Passages Continental Divide Trail Coalition
Volume 14, Winter 2018
connecting the community that supports the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
Executive Director's Letter After a long and busy year of raising awareness about the CDT turning 40 and the entire National Trails System turning 50 years old, we're finally here. On October 2nd, we celebrated the National Trails System’s birthday with the designation of Steamboat Springs, CO, as a CDT Gateway Community, and on November 10, communities from Silver City to Rawlins celebrated the CDT with hikes, happy hours, and even some donuts at the winter Outdoor Retailer show. We’ve taken a lot of opportunities this year to celebrate these amazing milestones, partly because we like cake, but mostly because we wanted to bring the party to all of you as stewards, users, and supporters of the CDT. And this year, there is much to celebrate. We are celebrating the first ever signing of the entire 3,100 miles of the CDT! We are celebrating four new Gateway Communities, and the already existing communities that continue to evolve and grow in their work to support the CDT. With the help of The North Face, we are celebrating nine Community Ambassadors we recruited in New Mexico to help us begin to better connect the CDT to local residents. We’re celebrating more than 200 volunteers and 50 new Trail Adopters, who contributed more than 15,000 hours of work along the Trail! And because of all of your work, we are also celebrating the recognition of CDT stewardship as a model of public-private partnership; it was named one of 15 priority areas across the entire Forest Service trail system. We put 300 thru-hikers on the CDT via the southern terminus shuttle, published a free trail planning guide, and released a map set which has been utilized by over 5,000 people. We published a coffee table book that captures the history of the CDT and tells diverse stories of the people the Trail has affected, even before it was a Trail. Through all of these projects and more, we are sharing why the CDT is better today than it has ever been, and why we are looking ahead to the next 40 years with such hope and excitement! When we formed the CDTC in 2012, we had no idea if anyone would join our movement on behalf of the Trail. We knew that the CDT needed a different kind of organization - one that reflected the values and identity of the Trail itself. The CDT needs an organization that is bold while it displays humility, an organization that plans so it can remain flexible, an organization that’s grounded so it’s able to grow, and most important of all, one that respects the challenges the Trail will present and is able to rise to those challenges, because it does so with its community standing together. As I look back at this past year, I realize we’re doing it - and it belongs to all of us. Thank you for giving us a million reasons to stand up and speak out on behalf of the CDT community, and thank you for your continued support of the CDTC - it’s a we, and we look forward to the next 40 years to come. Now let’s all eat some cake!
Teresa Martinez Executive Director 2 Continental Divide Trail Coalition
Grand Lake became Colorado's 4th CDT Gateway Community this summer. Photo by Dan Roper.
In This Issue 5
Trail Administrator's Update
6
Trail Tidbits
8
Blazing Into History
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Cheers to Volunteers
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Dedicated to the Divide: An Interview with Jim Wolf
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Gateway Community Spotlight: Cuba, NM
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Ask Wizard
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Trail Story: Once You Leave
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Review: The World Is Our Classroom
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The Terminus
Buy Once, Give Twice
CDTC Staff Teresa Martinez Executive Director Morgan Anderson Field Programs Manager Lauren Murray Development Program Manager Amy Van der Kamp Finance Manager Gabriel Etengoff Field Programs Coordinator Dan Roper Gateway Community Coordinator Amanda Wheelock Marketing & Communications Specialist Slide Kelly GIS & Mapping Specialist Rachel Brown Membership Services & Trail Information Coordinator
CDTC Board
Josh Shusko, President Barney Mann, Vice President Kerry Shakarjian, Secretary Chris Nesset, Treasurer Greg Pierce Don Owen Tom Phillips Jo Pegrum Hazelett Nicholas Martinez Arthur Foley Spread Photo: Eric Shaw Cover Photos: Whitney LaRuffa
The Continental Divide Trail Coalition's mission is to complete, promote and protect the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. CDTC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and donatiions to CDTC are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. Visit our website at www.continentaldividetrail.org. Continental Divide Trail Passages is published three times a year for the members of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. Membership begins at $5 per year. Members are encouraged to submit story ideas and photographs for inclusion in Passages to the editor at awheelock@continentaldividetrail.org ďťż
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This season, support the Divide that unites us.
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710 10th Street Unit 200 Golden CO 80401 303-996-2759
Trail Administrator's Update In human years, we joke that turning 40 means you’re “over the hill.” There may be some truth to that, but in CDT years, 40 is just a blip on the timeline. The CDT is a legacy project that will long outlast all of us. Forty years in, the Trail is a connected route from end to end – though many road walks remain – and about 95% on public lands thanks to the hard work and persistence of so many who came before us. The Trail is widely known in the thru-hiking community as one of the esteemed “Triple Crown” trails (along with the Pacific Crest and Appalachian National Scenic Trails). The CDT is also a backyard trail for many communities along the Divide, and hiking or riding sections of various lengths is becoming increasingly popular. The CDT is much more than the tread on the ground and a challenging thruhike, though. The CDT serves as a catalyst to promote public awareness and appreciation of the unique and largely undeveloped landscapes along the Continental Divide. The CDT is a vehicle by which we can help share stories of the Divide – the parting of the waters, the wildlife habitat, the cultures and people who shaped, and in turn were shaped by, the Divide. While the previous four decades were focused on getting the trail on the ground, the next 40 years will be about inviting the public to experience the Trail and sharing stories of the Divide. I am extremely pleased to introduce Taylor Willow, the Continental Divide Trail Resource Assistant, who will be helping us share stories of the Trail and the Divide. A native of Bar Harbor, Maine, Taylor earned her B.A. in Geology at Carleton College in Minnesota in 2013. After spending a year traveling in New Zealand and around the world, she worked in a genetics laboratory, collecting 3D imagery and managing the lab’s massive data output. In August of this year, she completed an MSc in Geographic Information Science at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and is excited to be putting her skill set to use in support of the beautiful CDT. Taylor will be working out of the Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Regional Office here in Golden through August. She’ll be working to upgrade the Forest Service CDT website to include better information and will create a story map to share stories of the cultures, ecosystems, landscapes, and history of the Divide. We expect to have the new website and story map up and running by late spring. Please stay tuned! Since moving to Colorado this fall, Taylor has already braved the snowy Divide to explore a section of the CDT! Photo courtesy of Taylor Willow.
Brenda Yankoviak Continental Divide National Scenic Trail Administrator U.S. Forest Service
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Trail Tidbits CDTC Continues to Grow Thanks to your support, CDTC continues to build our capacity to protect and promote the Trail, and we are currently recruiting for two full-time positions. We're on the hunt for a Marketing, Communications & Community Outreach Specialist, as well as a Policy & Communications Coordinator. The two will work together to tell CDTC's story, advocate for the Trail at state and federal levels, and invite new people and partners to become part of the CDT community. Applications are due December 21 - click here for info!
SILV E R C I T Y, N M
Communities Celebrate the CDT On November 10, communities all along the CDT gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Trail. In Rawlins, WY, Hike Like a Woman ambassador Kimberly Coats led a hike attended by CDT fans hailing from as far away as Indiana! In Colorado, the Gateway Community of Grand Lake hosted a CDT happy hour, while Salida Mountain Sports invited Barney Scout Mann to give a standing room only presentation on his new book, The Continental Divide Trail: Exploring America's Ridgeline Trail. Down south in Silver City, NM, CDT Community Ambassadors Cindy Provencio and Simon Sotello partnered with local organization Nuestro Gila to host a hike that resulted in lots of smiles (evidence provided above). Our National Park Service partners at El Malpais National Monument recruited 20 volunteers for a trail cleanup, and they picked up over 50 pounds of trash along the CDT! Thanks are due to all who organized celebrations cheers to 40 years!
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GOLDEN, CO Teresa Martinez accepts the Partner of the Year award from Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado at their annual banquet. CDTC was recognized for our collaboration with VOC in training CDT Adopters.
"I have walked the many varied routes across the National Trails System, but the CDT remains one of the most special to me: it encapsulates the promise of our public lands, vast landscapes that preserve our wild and scenic treasures for future generations – and for wildlife." -William R Buck, author of the National Trails Guide
19 CDT closures due to wildfires in 2018
53 hikers shuttled by CDTC around the Santa Fe National Forest closure
600 miles of CDT
and alternates affected
42 boxes of candy eaten by Trail
Information Specialist "Wizard" Rachel Brown while assisting CDT hikers and riders with reroutes
BOB MARSHALL WI LDERNE SS , MT The Juliet Fire raged in the Bob Marshall Wilderness for much of August, cutting off access to the famed Chinese Wall via the CDT. Photo courtesy Instagram user and 2018 thru-hiker @rabbithikes.
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blazing into history by Heather "Anish" Anderson and Amanda Wheelock
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photo by David Lingle
I yanked the map out of my partner’s hands and laid the compass alongside it; matching up the topo lines with the ridgelines around us. I turned to face the steep, loose slope covered in scrubby trees and bushes that we’d just half slid, half fallen down. “That,” I pointed at where we’d just been, “was the Divide.” He peered over my shoulder and nodded. Irritated and frustrated, we bushwhacked back up the slope to the open ridgeline above and continued crosscountry along the correct bisecting ridge. It was July 2006, and we were in Montana attempting to hike the Continental Divide Trail from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. Over and over in the few weeks we’d been on “trail” we’d learned that this trip would be nothing like the Pacific Crest or Appalachian Trails that we’d already hiked. Constant attention to our maps and the descriptions in our guidebook were necessary. And, even though we were nearly continuously double checking, we still managed to make wrong turns and get off route almost daily. There were almost no trail markings along the CDT in 2006. I think we saw our first one near Lincoln, MT. More than that, there was also a lack of trail tread in many areas. We simply followed our compass, animal trails, 4WD tracks, or open ridegelines. We celebrated when we arrived in Colorado and merged with the welltraveled and well-marked Colorado Trail. I cried when we had to depart from it and return to our adventurous navigation. 11 years later, I hiked the CDT southbound again. I was amazed at the difference in the trail and in the navigational tools available. I carried Jonathan Ley maps again, updated often since 2006, but I also used the Atlas Guides CDT app on my phone. My partner carried a GPS unit with another track log. We made very few “wrong” turns, although we still struck out on our own, devising our own routes here and there. Mostly, I was amazed at how many signs, trail markers, and how much trail tread existed. On a ridgeline in Montana where I had once plummeted the wrong way through krummholtz, a bootpath marked with cairns led the correct way. Top right: Anish hikes through Wyoming. Photo courtesy Heather Anderson. Above: Old CDT markers replaced by North Fork Trail Alliance volunteers. Photo by David Lingle.
One year later, the Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC) undertook one of their most ambitious endeavors to date: the Blaze the CDT initiative. 9
CDTC staff recruited volunteers from around the country to install the blue-and-white metal signs that indicate the CDT along hundreds of miles of the Trail. In Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, more than 50 “blazers” loaded their packs with hammers and nails. Over the course of the summer, these volunteers installed almost 1200 signs, resulting in a CDT that is entirely marked for the first time in its 40 year history. I started my third southbound CDT hike in 2018 late in the season, in August, long after the other hikers had departed the Canadian Border and after the Blaze the CDT volunteers had been in the field. I had already completed the Pacific Crest Trail and the majority of the Appalachian Trail, as well as the southern half of New Mexico that year. I was on pace to become the first woman to complete the Triple Crown in one Calendar Year—as long as I didn’t get myself lost on the CDT or lose too much time to weather. If I had been impressed with the markings in 2017, I was blown away by fall of 2018. For the first time, the CDT did not just have occasional markings at trailheads or junctions, but it now has consistent confidence markers as well. Montana was flawlessly marked, and much of the rest of the trail had enough markings that you at least knew you were on trail at any given junction. The CDT has gone from a line on a map to a marked trail on the ground in 12 years. It’s an incredible transformation thanks to the incredible work of the CDTC and its dedicated volunteers, many of whom traveled hundreds of miles from home to be a part of CDT history by blazing their own little piece of the 3,100-mile trail. The CDT is still a wild place, with many options and route choices. Only the official corridor is marked, meaning that many of the primary alternates still require navigations. Despite the frequency and placement of the markers, it’s still essential to carry maps and/or a GPS/App (some combination of the two is best). The beauty of having one marked route is not necessarily that it removes the choices or the navigation, but that it takes the trail to the next stage. It’s a concrete trail now, with many variables and options for explorations radiating out of it. This increases the opportunities, not just for thru-hikers, but for other users who want to experience the diversity of Divide Country. The trail unites these myriad routes into a corridor ripe for anyone to experience.
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Blazers hit the Trail in Montana and New Mexico. Photos by Neil Martin (top left) and Rebecca Stevens (above).
Heather "Anish" Anderson became the first woman to complete a calendar year Triple Crown as well as a triple Triple Crown when she hiked into Grants, NM, after walking the Continental Divide, Pacific Crest, and Appalachian Trails since March 1 of this year.
Drink in the adventure.
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Cheers to Volunteers! by Gabe Etengoff
photo by Jonathan Contreras
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S we move into winter, we here at the CDTC have put another field season to bed. In 2018, we hosted adopter trainings and volunteer projects everywhere from Silver City, NM, to Helena, MT, and volunteers hit the Trail on their own for what was arguably our most exciting volunteer effort to date - Blaze the CDT! CDTC staff organized and led nine volunteer projects along the CDT that ranged from rerouting the CDT to remove a roadwalk in Montana to doing some much needed corridor improvement and brushing in the Gila National Forest. Dedicated volunteers braved intense heat, smoke from wildfires, and long days, resulting in 5,683 hours of volunteer labor valued at almost $140,000! Volunteer trips are about more than just swinging a Pulaski or grubbing at cat’s claw. During projects, volunteers enjoy some quality food, Colorado Native beer and a cozy fire (when fire restrictions allow, of course). Part of building a strong CDT community and volunteer base comes from the relationships and connections we make during volunteer projects.
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Giving volunteers an opportunity to experience the Continental Divide Trail in a way that leaves a lasting impact is one of the main goals of our field programs. As federal land management budgets continue to shrink, our agency partners’ capacity for routine trail maintenance is waning. Brushing, corridor and drainage improvement tend to fall by the wayside when prioritizing trail projects.
CDTC joined forces with Montana Conservation Corps for a CDT relocation.
The CDTC Trail Adopter program aims to bridge this gap by training and utilizing passionate trail users to scout, maintain and report on the trail conditions in their area.
And last but not least, for the first time in history, the CDT is blazed! 50 volunteer blazers marked almost 350 miles of the Trail this summer. This project was special not only for its historic significance, but for the diversity of volunteers who helped out. Because volunteers could be trained online and could blaze their section whenever best fit their schedule, blazers included thru-hikers, corporate groups, and folks hailing from as far away as Oregon and Wisconsin! Thank you to everyone who helped make this tremendous undertaking a success and preserve the Trail for generations to come.
This year, the CDTC put considerable effort and resources into growing our Trail Adopter program, in large part by hosting more adopter trainings. We recruited and trained 42 new adopters who will maintain 265 miles of the CDT, which means that, as of this writing, over half of the CDT has been adopted! If you are interested in adopting a section of the CDT, visit our website to find out more information.
Gabe Etengoff is CDTC's Field Programs Coordinator. When not leading volunteer trips along the Divide, he can be found hiking, taking his labrador retriever to the dog park, or playing video games at his house in Denver.
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Dedicated to the Divide: An Interview with Jim Wolf
Jim Wolf knows the stories of the CDT and its evolution better than anyone, in no small part because he played an integral role in them. Known fondly as the "father of the Continental Divide Trail," Wolf founded the Continental Divide Trail Society in 1978, and has dedicated much of the past four decades to the creation, improvement, and protection of the CDT. From testifying to Congress on behalf of the Trail to writing the first series of guidebooks for the Trail, Wolf's contributions to the CDT are many. Earlier this fall, 40 years after the Trail was designated by Congress, CDTC Executive Director Teresa Martinez spoke with Wolf about his legacy. 15 ďťż
Teresa Martinez: When did you first visit the Divide? – and hiked from the Canadian border to Lincoln, MT, in 1973. As planned, I kept detailed notes of my trip. Jim Wolf: My first experience on the Divide was a Those notes eventually became the first guidebook in summer trip, about 1965, with several friends from the series I published with Mountain Press in Missoula. the Pittsburgh Climbers. We spent about a week in the Wind Rivers in Wyoming, in the Mt. Bonneville area, TM: During the period before 1978, did you always have hiking and climbing. faith that the CDT would eventually be established, or was there the thought that Congress would decide it TM: When did you first hear about or envision a trail wasn’t worthy of National Scenic Trail designation? traversing the Divide? How did you get involved with efforts to create the CDT? JW: I never feared that Congress would fail to find the CDT worthy of designation, mostly because I was not JW: I don’t know when exactly, but I did think about aware of ongoing efforts to consider the establishment it while I was hiking the AT in 1971. After completing of a Continental Divide Trail until 1976! But once I the AT, I thought about the feasibility of a Continental learned about the Congressional review, I traveled to Divide Trail. I consulted maps and tried to visualize D.C. to testify on behalf of the CDT before the House possible routes. Next, I began planning an initial trip Subcommittee on National Parks and Recreation.
"And, most important, [the CDT hiker] will have developed an appreciation of his closeness to the land and his obligation to pass its treasures on to future generations.”
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Gannett Peak, in the Wind River Range, is Wyoming's highest point at 13,810'. Photo courtesy Jim Wolf
TM: What was testifying in front of Congress like? JW: It was actually a very pleasant experience. The Subcommittee chairman, Roy Taylor of North Carolina, was the only member of Congress present! I had a prepared statement with me, which I was assured would be placed in the record (and in fact it is in the published report). I then began my testimony by reference to my hike of the Appalachian Trail. I stated that it prompted me to “include an activity of hiking as an important part of my own personal development, and during the past three summers I have spent a great deal of time hiking in the West, specifically for the purpose of scouting the Continental Divide Trail… I was distressed perhaps by what I perceived to be the slow pace of activity under the Trails System Act, and it seemed to me that I perhaps could be of some assistance by taking some initiative and going out and seeing for myself what is there. During this period, I have hiked now from the Canadian border, essentially south to Rawlins, Wyoming, the southern part of Wyoming, leaving aside what is I know one of the most spectacular areas, the Bridger Wilderness, which I hope to complete this summer. So it is on the basis of very detailed experience that I can inform you that the Continental Divide Trail at least in the states of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming already exists. I think it is time and appropriate now for Congress to consider once again the designation of this outstanding pathway as a national scenic trail. I hope that my being here will help to lead in that direction.” A brief colloquy followed in which I surmised that the federal government would have a greater role with respect to the CDT than it has for the AT “because so much of the land is federally owned.” I also commented on the importance of the role of private citizen groups. My prepared statement concluded with: “The [CDT] hiker will have enjoyed a great variety of landscapes, mountains, forest, and grassland. He will have observed an abundance of wildlife and profuse wildflower displays. The history of America – the days of Lewis and Clark, westward migration, mining, peaceful and hostile contacts with the Indians – will have been brought vividly to mind. And, most important, he will have
Jim Wolf stands at the CDT's northern terminus at Waterton Lake in the 1970s. Photo courtesy of Jim Wolf. developed an appreciation of his closeness to the land and his obligation to pass its treasures on to future generations.” TM: Why did you form the CDTS? JW: The reasons were indicated in our mission statement – “ To help in the planning, development, and maintenance of the CDT as a silent trail and to assist users in planning and enjoying their experiences along the route.” The first part of the mission relates primarily to participation in Forest Service and other governmental organization plans and actions. There is no doubt that speaking on behalf of many users of the Trail was far more persuasive than if I’d spoken as an individual. The second part of the mission – assisting users – can best be done if there is a list of individuals to whom this information can be directed.
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TM: Do you have a favorite place on the CDT? JW: There are too many to pick just one! Some of my favorite places aren't on the designated route. Of course there are the places everyone loves, like Glacier National Park and the Chinese Wall in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana, or Cirque of the Towers and Green River to Island Lake in Wyoming. But some of my favorite areas are less famous Henrys Lake in Montana, Elwood Pass to Blue Lake in Colorado's South San Juan Wilderness, the Ignacio Chavez Wilderness Study Area in northwestern New Mexico, and the Florida Mountains, to name a few.
in 1978, the completion of a Comprehensive Plan for the CDNST in 1985, the dedication of Chief Joseph Pass in 1989, and the formation of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition in 2012. I have a lot of proud moments, the first of which is my appointment to and participation in the CDT Advisory Council and all of the opportunities I’ve had to support the CDT in public settings. There have also been many successful appeals to agency actions along the Trail, like prohibiting motorized vehicles on the Trail segment south of Monida, MT. I was also very proud when the Continental Divide Trail Society reached 200 members from all across the United States, Canada
While somewhat distant from the official CDNST route, New Mexico's Florida Mountains are stunning. Photo courtesy of Jim Wolf. TM: Looking back over the past 40 years – what are the and Europe, and of course I’ve been very proud of the moments that feel the most significant? That you’re commendations made by hikers, organizational and most proud of? That you never expected? agency officials, and others regarding our planning and management of the Trail and providing reliable JW: Some of the most significant moments in my eyes information to the public. Most of all, I’m proud to have been the publication of the Trails for America be a spokesman for the CDT as a silent trail. A special report endorsing the designation of the CDT, the initial thanks to Yogi for her handbook’s advice to “get ALL publication of Guide to the Continental Divide Trail Wolf’s guidebooks … you need this information if you in 1976, of course the official designation by Congress have the slightest desire to stay found on the Divide.” 18
TM: What has been the most rewarding part of directing CDTS?
Trail. This is proceeding despite our efforts to relocate the Trail farther west, where the turbines would be blocked from view by an intervening mountain. Other challenges which were harder to anticipate relate to the environmental impacts of climate change, such as early snowmelt which reduces water availability in summer and results in dry forests and fields. This combined with higher temperatures has increased the frequency and severity of fires, necessitating Trail reroutes, impacting scenery, and affecting water quality and wildlife.
JW: Aside from all of the proud moments, some of the most rewarding aspects have been the friendships I’ve made with CDTS members as well as other trail leaders - especially through the Partnership for the National Trails System and the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. It’s also very rewarding to have a sense that in the years of my retirement, I have contributed to hikers’ enjoyment of high-quality scenic and primitive hiking opportunities, and helped with the TM: How do you envision the CDT in another 40 years? conservation of natural and historic resources. TM: What challenges did you anticipate, and which ones have taken you by surprise? JW: One set of challenges, things we always knew would happen, arises from proposals to carry out projects that will interfere with the natural setting of the Trail because of visual or sonic intrusions. One example is the construction of a thousand-turbine wind farm on GearAid-CDTC-Newsletter-Ad-OL.pdf 1 a mesa south of Rawlins, WY, about four miles east of the CDT, where many turbines will be in view from the
JW: With sensible and effective policies and actions to control global warming, I believe the CDT can avail itself of its opportunities and attract long-distance and sectional hikers at many times their current numbers, enjoying scenic landscapes and weather conditions quite similar to what we have today. However, I do not discount the severity of likely environmental challenges11:53 that could so impact the Trail as to hurt its 7/18/18 AM attractiveness and use. Let us hope for, and work for, the better outcome.
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Gateway Community Spotlight: Cuba, NM by Dan Roper
CUBA NEW MEXICO
A CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
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ARLIER this year, a group of stakeholders from Cuba was awarded a Rural Pathway Project grant by the New Mexico Tourism Department. This grant will help them promote outdoor recreation-based tourism in the Cuba region, and the Continental Divide Trail will be a central part of their efforts. With assistance from the New Mexico Tourism Department, they are working to promote trails and outdoor recreation opportunities around Cuba, as well as cultural and historic sites that appeal to the adventure traveler. The purpose of the Rural Pathway Project is to assist tourism stakeholders within New Mexico in developing profitable tourism products. Central to the Cuba project will be the development of a professionallydesigned regional trail map highlighting opportunities for hiking, biking, equestrian use, and other outdoor opportunities on public lands around Cuba, as well as installing new kiosks and signage that direct visitors to the trails. Local stakeholders hope to brand Cuba as
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GATEWAY COMMUNITY an outdoor destination and attract more visitors from around the region in future years, as well as create a more welcoming environment for thru-hikers. The CDT passes directly through Cuba and is a critical resupply point for long-distance hikers and horseback riders. Cuba is also an important stop-over for bikers along the Great Divide Route, an off-pavement bike route which runs from Jasper, Alberta, to Antelope Wells, NM, and at times parallels the CDT. In addition to the CDT, the local Cuba Ranger District of the Santa Fe National Forest has over 200 miles of trails and forest roads open for exploration, and the Rio Puerco Field Office of the BLM has millions of acres of public lands open to dispersed recreation. By highlighting the surrounding public lands, trails, and cultural sites, Cuba locals hope to attract adventurous travelers seeking outdoor experiences. The new trail map and other materials are expected to be available in summer of 2019, just in time for the hiking season.
Things to See and Do on Your Next Visit to Cuba □□ Hike the CDT north from Los Piños Trailhead into San Pedro Parks Wilderness Area, where you can enjoy lush vegetation, rolling mountaintops, spectacular scenery, and abundant wildlife in remarkable solitude □□ Grab a bite to eat at El Bruno’s Restaurant, a local favorite featuring classic New Mexico style Mexican fare like pollo con chile verde and carne adovada □□ Explore off-trail in dispersed recreation areas managed by the BLM, like the San Juan Badlands and Ojito Wilderness Area
Cuba sits in the midst of diverse ecosystems. North of town, the CDT passes through the lush San Pedro Parks Wilderness, while hikers heading south will find the stunning cliffs of Mesa Portales. Photos by Matt Berger (left) and Whitney LaRuffa (right).
□□ Stretch your legs on the Fisher Trail, a two mile round-trip just off Highway 550 with some neat rock features □□ Stay at the Rebel’s Roost campground, popular with thru-hikers, and grab a cup of locally-brewed coffee from the Juicy Jitters coffee stand Dan Roper is CDTC's Gateway Community Coordinator. He lives in Silver City, New Mexico, with his favorite adventure partner, Lady the dog.
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THE SPUR SOCK
Show your love for the CDT. Donate today at continentaldividetrail.org/donate
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ASK D R A WIZ
Trail Information Specialist, professional dogpetter, and answerer of the CDTC phone Rachel "Wizard" Brown is here to answer your burning questions about all things CDT. Dear Wizard, I love to backpack, but the first day on the trail always throws off my internal rhythm. Do you have any tips for maintaining regular bowel movements out on the trail? Looking forward to your reply, Hoping for a Poo in MT
Dear Wizard, I really want to hike the CDT, but I hate deserts. When will there no longer be deserts on the CDT? Can you text me directly when that happens so I know the best time to get on the trail? Thanks, The Guthook
Dear Poo, This is a pretty common problem. Make sure that you’re hydrating properly, both before you head out on your trip and during the trip itself. You can also try a mug of “Smooth Move” herbal tea to move things along. (Disclaimer: I am a wizard, not a doctor. If you are experiencing poop-related pain you should get that checked out by a real professional.)
Dear The Guthook, Jump on the CDT immediately! It’s a great trail to change your mind about deserts. Start your hike in Silver City and head north. The official CDT winds its way through the Black Range, featuring pinon pines, junipers, and plenty of solitude. With careful planning, water is not too much of a concern. Or you could hop on the Gila alternate, and trek through the river canyon. Skip up north a bit to Grants, and hike over Tsoodzil. You’ll have some murky cow ponds to drink out of, but it’s worth it for the view. As you head north you’ll hike through beautiful red-rock mesa country, then up into the San Pedro Parks Wilderness, featuring some beautiful alpine meadows. Hike back down to the Chama River Canyon and through the Ghost Ranch area, where Georgia O’Keeffe found inspiration. Up in Wyoming, the Great Divide Basin beckons with wideopen vistas and herds of wild horses.
Dear Wizard, How many thru-hikers start the CDT, and how many actually finish? Sincerely, Disquisitive Dean Dear Dean, In 2017, about 250 prospective thru-hikers started the trail. About 85 folks reported to CDTC that they completed a hike in 2017. However, not everyone who finishes the CDT lets CDTC know, so the actual completion rate is likely quite a bit higher. Each year we have more and more aspiring thru-hikers. We estimate between 300-325 hikers started the CDT in 2018 - a huge jump from 2017!
Of course, if none of that speaks to you, that’s okay. There’s nothing that says you have to hike every foot of the CDT. You can cherry-pick sections, hike in environments you know you’ll enjoy, and still get a great CDT experience. Wizard out.
Got a question that needs answering? Submit it to Wizard at info@continentaldividetrail.org
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once you leave by Dean Krakel 
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R
AIN is falling in this small pocket of southeastern Utah’s slickrock country. Flashes of lightning illuminate the tent, wind roars across the cliffs. The canyons are dense with echoing thunder. Boom! Boom! BOOM!!! Under the quilt I’m fully dressed—just in case the crack in the rock I’m camped beside decides to flash flood. This night is so wild, scary, miserable and wonderful it makes me smile. It’s just like being back on the CDT. A month ago, late September, I stopped moving north on the Continental Divide Trail. I’m still dealing with the personal fallout from that decision. Restlessness has brought me to the desert as a way of sorting things out.
But the other part of me, the really tired and really cold part, knew the journey was over. Winter was coming. CDTers in Glacier National Park were already post-holing through snow. I had no desire to continue marching through grizzly bear nation alone. Nearby wildfires had cast the landscape in a weird kind of apocalyptic haze. I was weary of breathing smoke. Time to go home. The hardest part about leaving the trail was giving up on the dream that Morgan “Storm” Dzak and I shared. Storm and I had spent a year planning this adventure along the Great Divide. For months, we’d done little else but train, eat, sleep and breathe the CDT. My small Colorado house looked as if a gear shop and grocery store had exploded into the living room. On April 14th, we put our dream into motion on the Mexican border in the heat-blasted, waterless bootheel of New Mexico and began hiking to Canada, 3000 miles away.
By fits and starts I’d made it through Wyoming’s Wind River Range and camped as far up the CDT as Heart Lake in Yellowstone National Park. A big part of me wanted to push on. I felt strong and happy on the trail. Best of all, I’d finally gotten my food dialed in! Nothing had actually prepared Storm or me for walking
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When we say “we sleep in the dirt”, we mean it.
Somewhere around mile 150 during the Big Agnes thru-hike of the Colorado CDT
Photo by Devon Balet
Learn more about our CDT thru-hike at 27 bigagnes.com/bordertobackyard
the Continental Divide Trail. We hadn’t thru-hiked the Pacific Crest or Appalachian Trails. The longest hike I’d done was the 500-mile-long Colorado Trail. This was Morgan’s 4th ever-backpacking trip. By CDT standards, we were babes in the woods on this vast wild goddess of a trail – so much to learn, and a steep and unforgiving curve to learn it on. Fewer than a hundred hikers complete the CDT in a season. Storm and I intended to be among them. Looking back, I’m not sure prior hiking experience on the PCT or AT would have helped us all that much. The CDT is unique, such a different beast than its long distance sisters; so big and beautiful, so remote, high and rough, so filled with alternates and navigational complications, so extreme in weather, with vast scorching deserts and vast freezing snowfields, innumerable stream crossings, forest fires, lightning storms, unpredictable grizzly bears, ill-tempered moose, and roads. Lots of roads. The CDT puts every backcountry skill to the test, takes every ounce of strength, finds all your weaknesses and faults. The CDT scoffs at plans, shatters expectations, alters reality and changes your stance with the world.
were bounced around by wildfires, smoke and snow, slowed down by injuries and illness and so rocked by life events that our hike lost momentum. After Rocky Mountain National Park, our trail partnership faded into a slow dissolve. Our splitting up didn’t result from anger or angst. Without so much as one cross word, for more than 100 days we’d shared an amazing path, seen and experienced so much together, weathered so many good times and bad times. We parted as if we’d come to yet another fork in the trail and quietly decided to go our separate ways. Reentry into the non-CDT world after Wyoming wasn’t easy for me. I couldn’t just stroll off the trail, go home and pick up where I’d left off five months ago. I wasn’t the same person anymore. But the new me still had sacks of unopened mail, a depleted bank account, a canceled debit card, unpaid bills, social security, Medicare and unemployment woes, world news and traffic to deal with. There wasn’t any euphoric “I’d finished the CDT” post-hike high to coast along on. The infamous post-trail blues hit almost immediately.
While I was in Wyoming, I had an opportunity to rent Storm and I had a few crises of purpose in New out my house in Conifer, Colorado, and move into a Mexico, but our commitment to the hike didn’t truly much smaller living space in Crested Butte. My advice? waver until we were in Colorado. In Colorado we Never move during a long hike.
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After living out of a pack and making do with so little for so long, having so many possessions didn’t make sense anymore. Furniture, utensils, coffee mugs, plates, books, shoes, shirts and ties – who needs any of it?! I rented two dumpsters, filled them to the brim, gave stuff away, packed the car with essentials, mostly gear, and headed back to the trail.
No matter how far removed I am from the CDT, I still think about it all the time. Would I think about the Divide so much if Morgan and I had finished? I wonder sometimes. I don’t feel a sense of failure as much as I feel incomplete. It’s as if there’s a hole in my heart where walking the CDT used to be and I can’t fill it back up anymore.
Crested Butte has been a better place to decompress than Denver. At night I can see the dark silhouette of mountains, listen to elk bugle and coyotes howl. Still, it’s hard to stop moving. I have trouble sleeping inside. I prefer a sleeping bag to bed sheets, wear a headlamp at night instead of flipping light switches. Refrigerators and pantries and eating nearly anything I like anytime I want – well, that’s really nice. Clean water on demand is pretty cool. Toilets are wonderful but I still like pissing outside. My hiking clothes – just about the only clothing I kept – are patched with tech tape and leaking down. Fortunately, I fit right in among the locals.
How do you bounce back from the greatest adventure of your life? Gratitude, I think. I’m grateful for every thing and every experience the CDT gave me. Even the hardest of times were the best of times, if that makes any sense. I’m certainly a better hiker now. I’d like to think that the trail made me a much humbler, kinder, stronger and wiser person. The people I met along the way in towns, on the highways and byways, the amazing generosity of strangers – it all renewed my faith in humanity. The new friends I made and the old friends I reconnected with, some after decades of absence, will always be with me. My memories of the trail are as sharp as if they happened yesterday.
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Because Morgan and I were CDTC ambassadors, I wrote to CDTC’s Executive Director, Teresa Martinez, about my decision to stop. Her response is worth sharing.
Your experience is just as valid as anyone else's. You have let the CDT affect you, change you, beat you up, and also nurture you. And now your life is ready to go forward.
“Too often, people get so caught up in the journey that they don't realize it isn't always blue skies and fast miles. It really isn't about finishing. It’s about having the experience and having that experience be real and about you and what you need, versus touching a monument. And it’s about sharing your real experience with the goods, the bads, and all that is in between. It’s about the transformation that happens and how you go from there. The CDT journey is more about passing through our very personal ‘rites of passage’ and when we emerge from the other side the world looks different. That is what the journey is about- what you do once you leave the Trail. Who does it make you, and how does it shape the way you see the world now.
It’s not just about the finish.” Amen. By midnight the rain has stopped in my corner of canyon lands. Leaving the tent, I walk around shining a headlamp on the washes around camp. One’s damp, the other’s trickling water. No flash flood tonight. Stars are coming out. An almost full moon is playing hide and seek among clouds. Today is my birthday. I’m 66. I think I’ll take a hike.
Dean Krakel is a freelance photojournalist and hiked as a CDTC trail ambassador in 2018. When he isn't living in a tent on a trail somewhere, Dean makes his home in Crested Butte, Colorado. You can see more of his work at deankrakel.com.
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S H O P N O W AT W W W. AV E N T U R A C LO T H I N G . C O M
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LEVIT Y | LUMINA
You k no w w ha t is n’t c ool? S u f f er ing for the wrong reasons. Suf fering t h r o u g h p h y s i c a l c h a l l e n g e s ? T h a t ’s cool. Suf fering because your pack h u r t s ? N o t c o o l . S o w h e t h e r y o u ’r e p l a n n i n g o n d o i n g t h e L o s t C o a s t Tr a i l in a weekend or setting a blistering p a c e o n t h e Tr i p l e C r o w n , w h y n o t take an ultralight pack that feels good on your back? Af ter all, nothing weighs more than pain.
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buy once, give twice A portion of the proceeds of each of the products below is donated to CDTC, so this holiday season, you can give a gift that will put a smile on your loved one’s face and support the CDT at the same time!
Point6 Okay, so this isn’t a product – it’s an entire brand! Thanks to the new One Small Step program, when you make a purchase at point6.com and use the code OSS-CDTC at checkout, 20% of your entire purchase gets donated to CDTC and YOU get 20% off! That’s right, save the trail and save some money at the same time. Best of all, once you’ve entered the code once, you’re part of the program forever – you get the discount and CDTC gets a donation for any future purchases you make as well! Check out their brand new line of base layers or their tried-and-tested CDT crew socks, pictured at left.
ENO CDT Edition Doublenest Hammock ENO’s hammocks are renowned for their comfort and durability, and their Doublenest has room for two, or makes for a spacious spot for a solo nap. For each special edition CDT hammock they sell, ENO donates $10 to CDTC as part of their efforts to support the protection and management of our wild places. Better yet, if you donate $250 or more to CDTC before 2019, you’ll receive your choice of ENO Doublenest hammock for free! Click here for details.
REI Trails Collection This summer, REI and Brooks Running launched a new collection of gear to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System. 5% of your purchase from the collection will be donated to organizations that support our National Scenic Trails, including CDTC. In addition, Big Agnes created a line of sleeping bags inspired by their local section of the CDT, the 1101 Trail, and is donating $2 from each bag sold to CDTC. Named after lakes and creeks along the CDT near Big Agnes headquarters in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, the bags – the Victoria and Katherine for women, and the Dumont, Upper Slide, and Newcomb for men – are available exclusively at REI stores and on their website.
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The Continental Divide Trail: Exploring America's Ridgeline Trail Whether your loved one is an aspiring Triple Crowner or more of an armchair explorer, they’ll love this beautiful book exploring the history and future of the CDT. While we can guarantee it’ll look fantastic on your coffee table, this book is so much more than decoration. It features never-beforeseen historical photos, stories of CDT trailblazers (in the figurative and literal senses of the word), and an in-depth look at the state of the Trail today and what could be to come in the next 40 years. Published in conjunction with CDTC, The Continental Divide Trail: Exploring America’s Ridgeline Trail is part of the award-winning trail series by Rizzoli Publishing, and if you purchase it in our store, CDTC will receive $15 per copy to help us protect the Trail.
INTRODUCING THE NEW MICRO SQUEEZE™ • Weight: 2 ounces • Fast flowing with the NEW, softer 32oz Squeeze Pouch which is half the weight of a standard Sawyer 32oz Squeeze Pouch • Filters up to 100,000 gallons
Visit sawyer.com/micro to learn more 34
Six Moon Designs Merino Shirt Six Moon Designs’ new merino wool National Scenic Trails shirt, which comes in men’s and women’s styles, was designed in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System. Show your trails pride with this rockin’ design that states “I Support America’s National Scenic Trails.” Six Moon Designs is donating ALL of the profits from these shirts to trail organizations – be sure to select “CDTC” as your trail club when you purchase! Get the shirt here and use coupon code “trails50” for free U.S. shipping. *While we can’t guarantee that this is the softest shirt you’ve ever hiked in, merino sheep have been bred for their soft wool for centuries, so it’s probably true. Of course, you can always head to CDTC’s online store to find all the CDT products your heart could desire – hats, pint glasses, trail blazes, guide books and more. All of the money we make from items sold in our store gets put directly back into our programs to complete, promote, and protect the CDT. Happy gift-giving, and happy holidays!
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Review: The World Is Our Classroom by Rachel Brown
T
HE World is Our Classroom opens with a scene on the Continental Divide Trail. Young Sierra has found a beaver dam. Sierra, her younger brother Bryce, and their parents watch in wonder as the beaver appears and slaps its tail. This encounter, and many like it, taught Sierra and Bryce about wildlife and ecology. Author Cindy Ross and her husband Todd raised their children as the book’s title says: with the world as their classroom. Each chapter of this book highlights a different type of experience and how it helped the children learn and grow. In the chapter “Learning from History,” Ross highlights a trip the family took in a covered wagon along part of the Oregon Trail, and how it brought to life the experiences of settlers like Laura Ingalls Wilder. In “Learning from Wild Animals,” Sierra and Bryce help perform a necropsy on an elk infected with meningeal disease, giving them a hands-on lesson in anatomy and wildlife biology. Ross also used travel and firsthand experience to teach flexibility and adaptability, perseverance and self-reliance, respect for other faiths, and respect for other cultures. The experiences and adventures described in The World is Our Classroom might seem unobtainable to many readers, but Ross includes a section in each chapter listing resources for other families to achieve similar goals. Whether the reader wants to assist their child in finding a volunteer opportunity, hosting an international exchange student, traveling abroad, or working with local wildlife research or rehabilitation efforts, Ross includes suggestions, organizations, and helpful tips. Excerpts from Sierra and Bryce’s journals and essays are included in many of the chapters, so the reader gets powerful accounts of the impact of these experiences. The book is illustrated beautifully by Ross’s son Bryce, in a style that feels like it would fit perfectly in a storybook about an adventurous child.
Ross's family explored the CDT by foot and by llama. Photo courtesy of Cindy Ross.
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Whether you’re interested in education and child development, travel and adventure, or both, The World is Our Classroom is an enjoyable read that provides lots of food for thought about the positive impacts of travel, adventure, and handson learning.
Rachel Brown is the CDTC Trail Information Specialist and an avid reader. No, really, she reads literally hundreds of books every year. It's very impressive.
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CDTC Supporters Members are the core of our organization and its efforts to protect the Continental Divide Trail. By being a member, you support the protection of the CDT and our work to build a broad-based community of people who love and support the Trail. Thank you for your continued support!
Charter Members CDTC Charter Members helped build the base of support necessary to help launch CDTC's efforts in 2012. CDTC owes an incredible debt of gratitude to these important supporters. Rex Alford & Alice Pierson Gene Allen Vince Auriemma Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club Mark Bankey Chris & Sanne Bagby Mike Bates Susan Bates Lyndon Berry Jim Boeck & Vivian Wilson Jerry & Helga Bell Scott Bischke & Katie Gibson Paul Breed Bob Brewer Jerry Brown Chris Burke Kevin Burns Jeremy Burton Clare Cain Elisabeth Chaplin Paul Corbeil Carolyn Crump Mike Dawson David Dolton John Dufour Bob & Shell Ellinwood Dianne Evans Brian Fahlstrom 38
Allen Filson Mark Flagler Arthur & Denise Foley Dana Foulks Sara Glasgow Paul Griffith Lawton Grinter & Felicia Hermosilla Tambi Gustafson Jim Hansman Frank & Jean Anne Haranzo James Harrold Tim Hart Jack Haskel Deb Hayes Josephine Hazelett Jesse Hill James Hlavaty Olivia Holmes Thomas Holz Nancy Huber Peter Karnowski 2013 FB CDT Hikers/Lisa Karst Matthew Kaufmann Karen Keller Copper Kettle Brewing Christine & Brad Klafehn Duane Koss
Dick Kozoll Robert Kristoferitsch Whitney LaRuffa David Lattier Kevin Linebarger Rebecca Louden - Louden Family Foundation Reese Lukei Paul Magnanti Lydia Mahan Barney & Sandy Mann Bryan & Sally Martin Alex Martinez & Family Nicolas Martinez Teresa Martinez Chris McMaster - ULA Equipment Gary Monk Janie & Randy Moore Peter Necarsulmer Jean Neely John & Lisa Nelson Jim O’Brien Pat O’Donnell Shane O’Donnell Stephen Olson Richard Ostheimer Don & Amy Owen Taylor & Nancy Owen
Greg Pierce Brad Pierson Bill & Debra Pollick Bruce Prior Miguel Quinones John Rowland Erin Saver Carlos Schomaker Kerry Shakarjian Steven Sheppard Josh & Lisa Shusko
Mal Sillars James Sippel Dave & Sandy Slowey Chris Smith Morgan Sommerville Steve Staley Philip Storey Rebecca Sudduth & Daniel Weber Robert Sylvester George Szeremeta Michael Tam
Olli Tam Avelino Tamayo Don Thompson Kathy Trotter Daniel Weber Gary Werner & Melanie Lord Scott Williams Bernard Wolf Mike Wollmer Bill Youmans Tim Zvada
CDT Explorers
CDT Explorers support CDTC with donations of $100 or more. We wish to thank the individuals below for the generous donations they have made between August and November 2018.
$100-$499 Tracy & Edward Alton Jillian Ardrey Doug Ball Elizabeth Bealle Jason Becker Andrew Bidwell Ronald Bloomfield Debra Brown Larry Brown Rogene Buchholz Kevin Burns Roger Carpenter Daniel & Ilene Cohen Mike & Karen Conroy Garrett Cotham William Dahnke Brian Deames Philip DeHoyos
Jodi Deller Mike Duran Jim Eagleton Sarah Edwards Evan & Kim Ela Michael Elliott Mark & Patty Filstrup Gary Finley Karl Ford Diane Gansauer Cory Godwin Philip Goulding Larry Graham Charles Grant Lee Gruber Ira Hale Patrick Hale John Hall Shelby Hallmark Mark & Erica Hammer
Will Hammond Robert Hart Mike Henrick Jason Henschen Jane Hlavaty David Hoffman Anitra Kass Ray Klahne Dick Kozoll Bart Lami Kevin Landgraver Jack Latham Lora Zimmerman Lattanzi Duncan Legg Bruce Leiding Matthew Lenarz Jeanne Leske Jason Levins James Liebman ďťż Marilyn Logan
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CDTC Supporters $100-$499 (continued)
$500-$999
Karl Luce Tom McCollum Kirk McWethy Kristine Mol Jim Moody Elizabeth Morton Lynne Mosbaugh Barbara Nash Michael Natter Kirk Nelson Gigi Obren Brett Parendo John and Sue Pearson Karen Peterson Carol & Jim Pierce Alice Pierson Steven Powell Ashley Ravestein Steven Reneau Murray Rice Jerry Rock John Rowland Marsha Rutledge PB Schechter Slade Scott
Kerry Shakarjian Mal Sillars Marianne Skeen Chad Skinner Dr. Porter Storey Rebecca Sudduth Michael Sydlaske Peter Talluto LeRoy Taylor Susan Tondreau-Dwyer Gretchen Walker Jill White Wendy Wicke Charles Wilson Lesilie Wilson Wally Wininger Bernard Wolf Michael Wollenberg Nicole Wooten
Lon Cooper Jim & Dorothy Grimshaw Rhonda Lowe Ted Mason Pat O'Meara Dave Osborn Tom Phillips Margaret Rice Benjamin Thomas Lynn Uhring Donald Wellmann
$1,000-$9,999 Josephine Hazelett Barney & Sandy Mann Nicolas Martinez Bill Murphy Gage Ridder Douglas Rosenow Jim Sielski Francis Siracusa
$10,000+ The Lasky-Barajas Family Fund
CDT Sustainers CDT Sustainers help us protect the Trail all year long by giving monthly donations. Join them by signing up on our website for as little as $5 per month! Elizabeth Beall Sara Bishop Rich Blitz & Melinda Bise James Boatwright James Crawford Don Dearborn Sara Edwards Cecilia Fiske Robert Flynn
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David Fockler Andine & Richard Gilmore Bryan Martin Teresa Martinez Tony Mason Charles McKenney Dan McLean Steve Meyer Mark Mitford
Lauren Murray Rose Napier Gerald Nielson Greg Osilka Steven Reneau Steve Revier Vivian Wilson & Jim Boeck
Thank You! ďťż
We make a collection of trail shoes — including the Brooks PureGrit 7 Continental Divide trail-running shoes, and their sale benefits the trail, too.
PureGrit 7
Cascadia 13
Caldera 2
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Available at
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CDTC Supporters CDTC is also supported by a variety of businesses and corporations who provide monetary and in-kind donations to support the CDT. For more information on how your company or business may collaborate with CDTC, please contact Development Plan Manager Lauren Murray at lmurray@continentaldividetrail.org. We wish to thank the following businesses for supporting CDTC as members and corporate sponsors in 2018.
Business Partners Corporate Partners
Explorer
Scout
Pathfinder
Adventure Medical Kits CleverHiker Fourpoints Bar Gear Junkie Gregory Mountain Products MHM Gear Otterbox Point6 Ruffwear RxBar Vargo Triple Crown Coffee Zuke's
Altra Atlas Guides Aventura Backpacker's Pantry Buff Darn Tough Duke's Meats Gear Aid Gossamer Gear Granite Gear Montbell PrimaLoft Sawyer Toaks Outdoors Vapur Wyoming Tourism Yeti
Brooks Colorado Native Deuter ENO Hydro Flask Hyperlite Mountain Gear Leki Osprey Vasque
Print Project Managers RaceNM Soulcraft Brewery Triple Crown Hostel Twin Lakes General Store UGQ Outdoors
Vital Outdoors Western Riviera Lakeside Lodging & Events YarCom Inc.
Trailblazer Big Agnes REI
Business Members Bode's Mercantile City of Rawlins Joshua Tree Skin Care High Lonesome 100 Mountain Toad Brewery Pinon Real Estate
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These generous companies have partnered with the CDTC to help us complete, promote and protect the CDT. We wish to thank the following companies for supporting CDTC from August - November 2018.
Trailblazer ($25,000+)
Explorer ($5,000-$24,999)
Pathfinder ($1,500-$4,999)
Scout ($500-$1,499)
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FORTY ISN’T OLD IF YOU’RE A TREE. 44
But for a trail that’s as grand as the CDT, it’s a birthday to celebrate. Hyperlite Mountain Gear is proud to be a corporate partner of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition – the stewards of this fantastic route through some of the most gorgeous landscapes in the country. Thanks for everything you do!
The Terminus P
EOPLE say a lot of things about the CDT. “Snow.” “Grizzly bears.” But mostly they say, “You’ll get lost.”
When I arrived at the Mexican border, I was a little surprised to see a trail. It snaked casually into the sagebrush, an underwhelming embodiment of the years I spent dreaming, saving, and making spreadsheets. Within sight was the first blaze, mounted like a road sign between wiry cacti and red-tipped ocotillos. It wasn’t long before the trail faded into a whisper and then nothing. Another hiker pulled up beside me. “There’s no trail!” he gasped. I could see another blue sign glinting in the sun. I dodged sagebrush and scanned the sea of sand for the next one. It was a game. I was not in the habit of relying on GPS (pro tip: it’s a backup), but I had fallen into the trap of relying on RightOn’s footprints. He was the only hiker wearing Cascadias, and as his name suggested, he always knew the way. So I kept my eyes on the insignia in the dirt. But it was growing dark, and I hadn’t seen them for a while. According to my paper maps, I had missed a turn. I engaged my backup and saw that I was about two miles offtrail. I ran, or at least the closest approximation with a pack. When I reached the turn and saw the CDT blaze on a tree, I wanted to hug it. And then came the San Juans. It wasn’t that the trail was bad - it was just buried under feet of snow. But the faithful blaze popped its head out, just visible on the waist-high carsonite posts. Someone had graffitied them with stickers reading Don’t Tread On Me - which I found ironic, since that was exactly what I was there to do.
Photo: Amanda Goldstein
But the worst was in Idaho - or was it Montana? We hopped off the rollercoaster ridge and strolled down a dirt road, lost in conversation. By the time we realized, it was too late. The boys wanted to bushwhack. So we left the road and practically slid down to a much-needed water source, then argued about whether to climb towards the trail or follow the stream down to the valley. Since we had a fair amount of separation anxiety, climbing won. The slope was steep enough that I had to dig in with my toes, and with each step I cried out in pain and frustration. Bushes ripped at my leggings and broken tree limbs pierced my calves. “It would have been faster to backtrack!” I yelled, tears burning in the creases of my eyes. “How much longer?!” “Long!” called Anvil from somewhere up above. But in just a moment the slope rounded off, and there was Anvil, standing with his arms folded next to a tree with a blaze. “Surprise,” he said. Sometimes you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone. Before the very end in Glacier, the C-arrow-D vanished. My friend and I talked about tattoos; he said he wanted his with nails, like his skin was a tree. I don’t know if he got it. I didn’t. Two years later I still have a scar on my shoulder, and my left knee hurts when I kneel. Sometimes I drive from Denver for a day or a weekend, and follow blazes the color of bluebird skies. I say a lot of things about the CDT. “Yes, there was snow.” “Grizzly bears.” “I got lost.” And I joke about finding myself, and smile in a way I don’t smile about much else. Jenny Gaeng is a CDT hiker and community organizer. You can read more of her work here. “The Terminus” is a column from guest contributors from all across the CDT community. To 45 submit a column (600 words or less), email communications@continentaldividetrail.org.
GO LONGER, GO LIGHTER
WWW.VASQUE.COM 46
@VASQUEFOOTWEAR 
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Continental Divide Trail Coalition 710 10th Street, Suite 200 Golden, CO 80401 (303) 996-2759 email: info@continentaldividetrail.org www.continentaldividetrail.org
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