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Stuck between the JMT and the CDT for my summer trip, went with the JMT but still wondering if I made the right call
I spent like three months going back and forth between doing the John Muir Trail again or trying a section of the CDT in Colorado. The JMT I've done twice before so I know the water sources and where the good campsites are, but the CDT has that whole new experience thing going for it. I ended up picking the JMT because my buddy Dave could only get three weeks off work and the timing lined up better for permits. We just got back last week and honestly it was great, we hit that stretch near Evolution Valley and the weather was perfect the whole time. But now I'm looking at pictures of the San Juans on Instagram and getting that itch. Has anyone else done both and can tell me if the CDT is worth the extra logistical headache?
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the_spencer3d agoMost Upvoted
Buddy of mine did the CDT two summers ago and he came back with this story about getting caught in a hailstorm above treeline near Silverton. Said he had to huddle under this pathetic little boulder for like 45 minutes while golf ball sized ice chunks were bouncing off his pack. He laughed about it later but apparently his tent poles got bent to hell and he had to cowboy camp for three nights before he could get replacement parts in Leadville. He still talks about that trip all the time though, says the alpine lakes in the San Juans made the whole mess worth it. Makes me wonder if the JMT plays it too safe sometimes.
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