Several teams called in Friday to share their trail stories.
Team 25 "This may be the most complicated and confusing section of the entire Continental Divide Trail," the team reports on their scout of old, new, and proposed sections.
Team 21 The Collegiate Cartographers hiked 51 miles, tagged two 14,000-foot mountains, and climbed an estimated 12,000 feet during their 5-day trip. Their final report:
Team 47 Team Grizzlybait knocks off an impressive 70 miles in Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. Lots of bear and elk, and some signs of mountain lion.
Team 15b The team offers day-by-day descriptions and trail tips for their section to Wolf Creek Pass, CO.
9:15 am - Kris gives a recap of Wednesday, when the team took a side trip up Huron Peak , a 'small' Fourteener in the Sawatch Range (at 14,003 feet, picture below). They also passed through an old mining town, now a mere husk of its booming past. Dick Vogel jumps on as well for a better introduction.
2:58 pm - Kris recaps the team's steep climb up to Hope Pass (trudging up 10 to 12 percent grades). The afternoon brought the reward of aspen stands and an alpine lake, cushioned in a sea of Purple Asters. Jon Butcher also checks in to share a bit about himself.
So we've heard in from a few teams this week, but there are still plenty others out there. Here's a run-down of what they're up to and who they are...here's hoping they find that sought-after patch of cell reception to give us an update before the week is out.
Team 14, aka Team SoCo This group is hiking a sizable chunk (some 70+ miles) through Colorado's San Juan Mountains, from CumbresPass to WolfCreekPass. Lawton, an '06 CDT thru-hiker, submitted a podcast earlier in the week, but unfortunately reception was just too spotty to make anything out beyond the basics ("This is Lawton Grinter, reporting in from the C-D- [garbled static]"). Here's more on the team: Lawton Grinter: CDT thru-hiker ('06); father of The Walkumentary; experienced backpacker. Crested Butte, CO. Matt Abbas: Colorado land surveyor (cross-country); avid hiker. Pueblo West, CO. Felicia Hermosillo : aka Princess of Darkness; CDT thru-hiker ('06); experienced backpacker; fluent in Spanish. Crested Butte, CO.
On Wednesday afternoon the group was able to post an audible podcast. From the sound of it, the three are making great headway, despite such dramas as the treeing of a bear cub by SoCo's canine member. UTM coordinates: 13 0343361E 4146640N
Team 15a This group hiking a loop through the San Juans, touching on the CDT for 30 miles or so. The round-trip will take them from BlueLake to ElwoodPass along the trail in question. A few extra miles will be put in for the approach and descent from the actual Divide. Here's who's doing it: Stephen Maxwell: AT thru-hiker ('06); LNT advocate; spending summer at Philmont Scout Ranch. Beaumont, TX. Jon Kedrowski: GPS-savvy; completed Master's thesis on Colorado 14ers; avid photographer. Avon, CO. Adam Doody: photographer, backcountry snowboarder, general contractor. Seattle, WA. Andrew Matranga: Backpacker assistant map editor; JMT/High Sierra Trail thru-hiker ('06); Team Southern Terminus co-leader. Boulder, CO.
Team 15b The San Juans are seeing a lot of project volunteers this week; team 15b is doing another loop from the Quartz Creek trailhead to WolfCreekPass. These loop hikes were planned in order to make the CDT through the remote San Juans a bit more accessible. Weekend trips there typically take some shuttling and tricky logistics, so when everything is all said and done, these loops should be a good example of how shorter trips along the Divide can be planned. John "Steve" Smith: self-proclaimed "map and compass nerd"; aspires to hike John Muir Trail. Dickinson, TX. Stephen Wade: Adventure racer; pilot; experienced backpacker (has hiked in Italy, Africa, Argentina, to name a few). Joplin, MO. Bill Nelson:emergency physician, training in HAPE, HACE and hypothermia; triathlete. Joplin, MO. Ryan Kingsley: LNT certified trainer; wilderness therapy field guide; search & rescue member. Louisville, CO.
Team 45 Turning attention to the trail in Montana, Team 45 is covering some 35 miles from JohnsonLake to the LowerSeymourLaketrailhead in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. Here's a rundown of who they are: Deanne Hansen: Currently on a Western roadtrip, skipping from Park to Park (daughter's wedding coming up, at Colorado's IndependencePass); Jim's wife. Pollock Pines, CA. Jim Hansen: Currently on a Western roadtrip, skipping from Park to Park (daughter's wedding coming up, at Colorado's IndependencePass); Deanne's husband. Pollock Pines, CA. Conor O'Neil: Avid backpacker, summer & winter; gets out 3 out 4 weeks a month; Emily's husband. Wilson, WY. Emily Hall-O'Neil: degree in physical geography; Rocky Mountain Research Station supervisor/crew leader (flora/fauna inventories); Conor's wife. Wilson, WY. Mitch Cheney: petroleum geologist; GPS-savvy; avid backpacker; Dan's brother. Houston, TX. Dan Cheney: Mitch's brother and long-time hiking buddy.
Team 47, aka Grizzlybait Team Grizzlybait picked that name themselves, by the way; I trust they are doing everything in their power to downplay it in the field. They're hiking 67 miles through the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, miraculously spanning a stretch from I-15 (at Deer Lodge) to I-15 (at Elk Park). Makes shuttling about as easy as it comes. Kevin Kondrat: Detroit Detective Lieutenant; licensed Captain, U.S. Coast Guard; experienced backpacker. Grosse Point, MI. Mark Hanks: Boy Scout leader; AT & PCT section-hiker. Lexington, KY. Jessica Carroll: Seasonal Forest Service employee; GPS whiz; Montana native. Red Lodge, MT. Dallas Shewmaker: Gear rental company owner (www.lowergear.com); summited Whitney twice; JMT thru-hiker. Scottsdale, AZ. Steven Nichols: PCT & AT section hiker; Boy Scout leader; cancer survivor; knows Mark and Dallas. Lexington, KY.
With so many out, we should have some great stories to relay next week. Wish them all luck!
Word is coming in from all parts of the CDT this week, and Backpacker's own Kris Wagner had a chance to throw in a podcast or two yesterday. He's with Team 21, the Collegiate Cartographers, striking out into the White River and San Isabel National Forests and the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. Here's a list of team members:
John Smith: Comercial pilot; GPS-savvy; currently mapping Ouachita Trail. Dick Vogel: USAF survival instructor; logged more than 12,000 trail miles; aspiring 2010 CDT thru-hiker; completing Oregon Coast Trail June 1st. Jon Butcher: Team Leader; Resident GPS/topo expert at Colorado REI store; expert backpacker. Kris Wagner: Backpacker map editor; the man behind Backpacker.com/hikes. Bob Wold: Senior programmer, Trimble Outdoors; he wrote the Adventure Planner software.
And now for the podcasts...
Tuesday, July 24: 12:58 pm - Kris reports in from a pass above Lake Ann and gives an overview of the trip thus far. Sounds like yesterday brought the group a bit of a detour.
9:40 pm - Reflecting on the trip thus far, Kris comes up with some sage advice for future project volunteers and shares plans for today's (Wednesday's) hike...
What's a Troad? Well, by some accounts, it's the historical name for a Turkish peninsula. As far as Team 46 is concerned, a troad looks a little bit like a trail, and a little like a road. The team has spent the week hiking through a relative maze of roads and trails in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness in Montana. This morning they awoke to find they had cell reception, and this podcast is the result. Johnny Gregg of Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, gives the update; here's a list of the whole team:
Johnny Gregg: Grand Canyon Wildlands Council volunteer (USFS road mapping); WFR certified; good cook; Maura's fiance. Maura Gregg: Gregg's fiancee/hiking buddy. Trish Settles: environmentalist, community planner (applied GPS mapping to Boston area neighborhood planning); led groups of women into backcountry for 9 years. Steven Fuller: Team Leader; USGS employee; Boy Scout leader; GPS-savvy. Mike Mol: Michigan Conservation Officer (ret.); search & rescue, first aid trained; experienced navigator & photographer; Kris' husband. Kris Mol: past White RiverNF ranger; past MichiganPark ranger; experienced navigator & photographer; Mike's wife.
The Sidehill Gougers made it home safe and sound this past weekend, but unfortunately another pesky glitch with our podcast system kept news of their journey off the blog. They had a great trip, and it would be a shame to let their journaling efforts go to waste. So without further ado, I take you back to last week...
Thursday, July 19: 3:02 pm - Kristen reports in with a day four update on the hike, 19 miles from where we'd heard from them last.
7:35 pm - Kristen with another update, after an exciting, storm-wracked afternoon.
Friday, July 20: 10:24 am - On the home stretch to Copper Mountain, Dan Larson gives his take on the trip. He started with a 54-pound pack, but only has one packing regret...
Success! - Andy gives a final report from Copper Mountain, with a jubilant team within earshot.
Mike Reynolds, team leader for Team 25, checks in over a cup of coffee (store-bought) from Grand Lake, Colo. The group, a big one as teams go, will be spending the next few days in Rocky Mountain National Park. Here's a breakdown of who's who:
Lew Sovocool: Army Officer (with Iraq combat engineer experience); past wildland fire crew member; NOLS semester grad; volunteer trail worker. Hilary Lorenz: Professor of Arts, Brooklyn, NY; Sierra Club member; active in Appalachian Mountain Club. Robert Byram: Extensive Forest Service fire crew experience; former marathoner; school counselor; reportedly makes great ash cakes. Mike Reynolds: LNT instructor; Wilderness First Responder; has worked with Special Olympics; college professor. Laura Rovero: Outdoor lover, experienced hiker; new-comer to the West (New England transplant). Eric Helfrich: Geology student; trail runner, rock climber; has done climate research in Arctic.
This week there are a record eight teams out, covering trail in Colorado and Montana. We'll introduce you to all of the teams soon, but for now here's an initial report from Team 25 (recorded last night), hiking 44 miles through the Arapaho-Roosevelt and Routt National Forests. Their path touches on Rocky Mountain National Park as well, so although they don't have a satellite phone, with luck they'll find enough cell reception to keep us posted throughout the week.
Yesterday the Ahorn Fire dealt another blow to the project: due to fire danger the Forest Service had to make the call to close 447,000 acres of the Flathead and Lewis & Clark National Forests. The closure mainly affects the Bob Marshall Wilderness, although access to the area is now pretty spotty for some of our teams. Those that are affected are:
Team 49 RogersPass (Hwy 200) to Benchmark Campground
The Continental Dream Team (Team 50a) Benchmark Campground to South Fork Teton trailhead (via GatesPark)
Team 50b South Fork Teton TH to BadgerPass (trailhead at Swift Reservoir)
Team 50c BadgerPass (trailhead at Swift Reservoir) to MariasPass
We're currently working with team members and others familiar with CDT routes to find other options for these teams. As far as we're concerned, project volunteers will be able to get out there and hike come hell, high water, or wildland fire. You can read more details on that closure at InciWeb.
Two new sponsors have recently contributed to the welfare of project volunteers: Justin's Nut Butter and Bear Naked.
Justin's has donated 600 sqeezeable packs of peanut butter--that's two per hiker--effectively eliminating the need for a knife or spoon when enjoying PB on the trail. A serving packs 190 calories and 7 grams of protein, sure to provide enough power to get up and over afternoon climbs.
Bear Naked is giving each volunteer a pack of trail mix, in a variety of blends (each, appropriately enough, is named after one of America's three long trails). What does the CDT taste like? According to Bear Naked: chocolate, with a dash of almonds, walnuts and banana chips. I'm game. Check out other flavors on their website.
Late last night, team 6 broke their silence calling in for the first time from northern New Mexico. Chris Shaffer of Groton, MA reports on the highlights of their first day (Monday), including losing the trail, finding archaeological sites, thunderstorms, and the howls of coyotes.
Team 22 calls themselves the Sidehill Gougers. That's Gougers not Growlers, as earlier stated in their report on Monday. Confused yet? No worries. In this podcast from Holy Cross Wilderness, Susan Hmurciakova of Moose Pass, AK explains the origin of their unique team name. We just hope everyone packed trekking poles.
How much will your pack weigh? Catherine Buni of Team 22 is carrying a base pack load of about 15 pounds (and she estimates with food and water she's maybe at 23 total pounds). Not bad for a 5-day trip in the Rockies, huh? Of course, her best friend is the gear editor of BACKPACKER. The team knocked off 13.5 miles today. And, as you hear, it sounds gorgeous up there at 11,000 feet in Holy Cross Wilderness.
In this lunchtime report, Kristin Hostetter, BACKPACKER's gear editor, talks about the awesome work a trail crew is doing to reroute a section of the CDT, clean-up campsites, and restore fragile alpine ecosystems in Mt. Massive Wilderness.
Four teams are out on the trail this week, one of which you've already heard from via podcast. Here's a rundown of what they're up to, as well as the three other teams: Team 22 The team you've heard a bit from is hiking in Colorado from TwinLakes (at CO 82) to CopperMountain (a bustling ski resort in the winter months). The trip takes them trough three management districts: the San Isabel and White River National Forests, and the Holy Cross Wilderness Area. Here's a list of the team members:
Andy Gregory: Team co-leader. Wildlife ecologist/landscape geneticist; has observed wolf-elk interactions in Yellowstone over past three years; husband to Sarah. Sarah Gregory: Team co-leader. 10th grade teacher (algebra); experienced backpacker; map collector; wife to Andy. Susan Hmurciakova: backcountry trail ranger, ChugachNF (Alaska); wilderness first aid certified. Dan Larson: Professional writer; racing cyclist; avid hiker. Kristin Hostetter: Long-time gear editor for Backpacker magazine. Catherine Buni: Avid backpacker, Kristin’s long-time hiking partner.
The Diamondback Four (Team 6) This group is one of two in New Mexico (finishing up the state for the project), hiking from the SkullBridge area to HopewellLake. That's the northern part of the state, where the trail begins to break into Aspen groves through the Carson National Forest. The Diamondback Four are:
Chris Shaffer: Team leader. Engineer; New Hampshire 4,000 Footers-savvy. Alissa Leavitt-Reynolds: Forest Service archeological surveyor; REI GPS whiz. Adam Reynolds: Experienced hiker, strong technical background (including a BS in physics and a brand new MSc in mechanical engineering). Alissa’s husband. Ruth Kirkpatrick: Has harbored a long-time interest in the CDT; lover of the unexplored West.
Chupacabras (Team 10) The Chupacabras are also in New Mexico, covering the northern stretch of trail from HopewellLake to CumbresPass, in Colorado. This is also a leg through the Carson, over trail recently built to make the walk across the border more interesting (with less road-walking). Members are:
Don Kerzel: Team leader. Has been on family trips up CascadePeaks and along PCT for 14 years. Xochitl Diaz: avid backpacker; self-proclaimed sucker for big challenges. Bob Medley: El Paso Ridgewalker hike leader; Boy Scout leader; geocacher; weather balloon repeater retriever (he'll have to expand on that one); hiking buddy of Xochitl's. Patrick Reuter: Graduate degree in physical geography; winemaker; brother-in-law to Don. Jennifer Barrons: Geocacher; amateur photgrapher. Dylan Tichenor: Amateur photographer; on his 9th or 10th GPS unit; Jennifer's husband.
Team 28 Another border-bridging team, 28 will start at the Colorado-Wyoming border and hike north from FR 550 to county road 401. The path takes them toward the Great Divide Basin, an area where the Divide plunges down from the high Colorado Rockies and splits around a BLM-managed patch of high plains near Rawlins. The Rawlins area, as it so happens, is the site of a recent easement, taking the CDT off of roads (the route has been on roadways through there since it was first designated). Team 28 won't quite make it to the hot, dry flats of the basin, and will instead work its way through the greener, more scenic Medicine Bow National Forest. Team members are:
Nancy Mathison: Team leader. Sierra Club National Outings trip leader; quite the backcountry cook. Brian Payne: Co-star (with Michelle) of the YouTube Powerbar extravaganza. Michelle Marincel: See above, and watch the video for more on the couple. Seth Stallings: Fresh off a tour of duty with the Navy; skilled officer and avid hiker.
In this short report from San Isabel National Forest in Colorado, Andy Gregory of Wamego, KS talks about a pine martin sighting, gorgeous mountain views, and great uphill marches. Andy is a wildlife ecologist who has observed wolf-elk interactions in Yellowstone. Along with four other team members, he's also out there with his wife, Sarah. Note: The sat phone reception is very poor and it eventually cuts out.
The latest report submitted by team member Jim Jakicic: Now at over 5,000 acres, the Ahorn fire was predicted to reach Deadman Hill sometime last night.
Roger Ludwig, team leader for the Gila Monsters, recently wrote up an excellent story on his trip for the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. The piece may be especially insightful for volunteers about to hit the trail: Roger reports on team interactions as much as what they encountered along a 70+ mile slog through the Gila National Forest.
The team also met a handful of fellow hikers along the way, some already known to the project and mentioned on this blog, out to promote the CDT in their own way. Erin Zwiener aims to be the first to complete the trail on horseback in one season, and Mat Matson is a retired Rotarian dedicated to spreading the word about the trail over a multi-year section hike.
Hot and super dry weather with moderate winds has increased the Ahorn fire (see updated map) to more than 4,000 acres in the last day. According to reports, a helicopter crashed this morning near the fire's helipad. The pilot suffered minor injuries. At least six trails are closed in the region, including a portion of the CDT. Check out the latest photos.
Team 22 reports in the night before their CDT section hike from Twin Lakes to Copper Mountain, a 5-day trip that skirts the edge of Mt. Massive Wilderness through San Isabel National Forest in central Colorado. This team of flatlanders took the day acclimatizing to the thin air at about 9,500 ft., getting to know each other, and prepping last minute gear supplies. That, and you'll never guess what they had for dinner. Listen below. GPS location: 13S 0381987E, 4328504N
While places like Texas bail themselves out of biblical storms, temperatures along the Continental Divide Trail continue to break all-time heat records. It's tinder dry in the mountains.
Last weekend, we reported on the Fool Creek Fire. Now, there's a second fire (Ahorn Fire) burning its way just south of the CDT. Jim Jakicic of Rupert, ID is sending us and his teammates daily reports. During the week of August 6, Jim along with four others on Team MT50a (nicknamed the Continental Dream Team) plan to scout a section of the CDT near where this blaze is burning (see big map of area).
As of reports on Friday, the Ahorn Fire was estimated at 600 acres and was 50% contained.
Meanwhile, the Fool Creek Fire has grown to more than 4,000 acres with no lull in sight. Team leaders have been notified and we'll be discussing options in conference calls later this week.
Last week, the Caldera Crew (team MT36) explored a difficult, and extremely wild, portion of the CDT from Targhee Pass into Yellowstone National Park to Old Faithful. As you'll hear, they did a lot off-trail navigating, and suffered through a 32-mile stretch without water except for a "nasty" waterhole. Three teammates endured dehydration at some point and one member might have a broken toe. It's likely the team questioned, maybe even, cursed us and this project as they pushed over downed logs, up steep slopes, around cliff bands, all the while with a deathly thirst. In an email sent Friday, teammate JC Harlan of Nampa, ID, called it the most grueling trip he'd done and despite the all the challenges "we all had a great time and would not exchange it for anything."
We say, thanks Caldera Crew for busting your butts out there. Your work as well as the other teams won't go ignored. In fact, the more we learn about the status of the CDT, the more we realize the dire help it needs.
Below are four podcasts from the team:
Monday, July 9 (Day 1) The team recaps their somewhat challenging day of trailblazing through grizzly and moose country. GPS location: 12T 0480885E, 4940178N
Wednesday, July 11 (Day 3) Today's report comes in two calls. Many challenges have unfolded since Monday. Water is becoming scarce, and solid navigation skills are essential as they blaze sections of new trail, move through burn areas, and backtrack to known points. GPS location: 12T 0488874E, 4927553N
Thursday, July 12 (Last Day) Teammate Catherine Cox of San Jose, CA, sums up their 66-mile trip by saying, “…We’re standing here looking at Old Faithful and it’s the perfect paramount to our trip as we had to maintain faith at various sections on this arduous trail…” Listen as they re-play their exciting journey. GPS location: 12T 0513513E, 4923006N
P.S. We had some bugs with our new phone system, so we weren't able to post these reports as they came in. Our "new and improved" phones are supposed to email a sound file of messages left on our voicemail mailbox. After several hours of trying to figure how to access the sound files and no word back from our technical support guy, we decided to publish these the old school way. We went out and bought a voice recorder and recorded the messages left on the phone. This was an unexpected glitch in our system, which is now resolved. We apologize to readers and, more importantly, the families of the hikers in the Caldera Crew. We know you're watching.
Life has been hectic here @ the map office. Between team conference calls and coffee swigs, we've prepared a pile of maps for all the summer teams. If you haven't already, team leaders will receive their custom waterproof maps (printed by our partner OffRoute.com) by the end of next week.
From today to the end of July, 18 teams will hit the trail. Twenty more teams go out in August.
Also, next week, we'll have two satellite phones on the trail, calling in daily podcasts.
The Fool Creek Fire in the Bob Marshall Wilderness continues to blaze (read latest report from the Great Falls Tribune). Keith Gebo, team leader for Team 49 (the Scapegoats) and Great Falls, MT resident, sent in these photos of the wildfire from this weekend.
So far, the fire will affect the South Fork Teton Trailhead to Badger Pass section (unfortunately, that's you Team 50b who are scheduled to hike this length of the CDT starting August 13).
With the generous help of Keith, we're keeping a close eye on the situation.
This just in from the Forest Service: A wildfire in the northern section of the Bob Marshall Wilderness has closed the Continental Divide Trail. Reports say the fire was lit by a lightning strike and has grown to more than 3,000 acres. Teams heading into this region to scout the trail please contact us for more info, if we don't contact you beforehand.
Below is a list of trail closures from the CDT list serve (emailed @ 3:40 p.m. today):
• North Fork Sun River Trail (#110) Closed from the junction of Route Creek Trail (#108) to Sun River Pass. • Open Fork Trail (#116)
• Monroe Creek Trail (#188)
• Wrong Ridge Trail (#187)
• Washboard Reef Trail (#117) Closed from the wilderness boundary to junction with Trail #108.
• Sun River Pass Trail Closed from Sun River Pass north to junction with Bowl Creek Trail at Grizzly Park.
Alternate routes are required for all thru-hikers and section hikers on the CDT.
Today proved to be a trying day for the team. First, there was melting snow for drinking water. Then, lots of routefinding through a maze of mines on little-traveled trails. Third, no water for 11 miles. But their thirsts were quickly quenched with cold drinks hand delivered by friends at their final destination. All told, this team hiked roughly 70 miles in an impressive 5 days. Listen to Mari Klebe of Dowling, MI report below by clicking on the play button:
Last night ended with a bang for Team Goat Hikers Anonymous. They lucked out and saw Fourth of July fireworks from a nearby town. At the end of this podcast, you'll hear team members laughing in the background. Clearly, everyone is having a swell time out there.
While most of the country celebrated the Fourth of July, Team 37, nicknamed Goat Hikers Anonymous, is working their way across a 65-mile section from Targhee Pass to Aldous Lake in in Gallatin and Targhee National Forests of Idaho and Montana. We've received about six podcasts from the group in the last four days but the satellite phone coverage has been really spotty, making many of the reports unpublishable. Team member Trung Q Le left a quick message on one of the office cellphones and reported: "We're doing really well."
June 3 Day 3: The day starts out with a moose walking through camp. Among the many highlights, team member Julie Ardoin from Kenner, LA says she's never seen wildflower meadows this incredible.
June 2 Day 2: The team knocks off more miles than originally planned on the first day. Today, the team splits up to scout out a proposed trail vs. walking a road section. The team meets some nice locals, and sees lots of wildlife signs, including bear prints, antelope, and mule deer.
In the February 2007 issue of BACKPACKER, editor-in-chief Jonathan Dorn called on the masses to help BACKPACKER, the Continental Divide Trail Alliance and federal agencies tackle a massive undertaking: give the trail an official map. As a result, close to 3,000 of you applied, and 300 volunteers where chosen. Check in here to stay on top of developments as the endeavor continues through the summer. If you have any specific project questions, feel free to drop us a line at CDTproject@gmail.com.
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