Well, after a crazy year of COVID-19 for all of us, I’m super excited to say that I’m officially headed towards the southern terminus of the CDT and ready to “Embrace The Brutality” on a large section hike of the trail this summer! I’ll be starting at “Crazy Cook” at the U.S. / Mexican border and going north to Rawlins, Wyoming roughly covering half of the trail or 1,505 miles. Due to some already planned obligations for 2021, I was unable to attempt a total thru-hike this year, but felt the need to go ahead and get a jump on the CDT and continue working towards completing my Triple Crown at this point. I figured breaking it up into two sections and completing it the following summer wasn’t a deal breaker for me.

I’m flying out of the Chattanooga, TN this evening to Tucson, AZ where I’ll spend one night and catch a Greyhound Bus on Tuesday to Lordsburg, NM. That should be fun. I don’t think I’ve been on a Greyhound Bus since the 1960’s. I will be spending the night in Lordsburg before catching a shuttle ride on Wednesday morning to the border and the southern terminus of the CDT. Since my start time is in May instead of mid April like most hikers, it should make hiking through the high country of Colorado much easier and more fun not having to deal with the snowpack and the extra gear weight that I would have needed by leaving in April.

For now, I’m only planning to do a couple of blog updates while out on the trail this summer. I’m going to focus on enjoying the journey more and spending less time trying to find a library with a good Wi-Fi connection. However, the map, trail stats, and my Garmin inReach location link over in the margin area of this blog will get updated often. If you’re ever curious to see where I am and what I’m seeing, feel free to check it out. My exact location will be password protected, but all my family and friends are welcome to get the the password by simply asking either Mary or me. My map tracking and location is scheduled to be turned on around 9:00 a.m. (Mountain Time) on Wednesday, May 12th. It should track me every 30 minutes on the map. The red trail line provided on the Explore Garmin map is just one way to hike the trail. You will quickly notice that the CDT offers lots of alternate routes that can be taken. You can also request my location at any given time during the day. My inReach will be turned off at night to conserve power. My inReach satellite device does not have a phone number assigned to it. An inReach can only send SMS (text), email or inReach messages.  If you’re interested in sending me a text message, see below. 

To send me a text you will need to reach me through MapShare Messaging (a password is required…see above).

It’s been  busy the past couple of weeks visiting with friends, family, river rat buddies and my B3 (Buck Bald Brewing) gang saying bye for the summer. The grand finale was my niece’s wedding this past weekend. Congratulations to Taylor and Kody Parker, I wish you guys the very best! Stay young at heart and enjoy your journey and all the life adventures you can stand.

My spirits and fat reserves are high, but it’s time to burn those fun calories away and crush some miles walking. I’m really looking forward to getting back to that Hiker Trash life style. Anyway, many thanks to all those who have wished me well on my journey.  It’s greatly appreciated! Cheers to all for a great summer! See you in August!

Happy Trails!