Help me plan my 2.5 week mini-thru!

[Tyler H]

Hey BPLer's!

I'm seeking the sage advice of this wise community to help me fill a block of available time. I'm taking a new job and I'll have 2-3 weeks off between May 4 – June 4. Given I rarely have this much time off, I'd like to fill it with a challenging and fun hike. A mini thru-hike if you will (aka a section hike?).

I'll be moving from Utah to Idaho so something in the intermountain west or southwest would be ideal. I plan to hike ~15 miles a day for ~18 days, so looking for a trip of 200-300 miles.

Some ideas:
-Hayduke or a portion of
-Southern section of PCT or CDT

I've never done a hike of this duration or distance, but I have done a whole lot of smaller trips, my gear is pretty dialed in, and I've wasted way too many hours reading trip reports and strategies.

Live vicariously through me and help me plan an epic walk!

[Tyler H]

saturday mid-afternoon idea bump?

What's a good springtime trail you've wanted to do?

I'm now thining Superior Hiking Trail. Snow-free, relatively easy, good distance for 2 or so weeks on trail.

[Jamie Estep]

Have you hiked in the cascades before? Only reason I ask is that they are a different animal than the rockies. Coming from growing up at 9,000 in Colorado, I was blown away by the difficulty in putting down miles in WA.

You're biggest problem is going to be snow pack which could be substantial in Oregon or Washington. I would be hesitant to try anything major in the cascades or olympics in May/June, at least not the length you're talking about.

I'm assuming you're referring to continental divide trail (CDT). You would probably have better luck in Colorado. CDT or cutting a huge chunk off the Colorado trail might be possible since it's such a bad snow year.

Edit, missed your other trail idea. It would probably be a better bet at this time of year. Colorado may still be possible, but you would need some decent trail reports to confirm.

[Tyler H]

Yeah, I've hiked in the Cascades, which is why they are not an area I'm considering.

I mentioned the southern section of the PCT, meaning hot and dry southern Cali. I may look into a southern section of the CDT as well, but I don't have a good plan for shuttling.

[Author]

Posts