Recent Posts
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From the Mountain to the Mesa
Grants to ~Cuba. Days 19 to 22. Miles 534 to 636. The section between Grants and Cuba features both mountains and high desert. After Grants, the Continental Divide Trail gains elevation quickly. It rises above 9,000 feet as it traverses… Continue reading
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Walking on highway shoulders in the freezing rain
Pie Town to Grants. Days 16 to 18. Miles 423 to 534 (via Cebolla & Bonita-Zuni Alts; actual mileage ~85 miles). There are several ways Continental Divide Trail (CDT) thru-hikers can get from Pie Town to Grants. All of them… Continue reading
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Bye-bye Gila: cliff dwellings, hot springs, and a wildfire closure
Doc Campbell’s to Pie Town. Days 10 to 15. Gila River Alt Mile 40 to CDT Mile 423. After Doc Campbell’s, the Gila River Alt continues crossing back and forth across the river for many miles. Hikers have the option… Continue reading
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Walking into the Gila River
Silver City to Doc Campbell’s. Days 8 to 9. Mile 161 to Gila River Alt. Mile 40. After Silver City, CDT hikers face a choice. They can continue on the CDT main route, or, take the popular Gila River Alt.… Continue reading
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Leaving the Bootheel and walking into Trail Days!
Lordsburg to Silver City. Days 4 to 7. Miles 85 to 161. After Lordsburg, the Continental Divide Trail gradually climbs up and out of the desert of the Bootheel and into the Burro Mountains. The vegetation transitions from cacti and… Continue reading
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My first days of thru-hiking the Continental Divide Trail
Southern Terminus to Lordsburg. Days 1 to 3. Miles 0 to 85. The Continental Divide Trail begins at the US-Mexico border in a part of New Mexico known as the boot heel. The boot heel is characterized by shrub-steppe desert… Continue reading
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Traveling to the CDT’s southern terminus
It’s a strange moment, waking up and putting on the outfit you’ll wear every day for the next 5 months for the first time. That’s how my day began, yesterday. Since then, I’ve traveled across the country by car, plane,… Continue reading
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Everything I’ll Carry to Walk From Mexico to Canada (again).
It’s a little surreal that I’m starting a thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail later this month! I’m doing many things to prepare for my thru-hike, such as training. I’m also carefully deciding what gear to pack. As with all… Continue reading
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8 surprising things about thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail
The expectation and reality of thru-hiking are often vastly different. But unexpected things can be some of the most special and worthwhile parts of a thru-hike. I was fascinated with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) for over 10 years before… Continue reading
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Training to Walk 3,000 Miles
How do you train to walk 3,000 miles across the United States? This is a question I’ve given a lot of thought to recently. That’s because right now, I’m preparing to start thru-hiking the 3,000-mile-long Continental Divide Trail (CDT) this… Continue reading
Adventures with Val 