using the many interstates that cross the divide, an intrepid explorer can take the trail in shorter segments. The Continental Divide Trail is a choose-your-own-adventure Thru-Hike that runs typically between 2500 miles and 3100 miles from the Mexico and New Mexico border to the Montana and Canadian border. Obviously, we had neither the time nor the funds to explore every alternative route along the divide, but we did sample several of them. Some people attempt to travel the entire 3,100 miles in a . Much of the CDT route in New Mexico traverses desert and dry mountains and a challenge to hikers is finding drinking water. [22], The Rocky Mountains of Colorado terminate in southern Wyoming and the CDT passes through a through a long section of desert range-land in the middle of the state, known as the Great Divide Basin. Luckily I found a friend. Long water carry out of Lincoln, Montana with eight days of food on ridges. Self Guided Adventure. Hiking into Grants was a long, hot day. Id had enough of hiking alone through Colorado storms and just wanted to hitch back into town, but I didnt because the weather was supposed to improve the next day. The award is acknowledged here . Trying to get off the ridge was a mix of hiding under trees and running for cover when the lightning would start again. The Continental Divide stretches from Alaska down through Mexico . 1. "Money wasn't important to him," Tom said. by David Rosenfeld. Why? For hikers who have completed all three trails, ALDHA-West presents the official "Triple Crown of Hiking" (TC). The CDT was described in 2013 by a Triple Crown hiker as "Raw, wild, remote and unfinished; it is a trail that will make use of all the skills of an experienced backpacker. Elk Mountain. Forest fires often result in parts of the trail being closed and the hiker must take alternative routes. Need to come up with some statistics to put to rest your familys fears that you will be dragged from your sleeping bag in the night by a bloodthirsty animal? 1.2K. As a part of the thru-hiker survey, I also ask hikers, What (if anything) was your lowest moment on the trail? Yes, social media is filled with photos of sunrises, sunsets, and mountain vistas, but not of hikers pooping their pants, crying alone in their tents, or being swarmed by mosquitoes. He cross-country skied as a small child, joining the Minnesota Youth Ski League when he was 6 or 7. Road biking on Independence Pass/Highway 82 is a popular route in the summer. MWA staff work to maintain the CDT in Montana and Idaho with the help of volunteers and agency partners. [22] Timberline along this section of the trail is 8,500 feet (2,600m) to 9,000 feet (2,700m) in elevation. Accidents were the second most frequent cause of death on the trail . Either way, best to sign up for my newsletter, yeah? It traverses a multitude of biospheres, from tundra to high desert, with a vast variety of flora and fauna, including several . Officials reported that the tree had rotted at the base, causing it to become unstable (source), DROWNING | Wang Chaocui | Mid July, 2017 | In Yosemite National Park (California), Wang Chaocui was discovered in a river in Kerrick Canyon. . I felt, In the middle of Montana, I had one day that was. So if you have some mental block about hiking the PCT because of all the scary things that are waiting for you out there, then know that despite those things actually existing, they are unlikely to kill you. Perhaps a more accurate description is that 30% of the CDT is on either a dirt or paved road. Read More. What's the story behind Minneapolis' smaller houses with huge front yards? Hikers must decide on a route through the Great Divide Basin as the actual Continental Divide forks, forming an endorheic basin. The Great Continental Divide Adventure Route is a scenic route that slices through several national parks, four or five states (depending on which route is chosen), crisscrosses the divide several times, and consists of pavement, gravel, dirt, and rocky roads. The Triple Crown of hiking is a thru-hike trifecta that includes the three most prominent long trails of the United States - the Appalachian Trail (AT), the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). ALSO SEE: Yokohama Geolandar X-MT Tire Review. Horseback riding is permitted on the trail; mountain biking is only permitted on a few sections. Continental Divide. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, NJ/PA. Beginning of the hike my shoes were too small and I had mad tendinitis and was afraid of having a, I packed out baby carrots from Ennis, Montana, and got. Because if youre lucky, you may drive the entire length in sunny warm weather, but thats very unlikely. "And not just a little bitty fire," Hannah said. In that same year, the Continental Divide Trail Alliance (CDTA) was created and with volunteers built or improved the route of the trail. Nobody knows why Alexander Cahoy died suddenly while hiking the Continental Divide Trail. Our sleeping bags and everything warm we owned was soaked. A continental divide is a naturally occurring boundary or ridge separating a continent 's river systems.Each river system feeds into a distinct ocean basin, bay, or sea.. Continental divides are broad, continent-wide example of drainage divides, sometimes just called divides. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. It's also the most remote, and the highest - the lowest point on the entire trail is in New Mexico at 4,189ft . Open full screen to view more. The Continental Divide in Southwest Montana. If you cover a steady twenty miles a day, you will finish it . The 2017 hiking season was plagued by many dangerous river crossings because of the unusually high snowpack from the previous winter (source), HEATSTROKE (SUSPECTED) | Marvin Novo | May 29, 2017 | In the Mission Creek Preserve (California), Marvin Novos body was discovered along the West Fork Trail. Here are the number of fatalities that have occurred in each section. The CDT is by far the most rugged of the three, being only 70% fully completed with a lot of portions of road walking and . There have been 15 thru-hiker deaths on the PCT. And if youll be towing trailers, as we did, the tag-alongs will also require clearance and tough tires. A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea.Every continent on earth except Antarctica (which has no known significant, definable free-flowing surface rivers) has at least . Camping alone when Id flipped up to Idaho/Southern Montana away from the bubble because I was trying to finish to go back to school. I had to get off the road and climb over blowdowns to get around him. The Pacific Crest Trail is typically divided into five distinct sections: the Desert, the Sierra Nevada, Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. According to a Google search, The Great Continental Divide Adventure Route is a motorized route that follows closely along the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. His Instagram photos reflect his appreciation for beauty along the trail. The data collected in the survey will always be free and accessible to everyone who wants/needs it. With strong winds, I could not set up my tarp and had to retrieve my sleeping pad which blew away 0.25 mile / 400 m. The only way to keep warm was to, I spent most of Colorado trying to keep up with a group, including a friend I started the trail with, who was faster than me, and I burned myself out badly. One of the friendly small towns through which we drove was our third gas stop; Datil, New Mexico (on an alternate green route). The Continental Divide Trail is meant to follow the Continental Divide through the United States between Mexico and Canada, or at least stay within 50 miles of it since it is not always practical to put the trail directly on the divide. When I finally set up camp and went to sleep, someone (a hiker?) Pacific Crest Trail Hiker Deaths. Another hazard to hikers is Colorado's 'monsoon season' with violent afternoon thunderstorms that are common in July and August on high mountain ridges [26][27], Notable points on the CDT in Colorado from south to north include:[28][25][1], The official route of the CDT in Wyoming is 513 miles (826km) long,[1] although several alternate routes shorten or lengthen that distance. As of the end of the application period in late 2021, 525 hikers have been designated Triple Crowners since 1994 by the American Long Distance Hiking AssociationWest. He was 32, fit and seemingly healthy, an experienced hiker. "He had a bonfire going in the middle of that storm.". The first section of the proposed trail was laid out in Colorado in 1962 by the Rocky Mountain Trails Association. Youll get access to exclusive posts, discount codes, live streams, and super extra cool stickers so that everyone will know how cool you are. The hiker from Minneapolis had been out of contact for a few days when a search team found him June 9 at his campsite in the Colorado mountains. This scenic trail runs from the USA/Mexico border into Canada and covers 2,767 miles of spectacular remote wilderness. When the storm passed, the fire was still going. The road walk into Rawlins (Wyoming) after the Basin. The pilot project will send out a professional for follow-ups after behavioral health crises. Fifteen miles (24 km) from the Southern Terminus, the trail was ill-defined and rocks were making me roll my ankle every other step. The ride starts on the border with Canada and finishes at the border with Baja Mexico. Over the years, there have been a number of deaths on the Pacific Crest Trail. For four to six months of walking, CDT thru-hikers have a laundry list of concerns that outpace those of many other long trails: grizzly bears, lightning storms, avalanche danger, unmarked or non-existent . New Mexico; Continental Divide; I-40; . And thats it! The lowest elevation of the trail on the Idaho/Montana border is 5,764 feet (1,757m) along the North Fork of Sheep Creek in Idaho and the highest elevation is 10,091 feet (3,076m) at the summit of Elk Mountain. Myth #4: The Idaho-Montana border is full of PUDs. No AT reading list would be complete without Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery. [16] Andrew Skurka completed the trail as part of the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop in 2007. A freezing rain and thunderstorm storm in the Winds made the trail entirely sludge. When youre assembling a group for an adventure like this one, you must make sure everyone is compatible. Outside's long reads email . You can even hike the entire length of the divide from the Mexican border to the Canadian border on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail if you have five months to spare. Wolf envisioned a similar trail running along the Continental Divide, and in 1978, he organized the Continental Divide Trail Society, which advocated for the newly designated National Scenic Trail and published several early guidebooks.[4]. Before jumping off on the Continental Divide Trailor celebrating its finish (depending on which direction youre traveling)have a great meal at Caf Jaxwe thoroughly enjoyed the huge serving of kielbasa hash and eggs. He was 32, fit and seemingly healthy, an experienced hiker. You must walk a total of nearly 8,000 miles across 22 states with one . The youngest person to thru-hike the trail is Reed Gjonnes, who hiked the trail with her father Eric Gjonnes from April 15, 2013 to September 6, 2013 in one continuous northbound hike at age 13.[18][19]. Crazy Cook Monument. "He apparently died peacefully in his sleep on top of a mountain at over 12,000 feet. It takes between five and six months to hike through the remote Continental Divide Trail, depending on how fit you are. They have a variety of newsletters, forums, events and updates on . Send this article to anyone, no subscription is necessary to view it, One of state's richest families feuds over $1 billion estate, Voting rights restored to more than 55,000 Minnesotans, Court penalizes leader of 'sham' Edina nonprofit that worked with Feeding Our Future. Murder charges: 'Who else want it?' "Trail angels" (volunteers) at locations along the trail assist hikers with food, water, and transportation to and from resupply points to trail heads. [], CDTC, New Mexico Land Office, BLM Announce Partnership to Improve & Protect CDT Access, CDTC Applauds Important Milestone for the Bipartisan CDT Completion Act. Going over Edwards Peak to Grays Peak in Colorado. The route follows the western mountains known as the Cascade Range and the Sierra Nevada Range. 1 / 8. Oh my that is so sad. "I have to come to terms with the fact that I may never know," said his father, Tom Cahoy of Minneapolis. But in other locations, the divide is barely perceptible. If you know of any sources for the below deaths or have any that may need to be added to the list, please let me know in the comments. I was tired, hot, and fed up with the desert. Death Valley; Eastern Sierras; Lassen Volcanic Nat'l Park; The Lost Coast; Sequoia - Kings Canyon; Joshua Tree National Park; Colorado. He kayaked in Wisconsin's Apostle Islands, backpacked on Michigan's Isle Royale. The hike was supposed to take them around 4 hours to complete and was approximately 4 kilometers long. One new and one renovated building will add about 65 apartments in the historic heart of the city. He put me in a position where I either had to tell the truth and admit that I had no way of protecting myself while I was completely alone or lie and say yes so that he would leave me alone. 22 hours and 51 minutes and was set in 2016 by Mike Hall (see Trail Notes for a full list of records). The trail is incomplete in a few sections, especially in New Mexico, which requires walking on roads. For the next 358 miles (576km) the trail closely follows the border of Idaho and Montana, which is also the Continental Divide. Gatewood endured so much trauma in her lifetimewhich may be where she found the fortitude, endurance, and will to be the first woman to hike the ATat 67 years of age! Most hikers occasionally take a "zero", a day without hiking, or a "nero", a day with little hiking, to rest and recuperate. On a path as long, high, and remote as the Continental Divide Trail, there is little room for gear errors. This spectacular trail is the direct result of a tremendous amount of effort by Kevin Glassett (aka GPSKevin; www.gpskevinadventurerides.com). [8] In 2007, Francis Tapon became the first person to do a round backpacking trip "yo-yo" on the Continental Divide Trail when he through-hiked from Mexico to Canada and back to Mexico on the CDT. With the trails growing popularity, its important that people realize that a PCT thru-hike does not take place in a controlled environment and that death on the PCT is an entirely realistic possibility for the ill-prepared (or even the well-prepared). July 04, 2022 - 11:52 AM . It's not unrealistic to say that a Pacific Crest . The Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail both stretch from Mexico to Canada, but the CDT offers up a far more diverse landscape than the PCT. Frequent forest fires in late summer often force closure of sections of the trail and early snowfalls in late September may make the trail in Glacier National Park impassable. WARNING! He wanted social justice. Either way, best to sign up for my newsletter, yeah? Which also means youll need the clearance and traction that off-road tires and low range will give you. This 13,916-foot peak sits just to the southeast of Longs Peak and can be prominently viewed along Colorado Highway 7. Next spring, she plans to hike the Arizona National Scenic Trail from the border with Mexico to . Of course, there may be more death along the PCT than reported, but the reality is that there is little (but dont trust me). Divides are boundaries that separate drainage basins or watersheds of all sizes. He'd lost his glasses, so she mailed a spare pair and some cookies to Silverton, Colo. (March 2008) "There & Back Again", Bastone, Kelly (August 2008) "Taking the High Way: Thru-hiking the Continental Divide Trail,", Last edited on 10 February 2023, at 23:37, "A Quick and Dirty Guide to the Continental Divide Trail", "The Continental Divide Trail Thru-Hiker Survey (2019)", "Cheating their Way to Fame: The Top 9 Adventure Travel Hoaxes", "The Onion vs. Mr. Magoo - On your mark, get set hike.