cdt sobo

How to time travel and a hidden brewery on the CDT

How to time travel and a hidden brewery on the CDT

I smile, thinking about the first few weeks in Montana. All the forbidden foods that feel justified on a thru hike: cookies and gummy bears, ice cream, peanut butter cups,...

Jan 17, 2025 : Speedy Pinecone
The Gila – please schedule your breakdowns

The Gila – please schedule your breakdowns

The canyon feels too alive after dark. I hear animals splashing across the river nearby, their movements echoing off the cliffs. Then, something ventures too close to my camp. I...

Jan 7, 2025 : Speedy Pinecone
CDT: the nicest farmer in all of New Mexico

CDT: the nicest farmer in all of New Mexico

I glance at the horizon, where the sky blushes faintly as the sun dips lower. What if I keep going? Past the terminus, past the expectations? Plenty of thru hikers...

Jan 2, 2025 : Speedy Pinecone
CDT: 50+ mile days and the boulder boys 🍝

CDT: 50+ mile days and the boulder boys 🍝

"I make sure my wife always has one with her too. You can, just like this...", he mimics a quick swing through the air, the rusty blade cutting a jagged...

Dec 24, 2024 : Speedy Pinecone
CDT: be gentle with me, New Mexico

CDT: be gentle with me, New Mexico

Back in the summer, I would have been nervous - three armed men in the wilderness while I hiked alone was a scenario that once unsettled me. But months on...

Dec 21, 2024 : Speedy Pinecone
CDT: heartbreak and relief, good bye Colorado

CDT: heartbreak and relief, good bye Colorado

I don’t get upset when no car stops. Not today though. Today I’m cold, I wanna get my chores done and head to the state border. Bye bye, Colorado. I...

Dec 20, 2024 : Speedy Pinecone
CDT: bees and the worst day on trail

CDT: bees and the worst day on trail

“Good!” the other one. I don’t know if they’re truly this cheery coming down the mudslide I’m trying to go up or if they’re just wildly amused by my appearance....

Dec 18, 2024 : Speedy Pinecone
CDT: San Juans, the best is yet to be hiked

CDT: San Juans, the best is yet to be hiked

Magic, the San Juans are pure magic. Within minutes, the storm unleashed itself. Hail began to fall, bouncing and skittering across the rocks like mischievous spirits. The wind picked up, sharp...

Dec 16, 2024 : Speedy Pinecone
CDT sidequest El Dorado: Argentine Spine to Mount Elbert

CDT sidequest El Dorado: Argentine Spine to Mount Elbert

Slowly, I make my way up through the dark forest before the trail climbs above tree line. A faint violet shimmer on the horizon, sunrise. There’s no one else around,...

Dec 11, 2024 : Speedy Pinecone
Day 67 – 72: Colorado, it’s a crowd out here

Day 67 – 72: Colorado, it’s a crowd out here

The surrounding peaks, once towering and majestic, now looked like humbled giants from here. Colorado has become a playground. The world beneath folding into a patchwork of valleys and rocks,...

Dec 9, 2024 : Speedy Pinecone