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Note that the CDT is a somewhat different animal from the PCT and AT. Unless you're certain that you want to do it as a single-year thru-hike, you might consider doing it in two big pieces, half or so one year and the rest the next. It's tough enough as it is without having to deal with lots of snow and dangerously high creek crossings; by splitting into two years you can really mitigate that aspect.



After reading this response I hopped over to the forum on white blaze.net and read a couple similar posts you have written. Suddenly, a lot of what you said and why you said it made a lot of sense; and I am both so grateful and appreciative of how your wisdom reflects in these posts/conversations. I have had just a bit of the snowfield experience when I was out exploring PCT trail but was not set up for a hike at that time, was just curious what it was like so drove out to near trailhead to check it out. Perhaps your assessment of a PCT hike first makes sense on a bunch of levels.... Something else you wrote really encouraged me as well

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It's another advantage of having hiked one or two long trails before the CDT: you build up a network of friends/acquaintances that you can hopefully start hiking with. I personally wouldn't want to start a long trail with someone that I hadn't hiked with, or at least hadn't been sort of vouched for by someone that I know.

This may be the best reason as I agree wholeheartedly, even to the part about doing it alone. I really enjoyed my time out there like that and thus it is a good assessment to really have someone you feel or know is worth having along the trek.
So now it becomes a matter of patiently waiting to acquire time availability and perhaps some updated gear beforehand and the mental prep that I may do both of these trails as the opportunity comes and to just savor the time until then because once I read into the CDT....I was really really excited at the description and perhaps it would be something that could be split into a couple trips if timing makes a thru hike difficult. I just know it is something I would like to experience and complete.
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"We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained."
--Marie Curie