[cdt-l] back from 2001 hike

[cdt-l@mailman.backcountry.net (Jeffrey Olson)]

Thanks Jonathon. I look forward to more of your experiences and wisdom!

Jeffrey Olson
Laramie...

Jonathan Ley wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> Well, I finally made it.  Let out a couple "wahoo's!"
> and hung with the boys at Antelope Wells.  I'm back on
> the list.  Are there any other 2001'ers out there?
> (there are only a handfull anyway & a bunch of them
> are still hiking).  I hope to provide as much info as
> I can to 2002 hikers (but I'm not going to subscribe
> to that other list).  If anyone out there has any
> questions about anything, I'm pretty fresh off the
> trail... I plan to post some unsolicitied advice/info
> as well.  A few tidbits:
> 
> I started on June 15th & had no problems with existing
> snowpack up north.  The snow was about 60-70% of
> normal.  I only needed an ice-axe for about 20 yards
> of crossing the Ahern Drift - chopped steps, etc.
> That's a short distance, but there's really no way
> around it & it would be very dangerous to cross in
> early season without one.  Of course, you could take
> another (official) route through GNP and avoid the
> drift altogether.
> 
> I'd recommend using the CDTS/Jim Wolf guidebooks,
> especially if you're headed south.  There are a few
> places where the other guidebooks WILL get you lost -
> There simply isn't enough detail in them & the trail
> is unmarked in those places.  It would help to have a
> good topo map for those bits, but the trail isn't
> always on those either...
> 
> I had pretty decent weather the whole way.  Plenty of
> thunderstorms in July/August, but they never lasted
> long. I got lucky & had no lightning in the few places
> in MT/ID where cover is miles away in any direction.
> Got 8 inches of snow in No. Colorado on Sept 8th, but
> it was a fluke somewhat & cleared.  I just got out of
> the San Juans before a nasty cold front came through
> around Oct 10-12th (I think).  I talked to someone a
> week behind me & he had knee-deep snow there. yikes!
> 
> In NM, I followed the CDTS route to Grants, then made
> my own route to pie town (more details later), had no
> problems hitching to reserve - plenty of traffic.  The
> trails in the northern Gila are not good.  There is a
> designated route along the divide (which I followed
> for a little while), but it appears to be nothing more
> than tree blazes - 0 tread & lots of nasty
> bushwhacking & no water.  I followed the Gila river
> for longer than most do & it was a treat, although my
> exact route would probably be impassable in the
> spring.  I had no problems with water in any of NM.
> My water either came from towns/businesses/hunters or
> stock tanks.  The lack of surface water in the fall in
> NM didn't matter. I hiked about 27-30 mpd in NM and
> had a max capacity of 4 liters, although I rarely
> needed it. Weather in NM was 60-75 & p/c skies
> generally.  Very pleasant for walking.
> 
> -Jonathan
> pct 99
> cdt 01 <--- yeah!
> 
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