How Dangerous is the Continental Divide Trail?

hey y'all Dixie here today I want to address the question how dangerous is the CD team if you're not familiar with the CBT or Continental Divide Trail it is one of the three trails in the u.s. that is part of what is known as the triple crown of hiking it's about 3,100 miles long and spans from Mexico to Canada through New Mexico Colorado Wyoming a little part of Idaho and Montana the reason I want to talk about this today is when I started my Triple Crown journey on the Appalachian Trail I'd heard that of course the 80 and the PCT or Pacific Crest Trail would be a challenge but people talked about the CDT as if it was just this very dangerous trail and in the trail of all trails in the Triple Crown of hiking so today I want to talk about some of those fears or dangers that are known to exist on the CDT and kind of go into where they as bad as I thought they would be or as bad as everyone kind of hyped it up to be the first thing I remember being warned of was that there is nobody hiking the CDT and if you look up statistics you'll see that back in 2016 they estimated that about 150 people attempted to through hike the CDT annually in 2018 when I threw hiked there were 75 people who reported completing their through hike and usually through hikes have about a 20% or so success rate of people who attempt actually completing the hack so I would hazard a guess that there are more than 150 people attempting to through hike each year probably even several hundred but definitely less than a thousand and on the 18 PCT there are more than a thousand attempting to through hike each year so in comparison to the PCT in 80 there really aren't many hackers out there now Wow I certainly do agree that there is safety in numbers and that having more hackers around you know can one make you feel more comfortable to you know there's somebody there if you do get into a band or get in trouble but I wouldn't say that being alone necessarily in and of itself makes the CDT more dangerous but with that said just with those numbers alone it doesn't seem like there that many people out there but I still did see people almost daily I saw somebody section hiking or another through hacker or maybe just somebody out day hacking especially in Colorado the people in Colorado love being outside they love enjoying hiking mountain biking climbing so while is in Colorado I would hazard a guess that I saw another person every single day and if not them pretty close to it now there are areas that aren't as recreational and you know as beautiful as Colorado for example the Great Basin in Wyoming it certainly has its charms in its own ways but there generally aren't a lot of people out in the basin just frolicking around in the deserts and so in these areas I would certainly say that you might have to be more aware of your surroundings you might have to take a little more precaution than you would have to on the 80 or PCT or other well populated trail but there are things that you could do to mitigate this a little bit so if you can try to pick a start date where you know other hikers are going to be starting you can do some of that through networking on Facebook groups so there is a CDT Facebook group in general and then usually there are ones for each year so like the class of 2018 or class of 2019 from that you could kind of gauge when other people are starting and try to make sure that you start you know in some kind of bubble of folks also you could invite a friend to hike with you that's what I did I started with perc and Aaron and while we didn't necessarily stick together all the time we had a general idea of where each other was and and kind of checked up on one another and also more people are going in a northbound direction say start Mexico and finish in Canada versus people starting in Canada and finishing in Mexico so if you wanted to make sure to try to be around more people then I would definitely recommend going in a northbound direction and finally if the CDT kind of freaks you out a little bit because of the thought of being alone or camping alone you can always take something like and in reach that way you're able to communicate with the outside world and and feel a little better you know knowing that somebody knows you're okay each day and and that you have people to check in with you can do that with something like the inReach where it's a two-way communication or even a spot device where you can just kind of push a button and it sends an automated message to your friends and family or whoever you choose to receive that and then both of those have an SOS button she did get into danger I think having a device like that was more important to me on the CDT because it is the most remote and lonely of the three trails so again this doesn't make people magically appear and be there to hike with you but it did ease my mind a little bit knowing that you know even though I was alone I could still communicate and call for help if I needed the second thing I heard about the CDT that kind of freaked me out is that the trail is not complete I'm like what the trail isn't complete so how do you hike it but in December of 2015 it was reported that the CDT is 85% complete so I had this idea that I was gonna be like bushwhacking all the time like walking through a jungle and having had a hatchet and hack things down but it really wasn't like that yes there were some areas where there was not a defined trail and it was a little bushwhack II but most the time it was in the desert where you're standing at a fence post looking for the next fence post you know so it wasn't extremely brushy and and there were times where it got a little like that but for the majority of the trail there was a well-defined path and enough signage to where I just didn't get completely lost and a lot of the areas that are deemed not complete our road walks but compared to the ATM PCT it is certainly easier to get turned around on the CDT it is not a highway like it is on the other two trails so sometimes it's kind of questionable exactly where the trail goes but for that I highly recommend using gut hook and with gut hook you can look at the track that they have in the app that you download to your phone and see exactly how far from the trail you are and once you get turned around so many times and end up doing extra mileage because you know you got a mile off trail on another path and realized you know the the clear path that you thought was the trail was actually not in the you know barely beaten down path was actually the correct way to go so once you kind of get a feel for things and you make so many mistakes you start learning to check that app a little more often but nowhere on the CDT did I really feel like I was gonna get lost and perish in the wilderness because I couldn't find my way now on the 80 and PC it didn't stress me out as much not having a backup form of navigation on the CDT I definitely wanted that extra backup form of navigation so I had the app on my phone gut hook and then I also had the inReach that had the CDT in it so I could also use that if for some reason my phone died or got crushed and lost so while guess the trail not being 100% complete could make it a little more dangerous and a little more easy to get lost it really was not as bad as I had heard it would be and as I thought it would be next I was warned of all of the exposure on the CDT I heard that I would be up on ridge lines and I would be just at the mercy of the wind rain sleet hail snow and it was all true on the 80 you can make more mistakes as far as your gear and equipment because you have the green tunnel to protect you somewhat from the elements from the Sun wind hail all of those things on the PCT you know not as much there is definitely more exposure on that especially because the first 700 miles is desert but it's like desert it's there still trees there are still areas that you aren't as exposed but on the CDT it was certainly the most exposed of the three trails but this just means that you have to properly prepare ahead of time you have to make sure that you're protected from the Sun so that means either long sleeves and long pants or a Sun umbrella I use Sun gloves sunscreen a hat sunglasses you know you just really have to make sure that you're prepared to deal with that and then at the flip of a switch deal with hail hail and your bridges you know are you prepared mentally to okay if it starts hailing on me am I going to be in the mindset that I need to take cover so I need to go hide under a rock or if I'm in a place that there is nowhere to really take cover you know I need to think okay what do I need to protect the most probably my head so I need to sit down put my pack over my head and protect myself the best that I can you need to make sure that you can stay warm so whether that's having gloves or an extra base layer or whatever you think that you'll need depending where on the trail that you are so just knowing that you're prepared now how do you do that well you can look at the gear list that I have a line I'll have that link in the video description also other people that have hiked the CDT you know check out their gear lists there are people who are happy to share their experience but I wouldn't be hard-headed you know I would I would make sure to take advice from folks who have done it before like I said on the 80 I saw a lot of people who are like yeah I've heard this is suggested but I don't need that you know and they just kind of brush it off and the next thing you know they're getting the thing that was originally suggested to them and they're like yeah these people who did it before successfully were actually kind of right and I probably should have listened to that advice so there really isn't as much room for error on the CDT like there is on the 80 or even somewhat on the PCT now the exposure talk kind of leads us into the next thing which is lightning I had heard in Colorado at the time of year that I'd likely be going through that there would be a lot of storms rolling in and being at a high elevation up on an exposed Ridge you're really setting yourself up for some danger with lightning again this one definitely proved to be true all of the rumors and warnings were absolutely true I'm not saying that the other trails the 80 PCT or any other trail that you're interested in hacking doesn't have some risk of lightning but because there are so many exposed areas on the CDT and you know like I said the time of year and everything I feel like the risk just it seemed a lot higher and it seemed like I had to deal with hiding from lightning more often on the CDT so what is recommended to protect yourself from being in a situation where you might get struck by lightning is to avoid peaks exposed areas high points anything like that in the afternoon because it could be a very beautiful day next thing you know and afternoon thunderstorm comes rolling in and you find yourself in a bad spot so sure they tell you check the forecast avoid any of these areas afternoon and you know just don't put yourself in that situation that's the general rule of how to deal with lightning but when you're honest through hack you can't avoid all of the exposed areas and Peaks noon and later because you would just never make it to Canada on time so the best thing that you can do if you're at a peak and suddenly you see the storm rolling in just go ahead and put your head between your legs and then kiss your butt goodbye I'm just kidding there actually is a lightning stance that they suggest that I will discuss in a minute but the idea is if you can take shelter or cover somewhere to do that now they do tell you that you don't want to be under the one highest object or tree or you know anything like that so if there's like one tree on a hillside you don't want to go you know huddle up under that tree to take cover because chances are the lightning might hit that tree because it's the tallest thing in that open area but if you can seek shelter like in a 3-sided shelter structure if there is something like that or in a low point you know in in maybe a more densely forested area obviously you know get down to lower ground if you can but if there is not a prime location to seek shelter then it is recommended that you do the lightning stance now the lightning stance is supposedly the optimal position to minimize any harmful side effects of being struck by lightning so it's supposed to allow the lightning to travel through your body in such a way that it does the least amount of harm to you so you you crouch down on the balls of your feet with your feet together and then you're going to duck your head and cover your ears and that's supposedly you know covering your ears protect your hearing somewhat from from when you're struck I imagine that it makes a pretty good boom but apparently there isn't really any evidence that proves that this is actually effective I haven't found anything like that if you'll have I would love for you to share that in the comments as far as I know this is all just kind of theory and what they feel like would be the best but I don't know that there is actually anything that says like this actually does help if you are struck by lightning so I'm not saying - to not do that but I'm just saying for myself when I was up in Colorado on an open Ridgeline and lightning rolled in I definitely saw shelter where I could and crouched behind bushes and stuff if if that's what I had to do to feel a little bit better there was one time when my hair was standing up and it was pretty obvious that there was some serious danger and and there were pretty high chances of me being struck by lightning in that that moment I probably should have just gone down into the lightning pose but I just wanted off the ridge so I felt for myself the best idea was to just get low as fast as I could find tree line and and get down below that but in a lightning storm how do you know that you're supposed to seek shelter like how do you know that it's to that point the rule of thumb is the 30 seconds 30 minute rule if you see lightning strike if you see the light from lightning and within 30 seconds you hear the rumble then that means that you should seek shelter or you know get down low as fast as you can or potentially the lightning stands and you're supposed to remain in shelter mode until 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder it is important to remember in a lightning storm you are supposed to avoid metal objects so be mindful of things like tent poles are trekking poles also if you are on an open Ridge with a group you're supposed to spread out that way if lightning hits it doesn't hit everybody and everybody is laying there unconscious needing CPR you know that way it just hits one individual and the other person or people can come to that person's aid if need be I did a video previously about my experiences and protocol with lightning on the Appalachian Trail it'd probably be a good idea for me to re-up date it now that I've been through some more severe lightning in Colorado but if you want to check out that lightning video with some more details I'll add that in the video description today also before my experience on the CDT I had also heard that the water was absolute garbage or it was very far apart and so dehydration was something to really be concerned with I feel like in any outdoor experience where you have to carry water and you're not all the time near water dehydration can be a real thing so I don't know that it's necessarily more extreme on the CDT again come or to the other two trails I actually think that I experienced longer carries on the PCT but on the 80 there is a water source probably like every four or five miles so on the CDT I did find that I went through some carry areas 15 to 20 miles was not abnormal I think on the CDT you certainly do have to be mindful of water and when you will get to the next source on gut hook the app that I was talking about that I use to navigate it also has waypoints in there for water and hikers can comment and say hey this water source is still running you know there's still water at such-and-such Springs that way you can actually look ahead and not just see that a water source does exist sometimes but also find out if it has gone dry or if it still has flow you do have to get used to the idea of dry camping on the CDT it's not really feasible that you will always be camped next to water so dry camping is just where you don't have a water source there at camp so you have to get water at the source before you stop and then towed it to wherever you're camping and it is very important to stay hydrated at higher elevations to help with this I use different drink mixes because sometimes you just get sick of the way that water tastes or sometimes when you're drinking out of the cow ponds of New Mexico in the desert and it doesn't taste the greatest even after you filter it then having some kind of drink mix to just cover up the gross flavor it helps a little bit in fact there was a certain type of drink mix called zip fizz that I really liked it had all sorts of good stuff in there for you the flavor was pretty good and it had almost like a carbonated type feel to it which zip fizz that way if you were craving like a coke or something like that it wasn't quite the same thing but it was something that was helping to hydrate you and restore some electrolytes but also had a little bit of fizz to it so it was pretty good but the main thing with dehydration that applies on any trail that you have you just need to be conscious that you're drinking water sometimes you can be having so much fun and everything's so pretty and you're distracted that you don't realize like hey I haven't haven't drink water in forever next up is wildlife on the CDT I do feel like it makes sense to be a bit more concerned about the wildlife out there because on the 18 you've got basically black bears and venomous snakes is for me at least the main thing that I was worried about and while both of those are definitely intimidating when you start the PCT you add in mountain ones and then when you start the CDT you add in Grizzlies on top of all of the rest of that so I can certainly see how on the CDT people would be more concerned with wildlife than the other two Triple Crown trails and if you look up Encounters of those types of animals you are in far more danger driving to the terminus to start your thru-hike then then you really are encountering those and being attacked or you know killed by one of those animals on your through hack I have done videos specifically on black bears Grizzlies and mountain lions so I will include those in the video description that way this video isn't like five hours long of me going into all those details but if you want to learn more about those and how to minimize your chances of having a bad experience with those animals then check those out through hackers for some reason there isn't a whole lot of history of them being bitten by venomous snakes and and I'm actually really surprised because of how many go through the trails all the time but it's just especially rattlesnakes most the time they're gonna let you know they're there and if you're just paying attention and you don't have both ear buds in and you're aware of your surroundings a lot of that risk is significantly reduced I would say the best practice though is to do your research wherever you're hiking on the wildlife that you're going to encounter and the best way to interact and coexist with them on the trail I was also warned of snowy traverses specifically in the San Juan Mountains now I'm certainly not going to downplay snowy traverses it is something that can be intimidating and at times is for me more of a mental thing than actually a you know physical challenge there were a couple of iffy spots on the CDT this year but for the most part we got lucky with the San Juans it just wasn't a real high snow year and we ended up having to bypass or you know take an alternate and didn't get to go through the full extent of the San Juans because of a fire closure so this is something to definitely be taken seriously I would say if you're planning to hike a CDT and you are concerned about snowy traverses especially in the San Juans then you know it's important to listen to the snow reports has it been a high snow year to listen to some of the locals and find out you know what sections are still real bad and which ones aren't if you check the gut hook app like I've mentioned before hikers leave comments for one another in there like I would definitely recommend still having an ass axe and micro spikes and the proper gear because there are a couple of traverses that you know I feel like it's important to have that and people leave that information for one another to help each other out so there was one pretty sketchy spot in the San Juans that we went over and we had been warned about and I was really glad that we did know about it because had we gone late in the afternoon when it was real slushy it could have been more dangerous so I wanted to go when the snow was still pretty firm and I knew that my micro spikes could get a good bite into the snow so it's good to know all of those little tips and tricks if you don't have a lot of snow experience I would highly recommend going in with somebody else that has more experience than you if possible you can sign up for classes to kind of help with traversing snow we're at the minimum at least watch some YouTube videos and then when you start getting into snowy sections kind of practice self arresting and learn how to do some of that because you don't want to be in a situation where you're like well I'll have an ice axe and I have Micro specs but I don't know how to use them so I'm just gonna tote them across the snowy Traverse and you know slide down and fall to my death and I have the proper equipment I just didn't know how to use it properly now on this people could say to me that I should practice what I preach because on the PCT when I hiked it in 2017 it was a very high snow year and I had no experience with snow whatsoever but I made a point to not go in alone to have other people around me to ask people you know hey do you mind practicing with me on self arresting I want to learn how to do that so just using all of the resources that you can using your brain taking it slow you know don't have too much pride if you hit a point where you're like I don't feel comfortable with this at my current level of experience then you know have enough sense to turn back and either wait flip ahead come back to that section later whatever you have to do but the good news is on the CDT there are a lot of different alternates there there are alternates from Mexico to Canada and you can create your own alternates as long as you're within 50 miles of the geological divide and you have a continuous foot path from Mexico to Canada it is considered a thru-hike of the CDT so if you did not feel comfortable with going into the San Juans there are areas to to bypass and take alternates if you have to and finally a big concern of mine on the trail was hypothermia a lot of folks think that you have to be in freezing cold weather like I was at the end of the ATP CT and CDT to get hypothermia but the truth is you it doesn't have to be the winter or even snowy or extreme cold temperatures to get hypothermia it just means that your body loses enough heat that it drops below your normal temperature significantly enough that it starts to affect the function of your body now being in snowy rainy sleety exposed windy conditions certainly can increase your chances of having hypothermia something else to be mindful of in regards to hypothermia on the CD T is how drastically the temperature can change from daytime to nighttime now this isn't just early in the spring or late in the fall but also in the summertime when you're at higher elevations like you see on the CDT you can be hiking during the day and be completely comfortable but then at night it really gets pretty cool and say you're hiking into the evening you stop and take a break your clothes are just matted with sweat but you don't really think about it you could potentially put yourself into a situation where you're dealing with hypothermia so it's just something to think about and something you might want to evaluate if you do stop for a break and you've got a lot of sweat on you from the day and the temperatures have already dropped I learned for myself that it's important to have the proper layers you have to have enough clothing and an extra set of dry clothing to be able to sleep in at night you need to have enough clothing to hike in and stay warm while you're hiking I think having dry socks even things like having proper waterproof gloves to keep your hands warm and again all of the stuff that I used is in my gear list which will be in the video description also it's important to know the signs of hypothermia so if you notice that one of your buddies is constantly shivering they become confused or kind of disoriented if they seem sleepy or they're being irrational or just kind of sluggish you know those are things to tune into if you think that there's a chance that they could have hypothermia I definitely read up on hypothermia how to recognize it and make sure you're prepared to prevent that from happening the best that you can be I guess the risk of this could be a little bit higher but the risk is constantly there when you're doing things outdoors so I don't think that it necessarily makes the CDT all-in-all more dangerous those are the main points or fears or warnings that I heard before starting the CDT and I think that it's important to remember that any experience outdoors can be dangerous there are risks involved with anything after you step out your front door and I mean even in your house I don't prefer to live my life sheltered I feel like taking risks and having adventure is is part of living and feeling alive I don't think that it's so dangerous that it can't be somebody's first through hike in fact if you look at halfway to anywhere blog he does surveys for the PCT and CDT each year so in 2018 the year that I hike 20% of the people who started were starting their first through hike on the CDT and if you saw CS or famous in my videos those are two of the folks that were starting their first through hacks and Aaron just to one up it was his first backpacking experience ever and even though the CDT is kind of viewed as the scary trail of the AC PCT and CDT 60% of the people who started last year started alone now I'm not downplaying this trail at all or saying like oh it's so easy it's like a little stroll in the park it is a difficult trail that has its own challenges but I don't think that it's necessarily significantly more dangerous than 80 or PCT but I do feel that it is worth taking some extra precautions like carrying an in reach spot device or personal locator beacon and making sure that you are truly prepared to deal with the elements but I think in the wilderness in general that you can minimize most risk by just using your brain and making smart decisions all right well that is all I have for you all today if you like this video or you enjoy the content of this channel please remember to subscribe that helps more than y'all know and thank you so much for watching and we will see y'all next time

Channel: Homemade Wanderlust

Views: 211,942

Rating: 4.9415135 out of 5

Keywords: travel, hiking, backpacking, hike, gear, adventure, fun, story, Appalachian, Trail, PCT, CDT, thru-hike, Auburn, Alabama, epic, climbing, canyon, national, nature, mountains, update, park, lake, trail, tents, camping, summer, University, Aubie, River, stream, Mountains, National, Scenic

Id: nZMQ50Za25w

Length: 27min 12sec (1632 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 24 2019