Adventures with Val

CDT 2026

  • 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

    Leaving the Bootheel and walking into Trail Days!

  • 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

    My first days of thru-hiking the Continental Divide Trail

  • 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

    Traveling to the CDT’s southern terminus

  • 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

    Everything I’ll Carry to Walk From Mexico to Canada (again).

  • 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

    Training to Walk 3,000 Miles

  • CDT Prep: What is the Continental Divide Trail?

    In last week’s post, I shared that I’m planning another thru-hike. This time, I’ll be tackling the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). The CDT is less well-known than the Pacific Crest Trail, which I hiked and blogged about last year. And… Continue reading

    CDT Prep: What is the Continental Divide Trail?

  • Here we go again.

    This week, I have an exciting update to share. I am planning another thru-hike. This time, I’ll tackle the Continental Divide Trail. It will be my third and final of the three Triple Crown trails. I hiked the Appalachian Trail… Continue reading

    Here we go again.