Over the summers of 2021 and 2023 I hiked the Continental Divide Trail from Canada to Mexico. This is a collection of my favorite images from the trail.
The First Big Day - 2021 Day 7: At 26 miles, this day was going to be ~11 miles longer than my longest day up to this point, and it involved going over two mountain passes, so I hit the trail really early (5:00 AM) and got rewarded with this really cool scene as I was leaving camp.
Limited Visibility - 2021 Day 17: I had to deal with several days of smoky air during my 2021 segment, mostly in Montana. It was often frustrating for trying to get views and pictures, but occasionally it would make for a cool picture, as in this scene.
Fire Detour - 2021 Day 33: This picture was taken on a fire detour I took in southern Montana, which took me out of the mountains and through the Big Hole Valley. Although it was a bummer to be out of the mountains, there were still some cool scenes in the valley.
The Green Tunnel - 2021 Day 44: There was lots of walking through forest along the CDT, but I love how this spot in particular evoked the sense of walking through a tunnel, complete with the light at the end of the tunnel.
Frosty Start - 2021 Day 47: One of the less enjoyable parts of this adventure was getting up and packed on a cold morning, and frost was a good indicator of a cold morning. Although it was a bit depressing to wake up to frost, it did provide for some neat scenes.
Beat the Weather - 2021 Day 54: I went faster than I would prefer through this beautiful area to try to get over some passes before bad weather hit. It was a bummer to rush through a beautiful area, but it was nice to get over two mountain passes before the bad weather hit.
Rollercoaster - 2021 Day 70: The CDT was often an emotional rollercoaster. Frustrated with rain. Loving magical moments like this. Demoralized by a really hard climb. Thankful for my trail family. All within about 24 hours.
Flower Power - 2023 Day 3: One of the cool things about hiking from Canada to Mexico was seeing all the different plants (the flowers in particular). It seemed like I was always seeing a flower I hadn’t seen before. It amazed me to see flowers surviving at such high elevation.
Leapfrog - 2023 Day 8: Shortly after taking this picture I ran into a bike packer at the top of the ridge. We ended up leapfrogging each other throughout the day, which was quite comical.
Peaks and People - 2023 Day 11: Where this picture was taken, the CDT is co-located with the Colorado Trail (CT). The combination of scenery and camaraderie while the two trails ran together made it a special segment, and I was sad to split from the CT in southern CO.
Exposed to the Elements - 2023 Day 23: A lot of the CDT is exposed, which can make it quite stressful and miserable when the weather gets inclement. Shortly after taking this picture, I set up camp just in time to shelter from a thunderstorm with heavy rain and close lightning.
Peeking Through - 2023 Day 32: This was one of the more miserable days on trail due to strong winds, but the early morning sun peeking through between the mountains and the clouds made for an awesome scene as I was climbing out of this valley.
Solitary - 2023 Day 37: This tree is a great representation of what I had felt for much of the CDT. In general, the CDT is a very remote trail with not much traffic, particularly compared to the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail. It allowed for lots of reflection and contemplation.
Transition - 2023 Day 58: Desert became more prominent and forests less prominent as I made my way through New Mexico, and I had to be more mindful of where the next water source was. Not my preferred hiking environment, but the diversity was neat.
