Tag Archives: CDT

Mission Accomplished. Made it to Canada, and ran into an old friend!

(September 19, 2018, Canada! Day 115 and 3000 miles)

Well, after 3000 miles and 115 days of hiking, I reached the Canadian border.

All smiles, I had time to dance a little jig.

And then the rain came down and it was time to move on.

Without a doubt, the hardest physical endeavor of my life. And worth every step.

After crossing the border I hitched up to Calgary where I had the pleasure of running into an old friend. A friend I had shared the road with through Sudan, the Central African Republic and Zaire back in the wild late 80s. And a friend who I hadn’t crossed paths with in the subsequent 30 years.

Catching up was the icing on the cake after hiking the CDT.

Below is the final installment of pictures and text. Thanks so much for following along and your support along the way. It meant a lot.

 

Bighorn sheep blockade on the trail. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

Climbing out of a valley field with an inversion. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

And descending into yet another inversion. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

A climb for the future. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

Had a Mexican standoff for a while with this guy on the trail. I was the first to yield. And I have a video to prove it. Check Facebook shortly and you will see for yourself! (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

Headed down from a pass in Glacier National Park. The CDT is visible in the foreground and to the right. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

Fall near the Canadian border. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

Made it! (Selfie by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

Official finishing point. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

THE END! (Of the CDT)

Note from Admin: Knowing Steven “Blast,” he’ll be off on another adventure before his face thaws out.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 110 – Mile 2914 – Bad Ankles, Bears, and Dead Horses

(September 14, 2018, on the CDT Pushing Towards Canada)

Hello all. 100 miles to go. And the CDT is beginning to push back.

There’s a fire up ahead that has closed some of the trails.

The weather has turned cold and snow and rain are in the forecast.

But the biggest obstacle is my right ankle, that has decided it is no longer interested in hiking and swollen up. Thought about going to a doctor but I suspect the diagnosis would be an overuse injury. (Yeah uh huh.) Anyway, I’ve been practicing my one-legged hop and am certain Canada is still reachable.

Here is the latest batch of what caught my eye.

Not too much else to tell. Though I was attacked by a wild animal in my tent. I knew it was bound to happen. About 3 AM I felt something tugging on my feet. Sure it was something that was going to drag me out of my tent I grabbed my bear spray and headlamp to do battle. But the grizzly turned out to be a large toad who had wandered into the tent and was hopping around on my feet. I put the grabs on him and he or she promptly pissed all over my hand and sleeping bag. Which greatly increased the aggressiveness of their departure.

The only other story of note involved water preparation. I filled my bottle out of a creek, added water purification drops and then a little drink powder. Right before imbibing I noticed a 1-inch long sea dragon-looking creature swimming merrily around in my bottle. Apparently immune to water purification drops. After all that preparation there was no choice. The sea dragons death coming when they hit the straining barrier of my teeth. And that’s all from the trail. On to Canada.

A very recent fire. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

The end of a typical day. Time to find a flat spot to pitch the tent. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Fall comes to a cemetery. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

A lean back in my night kitchen. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Apparently the Bob Marshall wilderness is hell on horses. As there are dead ones all over the place. Grizzly bears claim the carcass and hang out gnawing on rotting flesh. And are quite perturbed should you pass nearby. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

(Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

(Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Found a hat on the trail and decided to try out food banditry. Waited for a few hours, but no one came along. Failed criminality is depressing. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

The Chinese Wall in the Bob Marshall wilderness. The wall extends for something like 16 miles. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

The sound of this happening must have rivaled thunder. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Physics-defying wildfire victim. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

A history of northbound CDT hikers. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Getting ready to head up and over. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Grizzly bear poop. Couldn’t see any horse in it. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

The merry-go-round tree phenomenon. For some reason, one in 1,000 trees grows like this. And always reminds me of a ride on a merry-go-round. (photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

This is Steve Halteman, Signing Off from the CDT – Canada here we come!

 

Lincoln, Montana – 300 miles to go

(September 6, 2018, Lincoln, Montana)

I can smell the border. 300 miles to go.

Body is getting grumpy but that is what Alleve is for toward the end.

Lots of fires ahead, but I’m getting quite good at sneaking around them.

With a little luck, I’ll kiss a Mapleleaf in a couple of weeks.

Fall comes to the pine forest. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

History of a wildfire memorialized by the survivors. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

My birthday gift on the day I turned 55. Stumbled upon a 100-year-old wooden railway trestle bridge being taken over by the forest. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

The only remainder of Anaconda, Montana’s famous smelter. The brick masonry smokestack is taller than the Washington monument. At its rim, it is wide enough and strong enough for a Cadillac to complete a circumference. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

My favorite bar in Anaconda. Took my first day off since leaving Rawlins, Wyoming on August 1 in Anaconda. The plan was to relax and relax some more. But my room was over another bar and it was karaoke night. Nothing to do but sing-along from my bed until 4 AM. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Laundry after four days on the trail. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

9 PM bath for a moose. Both of us avoiding a fire up on the ridge. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

What happened when the fish crossed the road? (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

An incredibly labor-intensive fence that tracked the CDT for miles. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Getting ready to hike into an inversion, (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Bone directions to a spring. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Steven “Blast” Halteman, signing off from the CDT!

 

Day 48, mile 1075 (From Salida, Colorado)

Hello from the CDT. Still humping along. In Salida, Colorado now.

Have upped my miles to the 30 to 35 mile a day range.

Almost all the hiking is taking place between 10,000 and 14,000 feet.

The ups and downs can be a bit of a battle. But there is a perverse thrill in throwing yourself at something that seems to have a desire to prevent you from finishing.

Anyway, hope the pics are enjoyable.

Some big sky on the CDT. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Lending a helping hand, er, bicycle. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Can’t help but love the renegades (photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Man in black racing over a 13000 ft mountain at sunrise trying to beat an oncoming storm. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

A forgotten cabin on the CDT that can’t decide which direction to die in. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Old mine boiler which a marmot has claimed as home on the CDT (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Came around a corner on the CDT and looked across the valley. There was a tent where one shouldn’t have been. Scanning left I saw a Subaru hanging over a cliff. When you mindlessly walk 12 hours a day such developments can be startling. 20 minutes later I found Wendy who was waiting her for her boyfriend some 18 miles behind me. Turns out the night before she tried to park and had driven off the cliff. And accomplished something I didn’t think was possible from a physics point of view. The car was literally all resting on one wheel. The other three wheels were in the air. A scissor jack prevented the Subaru from rolling completely off the mountain. It was something to behold. So stunning that I didn’t even bother to take a photo. Eventually Man in black arrived. And together we went into rescue mode. Building rock ramps under each of the three tires and using the scissor jack to slowly leverage the car higher and higher until the point where it was almost level again. Then I got in for the attempted ramp off. Before I made the attempt I turned to Wendy and said this is either going to go very well or very badly. Are you cool with either option. Her response I’m so cool with it. Luckily it turned out well. Our reward was a lovely second breakfast of Pacifico beer, pizza Pringles and grapes. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

The only mirror around on the CDT. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

By the time I got around to the other side of the bookend a forest fire had arrived on the CDT. Hazing the entire area. Not knowing where the forest fire was I hustled down the trail hoping it was behind me rather than in front. Which it turned out to be. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Clear day on the CDT. Passing a neat bookend in the ridge cliff… (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Past avalanche wiping out dead bark beetle trees on the CDT. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Life and injury on the CDT: The slogan of the trail is Embrace the brutality. And sometimes you must do that.
Your choice. Story A. I was dragged out of my tent by a bear. Story B. I was dragged out of my tent by a mountain lion. Story C. I was crossing a steep ice slope in an area called the knife edge in the south San Juan Mountains. I was wearing microspikes and was too lazy to pull out my ice ax. Tried to get across the slope in the early morning hours when everything was frozen. Didn’t work out so well. Ass over teakettle 30 feet until I made the acquaintance of a young pine tree which arrested my fault. Somewhere along the way, my microspikes met my calf. Don’t be too hasty deciding. All are possible.
Luckily my first aid kit, which consists of hand sanitizer, was adequate to address the medical issue. (Self-portrait by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

An entire forest on the CDT killed by bark beetles. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Typical trail cairn that marks your way. Note the dead trees in the background. These were killed by a bark beetle infestation that is devastating the entire region and rolling northward on the CDT. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Moving through some overwhelming landscapes on the CDT that demand you stop and stare. And hoping you don’t you end up lying in the dirt because you tried to hike and stare! Unfortunately, an iPhone is just not capable of capturing them. But when you’re moving through them they can actually make you quite sad because they bring you to your own death and the fact that one day you won’t be able to see such things anymore. (Photo by Steven “Blast” Halteman)

 

Steven “Blast” Halteman, signing off from somewhere on the CDT, until next time. Thanks for visiting and keeping me company on the trail!

Day 39, 860 Miles – Slogging through the San Juan Mountains of Colorado

An update.

Well, the trail has morphed from a desert meander in New Mexico to slogging my way through the San Juan mountains of Colorado trying to find the trail under a bunch of snow and ice.

Hard going.

My daily mileage has dropped to 20 miles a day.

Mostly because of post-holing through wet snow, tree blow downs and navigational mysteries trying to figure out where the hell the trail went to.

All good fun. But taking 12 hours to go 20 miles can make you question the wisdom of such endeavors.

Now in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, waiting for my ice ax when the post office opens tomorrow. And then off for seven days of more of the same and the end of the San Juan‘s.

Hope all is well wherever you all find yourselves.

 

Steven “Blast” Halteman, signing off from the CDT

(Canada is only a couple thousand miles away.)

 

Fence that surrendered

Trail Marker

Find the bird.

Once a homestead

Man in black (trail name) on the move. A guy I teamed up with to make it through this section. Going solo would be a little silly.

 

A pose before heading up and over the mountains in the background.

An example of one of those challenges. You can spot the trail section in the middle of the mountain slope. The snow and ice cover either end. Which makes slipping and sliding all part of the fun. Hopefully nothing permanent. Doesn’t look like much from afar. But when you’re up there on the slope there are times when you must check your shorts.

Always north. Canada only a couple thousand miles away.

Day 27, Miles 750 – Cheated Death Again!

(On the CDT – May 23, 2018)

Well, everything was going along fine.

Which always should be a warning.

And then the wheels came off.

An irresistible side trip was to occur…wait for it…
Bearing points.

Home for the night. So far I’ve only set my tent up once the very first night because of threatening rain. Since then all dry and stargazing.

 

 

Morning trail

A valley to look forward to.

Sand river

A collared lizard. So wild and unused to humans that I put the camera about 3 inches from its head. The only cannibal lizard in the States. Eats other lizards as well as its own.

 

I dubbed it camel rock.

Even the cactus is in the swing of spring.

 

 

Windmill fallen from grace

Typical water source. This one is actually a spring. It was one similar to this that was to take me down.

Following the top of the Mesa

 

Excellent irony

 

Spacing out on a break

Old Indian sweat lodge on the way out of Ghost Ranch

My ambulance (see below).
Note my pack strapped to the top.
Here’s the abbreviated story. So about five days ago I came down with Giardia. Picked up from one of those water sources where I figured it was OK not to treat the water.
Giardia is an intestinal parasite that basically tears you apart inside.
Your belly swells, you constantly burp sulfur. And you projectile shit mustard incessantly. You can’t sleep or hold any water or food in.
After a couple of days wasting away by a stream I began to doubt my ability to hike forward. Which was unfortunate because there was still 70 miles to go to civilization.
I got a little gloomy about my future.
And then I heard a chainsaw in the far distance.
Managed to get up the mountain where two guys were cutting up fallen logs.
In exchange for loading up the trailer and truck with wood I got a ride to Espanola 80 miles away.
Five logs in and then out behind a tree. The two guys couldn’t stop laughing.
In Espanola an urgent care doctor confirmed my diagnosis and the fact that I had dropped 20+ pounds.
But all good now.
Antibiotics, multiple large pizzas and HBO have nursed me back to health.
Back on the trail tomorrow.

 

My ambulance.

 

Avoided.

 

But in Espanola I found my dream camper van. You can still make out “Bus” on the side. Going to make an offer this afternoon. Drop a 350 in it, five speed, 4 Wheel Dr. and put a bed and a little stove in the back. Would be the sweetest touring sugar shack on wheels for Klaire and I.

Found my dream camper van in Espanola.

 

This is Steven “Blast” Halteman, signing off.

See you soon, from somewhere on the CDT.

Day 18 on the CDT, 553 Mostly Solo Miles and Some Interesting Podcasts

(Somewhere in New Mexico, on the CDT, May 10, 2018) Hello all. Still cruising along making good time. Everything seems to be holding together. Physically anyway. Mentally though things have slipped a little. I’ve noticed hours on end where I don’t have a thought. So I’ve taken to late afternoon podcasts. Now listening to a 20 hour dialectic on the origins of World War I. Yes indeed. Have hiked solo the whole way. So far. Haven’t met anyone that matches my approach/pace. But that’s just fine. Hope all is chipper wherever you are.

And, no, I’m not captioning these yet…just some memorable moments along the trail. Enjoy!

This is Steven “Blast” Halteman, signing off till next time. Happy hiking!

 

Day Six of the CDT and a Line for the Bathroom ?!?

It’s Day Six on the CDT and I’m 165 miles in. Only 3000 more to go.

As some or most of you know I’m tackling the Continental Divide Trail.

Heading northbound from Mexico through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. Should take 4 to 5 months depending on a whole hell of a lot. As 3000+ miles is a long way to walk. Took an Amtrak to Lordsburg, New Mexico, and the starting point.

Already seeing some interesting sights:

First hurdle on Steve Halteman’s CDT hike. 3000 more miles to go.

Old school fence on the CDT.

An Italian immigrant living in New York had a vision to come to the desert and hand build a church. Sometime in the 1950s. He picked Hachita, New Mexico, population 36, from a map. Then made his way there. The visionary then spent many a year constructing his stone homage to Christ solo. Christ’s reception was not as anticipated. For three days before the first service was to be held in the almost finished cathedral, our visionary climbed under his truck to check on something. Then was run over and killed when the truck mysteriously slipped out of gear.

In the busy morning hours, there was a line for the outdoor bathrooms on the CDT.

This is Steven “Blast” Halteman on the CDT, signing off!