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CDT Ultra-Extended Edition

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So it begins! Fast Cash and Mango let us on to their permit for Glacier National Park and we got to spend a delightful week with them as a result. | Chief Mountain Customs, MT 6/22/22 Day 1

Noisy passes a ranger station corral in the Belly River Valley. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/22/22 Day 1

Crossing the Belly River with Sentinel Mountain in the background. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/22/22 Day 1

Noisy crosses the Belly River suspension bridge. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/22/22 Day 1

Unbeknownst to her, Noisy flashes all left in her wake thanks to her dress getting snagged on her ice axe. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/22/22 Day 1

Dawn Mist Falls roars with fresh snowmelt. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/22/22 Day 1

Noisy admires Dawn Mist Falls. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/22/22 Day 1

Redgap Pass, aptly named. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/23/22 Day 2

Noisy crosses a snowy slope, an obstacle common in the park after the unusually snowy winter season. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/23/22 Day 2

Fast Cash makes his way to the Piegan Pass approach trail, which we never even used since it was snow covered most of the way up. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/24/22 Day 3

The only indication we were on the right track to Piegan Pass. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/24/22 Day 3

Mango expertly fords Cataract Creek. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/24/22 Day 3

Mango and Fast Cash begin the ascent to Piegan Pass. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/24/22 Day 3

Noisy takes advantage of some welcome bare ground. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/24/22 Day 3

Mango, Fast Cash and Noisy admire the splendor of Mt. Gould. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/24/22 Day 3

Fast Cash, stoked to nearly be on the pass. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/24/22 Day 3

The view from Piegan Pass down the Siyeh Valley. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/24/22 Day 3

Fast Cash makes his way through a burn area moments before we came upon a woman in medical distress that required our assistance. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/25/22 Day 4

After we lost some time helping a woman in medical distress, Mango and Noisy enjoy the speedy views a hitch in a pickup bed provide. Little did we know, a spilled bottle of bleach was eating away at all of the fabric that covered Noisy's backside du

A family of Mountain Goats momentarily halted progress on the climb out of Two Medicine. | Glacier National Park, MT 6/25/22 Day 4

Mango and Fast Cash hitch out of East Glacier to slackpack back into town from Maria's Pass. | East Glacier, MT 6/26/22 Day 5

Mango and Fast Cash, disappointed they will be unable to pack out a 50lb sack of potatoes. | Maria's Pass, MT 6/26/22 Day 5

Noisy works on restoring her badly hurt foot at Looking Glass Basecamp. | East Glacier, MT 6/27/22 Day 6

Noisy and Avon play rubber horseshoes on a rainy afternoon at Looking Glass, our basecamp while piecing our way through the park. | East Glacier, MT 6/29/22 Day 8

Noisy accidentally becomes a dirtbag spectacle while reorganizing in front of an interpretive sign. | Maria's Pass, MT 6/30/22 Day 9

Noisy and Dig scramble through the jungle gym of blowdowns that plague The Bob. | Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT 6/30/22 Day 9

Dig stops for a sit in one of the few pools of light that broke through the dense forest. | Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT 6/30/22 Day 9

Noisy and Dig pose during dinner in a grizzly-safe location away from camp. | Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT 6/30/22 Day 9

Believe it or not, the trail is somewhere in there. | Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT 7/3/22 Day 11

Only $25 for an illegal kill? | Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT 7/3/22 Day 11

Gonzo, Dig and Noisy wait out a rainstorm on the porch of an unoccupied ranger cabin. | Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT 7/3/22 Day 11

Camp beneath the Chinese Wall. | Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT 7/4/22 Day 12

A favorite snack of mine: a log of sausage dipped in nutritional yeast. | Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT 7/4/22 Day 12

The Chinese Wall sees its first light after a storm rolled through the night before. | Bob Marshall Wilderness, MT 7/5/22 Day 13

Dig and I were given a hitch in the only free space these cowboys had: their empty (but well used) horse trailer. | Benchmark, MT 7/5/22 Day 13

Noisy and Dig enjoy the final moments outside before yet another rainstorm sent us into our tents for the night. | Scapegoat Wilderness, MT 7/7/22 Day 16

Dig races to camp as a rainstorm rolls across the Continental Divide. | Scapegoat Wilderness, MT 7/8/22 Day 17

Noisy poses while visiting my tent during a break in the storm. | Scapegoat Wilderness, MT 7/8/22 Day 17

One of many cliff bands along the Divide. | Scapegoat Wilderness, MT 7/9/22 Day 18

A well maintained CDT sign. | Lewis and Clark National Forest, MT 7/9/22 Day 18

A work-in-progress yurt provided shelter from a storm, followed by a lovely sunset. The mice, however, were less than lovely. | Helena National Forest, MT 7/9/22 Day 18

Noisy walks the Divide just before dropping down to Rogers Pass. | Helena National Forest, MT 7/10/22 Day 19

An unplanned trip to Lincoln, MT yielded some Rainiers that we hauled back to Flesher Pass where we then spent the night. | Helena National Forest, MT 7/10/22 Day 19

Noisy poses in the evening light atop Flesher Pass. | Helena National Forest, MT 7/10/22 Day 19

Dig proudly wears last nights brews on his pack. | Helena National Forest, MT 7/11/22 Day 20

Another Continental Divide ridgewalk. | Helena National Forest, MT 7/12/22 Day 21

An exhausted Dig filters water at a cow trough fed by Dana Spring. | Helena National Forest, MT 7/12/22 Day 21

Noisy catches some rays while brushing her teeth before bed. | Helena National Forest, MT 7/12/22 Day 21

Dig reorganizes his overstuffed food bag. | Helena National Forest, MT 7/12/22 Day 21

Noisy shakes off the relentless mosquitos while packing up her tent. | Helena National Forest, MT 7/13/22 Day 22

Mayor Mary of Whitehall, MT graciously allowed us to sleep in the town hall garage before starting the Big Sky Alternate of the CDT. | Whitehall Town Hall, MT 7/19/22 Day 28

Dig and Noisy try to get into the Montana spirit by pirating a copy of Brokeback Mountain. | Whitehall Town Hall, MT 7/19/22 Day 28

Noisy and Dig enjoy sunset from the comfort of our new home in the Whitehall town garage, graciously provided by Mayor Mary. | Whitehall, MT 7/19/22 Day 28

The Tobacco Root Mountains, the first range crossed on the Big Sky Alt, and surprisingly beautiful! | Tobacco Root Mountains, MT 7/20/22 Day 29

Noisy swiped my camera for a portrait of me. | Tobacco Root Mountains, MT 7/20/22 Day 29

Another one of me, this time building a fire to kill some time until sunset around 10:30. | Tobacco Root Mountains, MT 7/20/22 Day 29

Noisy enjoys a rare thru-hike fire. | Tobacco Root Mountains, MT 7/20/22 Day 29

Hollowtop Mountain, one of the many dramatic peaks of the Tobacco Roots, and far more interesting than most of the peaks on the primary CDT. | Tobacco Root Mountains, MT 7/21/22 Day 30

Dig spearheads the hitch out of Ennis, MT. | Tobacco Root Mountains, MT 7/22/22 Day 31

Noisy working the blowdowns on a bushwhack. | Gallatin National Forest, MT 7/22/22 Day 31

Noisy strolls across a high meadow after a grizzly encounter. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/22/22 Day 31

Noisy scrambles up a rocky spine to a good view. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/22/22 Day 31

Noisy atop a rocky outcropping just before topping Anceney Peak. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/22/22 Day 31

Noisy, back on the cross country walk to Anceney Peak. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/22/22 Day 31

Noisy escapes the mosquitos at Chiquita Lake. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/22/22 Day 31

Noisy navigates a talus field above Marcheta Lake. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/23/22 Day 32

Marcheta Lake as seen from Marcheta Pass. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/23/22 Day 32

Noisy strolls back to good tread after a stretch of cross country. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/23/22 Day 32

The Spanish Peaks and Lakes as seen from above Lake Solitude. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/23/22 Day 32

Lower Spanish Lake at sunrise. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/24/22 Day 33

Noisy admires the spendlor of Beehive Lake and Peak before scrambling up and over the pass on the left. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/24/22 Day 33

Noisy peers out from the top of Beehive Pass. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/24/22 Day 33

Noisy enjoys a small patch of grass, a far more enjoyable descent than the loose talus. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/24/22 Day 33

Noisy does a little skiing on her way down from Beehive Pass. | Spanish Peaks, MT 7/24/22 Day 33

A petrified wood specimen found on the side of Eaglehead Mountain. | Gallatin Petrified Forest, MT 7/28/22 Day 37

A ridgewalk above Onion Basin. | Gallatin Petrified Forest, MT 7/24/22 Day 37

Noisy is a bit of a fiend with the olive oil, believe it or not this is a light portion for her. | Gallatin National Forest, MT 7/28/22 Day 37

Fortress Mountain as seen from our campsite on Ramshorn Lake. | Gallatin National Forest, MT 7/28/22 Day 37

Noisy tries her hand at hitching US-287. An unexpected closure due to a carcass on the trail (and subsequent grizzly activity) forced us to turn a 14 mile hike into a 70 mile hitch. | Yellowstone National Park, MT 7/30/22 Day 39

It seems I need my gallbladder removed! My first ever ambulance ride took us from Yellowstone to the Livingston, MT Hospital, where I was then discharged at 2:00am after they determined I had no life-threatening ailments. Since we had no car, much l

Lone Star Geyser early in its eruption cycle. We made a point to watch the whole event, which was really quite spectacular. Since the typical National Park visitor can't be bothered to walk more than a few hundred feet, we had it all to ourselves! |

Noisy warms up in a welcome ray of sunshine after a turrential downpour. | Yellowstone National Park, WY 8/3/22 Day 43

Ferris Thermal Area, home to Mr. Bubbles, one of the few places in Yellowstone that soaking in hot springs is allowed (or safe!). | Yellowstone National Park, WY 8/3/22 Day 43

Noisy heads back from Mr. Bubbles, surrounded by thermal pools. | Yellowstone National Park, WY 8/3/22 Day 43

Noisy relentlessly tries to hook a branch for her bear hang. | Teton National Park, WY 8/4/22 Day 44

Noisy channels her inner farmer in the evening light on the shore of Jackson Lake. | 8/4/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 44

Noisy, excited to finally be in camp after a day of chores. | 8/4/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 44

Noisy heads into the clouds on the Moose Divide. | 8/5/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 45

Noisy made the dire mistake of leaving her shorts and socks outside on a wet night. If only I had gotten a picture of her face when she had to put them back on! | 8/6/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 46

Green Lakes Basin between storm cycles. | 8/6/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 46

Relentless rain left nothing dry. | 8/6/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 46

Leigh Canyon, a cross country alternate we put together for the views and extra scrambling. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 47

Noisy enjoys the views Leigh Canyon provides as the storm finally rolls out. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 47

Wildflowers near the floor of Leigh Canyon. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 47

Noisy drops into Leigh Canyon. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 47

Noisy on the talus lined shores of Mink Lake. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 47

Noisy crosses wildflower filled tundra before the scramble up to the Paintbrush Divide. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 47

Mt. Woodring as seen from the Paintbrush Divide. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 47

Drying gear atop the Paintbrush Divide after a very rainy few days. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 47

The Grand Teton, as seen from Cascade Creek Canyon. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Park, WY Day 47

The rim of the Alaska Basin as seen from the Teton Crest Trail. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Forest, WY Day 47

Noisy waits for dinner to rehydrate on the shore of Sunset Lake. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Forest, WY Day 47

Noisy with a ground score tent pole repair splint, even though she doesn't use tent poles. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Forest, WY Day 47

Sunset at Sunset Lake. | 8/7/22 Grand Teton National Forest, WY Day 47

Sunrise in the Alaska Basin. | 8/8/22 Grand Teton National Forest, WY Day 48

The view from the Sheep Steps. | 8/8/22 Grand Teton National Forest, WY Day 48

PCT pal Diesel (middle) let us take over his garage for a couple of days while we were in town. | Jackson, WY 8/8/22 Day 48

Dale and SquarePants joined us for the Wind River High Route, which was a truly spectacular but very stormy week. Nonetheless, these fellas helped make one of the most incredible weeks of the hike even better! | Wind River High Route, WY 8/11/22 Day

Wouldn't you believe it, another storm rolls in at sunset. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/11/22 Day 51

SquarePants enjoys the last few feet of trail before the Wind River High Route went cross country for most of the next 90 miles south. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/12/22 Day 52

Looking south into the heart of the Winds from No Mans Pass. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/12/22 Day 52

Noisy and Dale make their way up Downs Mountain, the northernmost 13'er in the Winds and the highest point on the Wind River High Route. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/12/22 Day 52

Iceberg Lake, Sourdough Glacier and Klondike Peak. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/12/22 Day 52

Noisy, proud of herself for discovering the only flat and rock free ground next to Baker Lake. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/12/22 Day 52

Dale whips up some cold coffee during an alpine start. We had to get most of our distance done before 12:00 since the afternoon thunderstorms were sketchy at best, and just made for a miserable time. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

Dale enjoys coffee at first light before dropping down onto the Dinwoody Glacier. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

Pedestal Peak and the Continental Divide at sunrise. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

Noisy and SquarePants on the upper edge of Grasshopper Glacier. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

Noisy, Dale and SquarePants make the initial descent onto Grasshopper Glacier. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

Noisy was the only one of us who brought spikes, making her speed and surefootedness the envy of the group. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

Noisy leads the charge down Grasshopper Glacier. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

Noisy crosses the bare and rapidly shrinking Grasshopper Glacier. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

Flagstone and Pedestal Peak rise up from Grasshopper Glacier and its terminal lake. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

Noisy crosses a talus field that was until recently covered by Grasshopper Glacier. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

Noisy crosses Gannett Glacier beneath Mt. Koven. | Wind River High Route, WY8/13/22 Day 53

$East Sentinel Peak and the remaining fraction of Dinwoody Glacier. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53$

Noisy enjoys a rare patch of grass beneath Gannett Peak, the highest point in Wyoming at 13,804'. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

Noisy on top of Blaurock Pass, happy to have just barely threaded the needle between two lightning storms. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

A floodplain full of glacial quicksand beneath Blaurock Pass. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

Glacial runoff below Knife Point Mountain. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/13/22 Day 53

SquarePants on the shore of Alpine Lake, with The Fortress in the background. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/14/22 Day 54

Another snowfield. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/14/22 Day 54

Noisy ascends Douglas Peak Pass as a storm rolls in, with Alpine Lakes Pass in the far background. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/14/22 Day 54

Golden Lake at sunrise. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/15/22 Day 55

Mt. Bonneville. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/16/22 Day 56

East Fork and Ambush Peak as seen from a sublime bench. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/16/22 Day 56

Cirque of the Towers. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/16/22 Day 56

War Bonnet Peak at first light. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/17/22 Day 57

Haystack Mountain seen from Jackass Pass at first light. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/17/22 Day 57

A spiderweb on the steamy shore of Black Joe Creek. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/17/22 Day 57

Steeple Peak and Black Joe Lake. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/17/22 Day 57

The headwaters of Black Joe Creek and Steeple Peak. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/17/22 Day 57

The view back up Wind River Peak, the southernmost 13'er in the Wind River Range. | Wind River High Route, WY 8/17/22 Day 57

SquarePants and Noisy boil vegetables and drink Sloshies, an alcohlic Wyoming delicacy on the grocery store curb. | Lander, WY 8/18/22 Day 58

By twist of fate, Futurebirds happened to be playing a free show at the town park that had free camping! Sadly no free beer. | Lander, WY 8/18/22 Day 58

The Oregon and California Trails cross the CDT multiple times in the Great Divide Basin. | Great Divide Basin, WY 8/20/22 Day 60

The Divide Basin is lovely from about 6:00-6:45 in the morning. After that it's hot, dry and boring until sunset. Then it's just dry and boring. | Great Divide Basin, WY 8/21/22 Day 61

The Great Divide Basin: flat, sagebrush, and antelope. That's pretty much it for 130 miles. It's lovely from about 6:00-6:45 in the morning before becoming hot, dry and boring until sunset. Then it's just dry and boring. | Great Divide Basin, WY 8/2

A very long, very straight decommissioned road. | Great Divide Basin, WY 8/22/22 Day 62

A triple rainbow almost made the rainstorm worth it. | Medicine Bow National Forest, WY 8/23/22 Day 63

Goodbye Wyoming, hello Colorado! | Medicine Bow National Forest, WY 8/24/22 Day 64

Stands of beetle kill below Lost Ranger Peak. | Mt. Zirkel Wilderness, CO 8/25/22 Day 65

Noisy successfully crosses a cattle guard. | Arapaho National Forest, CO 8/27/22 Day 67

Noisy filters water in a stand of snags from the 2016 Sheep Fire. | Arapaho National Forest, CO 8/28/22 Day 68

The summit of Parkview Mountain, overlooking Rocky Mountain National Park. | Arapaho National Forest, CO 8/28/22 Day 68

Looking back at Parkview Mountain from the Bowen Pass trail. | Never Summer Wilderness, CO 8/29/22 Day 69

Sometimes you just need a break. | Roosevelt National Forest, CO 8/31/22 Day 71

Noisy doing some gold old fashioned loitering at the town park. | Winter Park, CO 9/1/22 Day 72

The view from the summit of Grays Peak, the highest point on the Continental Divide. An insulting sign at the trailhead talked about how the CDT is gentle, well maintained, and good for families, while the 14'ers are rugged beasts not for the faint

Mountain goat! Seen on the knife edge below Mt. Edwards. | Arapaho National Forest 9/2/22 Day 73

Noisy on the knife edge between Grays Peak, the highest point on the Continental Divide, and Mt. Edwards. | Arapaho National Forest 9/2/22 Day 73

Noisy descends from the summit of Mt. Edwards. | Arapaho National Forest 9/2/22 Day 73

Noisy on the Divide with Grays and Torreys peaks in the background. | Arapaho National Forest 9/2/22 Day 73

One of thousands of abandoned mining cabins in Colorado. | Arapaho National Forest 9/3/22 Day 74

Noisy arrives in camp just south of Searle Pass. | Arapaho National Forest, CO 9/4/22 Day 75

Twin Lakes General Store, a delightful place to have ice cream and soda before the 3,300' climb up Hope Pass. | Twin Lakes, CO 9/7/22 Day 78

Noisy on the dirt road walk out of Twin Lakes. | San Isabel National Forest, CO 9/7/22 Day 78

Noisy arrives at Cottonwood Pass. | Collegiate Peaks, CO 9/9/22 Day 80

Noisy and I had been dealing with low crew morale, but a few days spent with my dear friend Lebowski fixed that right up! | Gunnison, CO 9/9/22 Day 80

Noisy emerges from her tent like a goddess. | Gunnison, CO 9/10/22 Day 81

Lebowski does some touchup work on Noisy's hair after I took a whack at it the week before. | Gunnison, CO 9/10/22 Day 81

Lebowski explains his philosophy on fire-starting techniques to myself, a near novice. | Gunnison, CO 9/10/22 Day 81

I lost a bet and had to sit in front of Lebowski's house offering cheap mullets to passerbys. Luckily for me, nobody walked by before sunset. | Gunnison, CO 9/10/22 Day 81

Flower crown, courtesy of Noisy. | Gunnison, CO 9/10/22 Day 81

Noisy and Lebowski, at his inaugural backyard firepit burn. | Gunnison, CO 9/10/22 Day 81

For 180 miles, the CDT uses the Colorado Trail. We barely saw any CT thru hikers, but certainly appreciated the frequent maintenance and quality signage. | Gunnison National Forest, CO 9/12/22 Day 83

Noisy arrives in camp at sunset, which was getting earlier at an alarming rate. | Gunnison National Forest, CO 9/12/22 Day 83

After losing her spoon for the third time, Noisy decided she didn't need to carry one given the multitude of nearby sticks. | Gunnison National Forest, CO 9/14/22 Day 85

The Colorado Trail uses way more dirt roads than I expected. Easy walking, but pretty boring. | Gunnison National Forest, CO 9/14/22 Day 85

Field Guide, a Colorado Trail hiker and Noisy watch as a storm rages just across the valley. | Gunnison National Forest, CO 9/14/22 Day 85

Noisy got some new mineral sunscreen that was pretty scary looking, although highly effective. | Gunnison National Forest, CO 9/14/22 Day 85

Rain showers and patchy light at least make the views a little more interesting. | La Garita Wilderness, CO 9/15/22 Day 86

The Divide just before Snow Mesa. | La Garita Wilderness, CO 9/15/22 Day 86

The trail rises to Snow Mesa. | La Garita Wilderness, CO 9/15/22 Day 86

Noisy arrives in camp on Snow Mesa. | La Garita Wilderness, CO 9/15/22 Day 86

Some Texans in a pickup offered to take us into Lake City, CO, but said we would have to squeeze around their over-engineered sign. | Lake City, CO 9/16/22 Day 87

Noisy makes her way into the San Juans. | Rio Grande National Forest, CO 9/17/22 Day 88

The San Juans as seen from Coney Benchmark. | Rio Grande National Forest, CO 9/17/22 Day 88

The headwaters of the mighty Rio Grande River. It's also one of the few places that the river is safe to drink. | Rio Grande National Forest, CO 9/18/22 Day 89

Noisy reluctantly gets back to walking on a miserably windy day. | Rio Grande National Forest, CO 9/18/22 Day 89

Noisy heads to Nebo Creek after coming over Hunchback Pass. | Weminuche Wilderness, CO 9/19/22 Day 90

A small lake below Mt. Nebo. | Weminuche Wilderness, CO 9/19/22 Day 90

The Continental Divide just past Ute Lake. | Weminuche Wilderness, CO 9/19/22 Day 90

The Window, a notch that could be seen from about 10 miles out, and an optional side scramble from the CDT. | Weminuche Wilderness, CO 9/19/22 Day 90

The rocks that had fallen away from The Window beneath Rio Grande Pyramid. | Weminuche Wilderness, CO 9/19/22 Day 90

The South San Juans. | South San Juan Wildnerness, CO 9/25/22 Day 96

As the trail got closer to New Mexico, the ridgetops got abruptly flatter. | South San Juan Wilderness, CO 9/26/22 Day 97

The Colorado Rockies fall off into the rolling hills of New Mexico. | South San Juan Wilderness, CO 9/26/22 Day 97

At long last, the final state! New Mexico: home of gentle grades, big miles and wouldn't you believe it, more rain. | Carson National Forest, NM 9/27/22 Day 98

Afternoon storms roll out over the hills of Northern New Mexico. | Carson National Forest, NM 9/27/22 Day 98

After being above treeline for what felt like most of the hike, it was a delight to be among the golden Quaking Aspens. | Carson National Forest, NM 9/27/22 Day 98

The final resting place of Otter, who died in 2015 after getting trapped in an early winter storm. He lived here for 4-6 weeks before succumbing to the elements. | Carson National Forest, NM 9/27/22 Day 98

Meadows at sunrise were rarely quiet since the Elk were mid-rut and bugling like no tomorrow. | Carson National Forest, NM 9/28/22 Day 99

New Mexico, land of the barbed wire fence. | Carson National Forest, NM 9/28/22 Day 99

I'm trying, dammit! | Carson National Forest, NM 9/28/22 Day 99

Sunlight warms the frosty grass (and my ass) after a chilly night. | Carson National Forest, NM 9/29/22 Day 100

The trail into Ghost Ranch, and the start of the proper desert. | Ghost Ranch, NM 9/29/22 Day 100

Del Yeso Canyon was full of cool rock formations. | Ghost Ranch, NM 9/29/22 Day 100

No officer, that's not pee. Also, can I have a ride? | Cuba, NM 10/1/22 Day 102

I had terrible luck getting a ride into Cuba, but I did score a couple beers! | Cuba, NM 10/1/22 Day 102

Roadwalk out of Cuba, NM. | Cuba, NM 10/3/22 Day 104

The rim of Mesa Portales. | Cuba, NM 10/3/22 Day 104

One of countless canyons. | San Luis Mesa, NM 10/3/22 Day 104

Cabezon Peak near sunset. Just below the peak lies the town of Cabezon, a Breaking Bad filming location. | San Luis Mesa, NM 10/3/22 Day 104

Wouldn't you know it, another rain storm. 2022 became the wettest year on record in New Mexico. | Cibola National Forest, NM 10/4/22 Day 105

At long last, reunited with Noisy in a Chinese buffet after being apart for two weeks. | Grants, NM 10/5/22 Day 106

Even though we were walking a reasonably well traveled road, Noisy didn't care who was watching. | Pie Town Roadwalk, NM 10/6/22 Day 107

Noisy smiles in the sunlight on a high quality dirt road. | Pie Town Roadwalk, NM 10/6/22 Day 107

Pinkman and Tara on their way to Davila Ranch. | Pie Town Roadwalk, NM 10/8/22 Day 109

Noisy and Tara critique an interior design magazine found at the Davila Ranch hiker shed. | Davila Ranch, NM 10/8/22 Day 109

Pinkman and Tara enjoy the first sunlight of the day while eating some beans left at the Davila Ranch hiker shed. | Davila Ranch, NM 10/8/22 Day 109

With the days getting annoyingly short, we were forced to have both dinner and breakfast in the dark every day, often in the rain which did nothing good for morale. | Gila National Forest, NM 10/10/22 Day 111

Noisy crosses the Gila River as it flows at 600% of average. Over the next 80 miles, we would need to cross in the ballpark of 200 more times. Sadly, a mile from here a major tributary joined the Gila, and the water was just too high and fast to con

Noisy on the way back to our bailout point after determining the Gila wasn't possible. | Gila National Forest, NM 10/11/22 Day 112

Should've put my socks in the tent overnight... | Gila National Forest, NM 10/12/22 Day 113

A foggy morning at Snow Lake campground. | Gila National Forest, NM 10/12/22 Day 113

Noisy soaks up the last of the sun as we try to hitch to Silver City after being forced to bail out of the Gila due to record high water. | Gila National Forest, NM 10/12/22 Day 113

The Chihuahuan Desert, and associated flora. | Gila National Forest, NM 10/15/22 Day 116

Yucca and a wash. | Gila National Forest, NM 10/15/22 Day 116

A fine cattle trough. | Gila National Forest, NM 10/15/22 Day 116

Yucca in the evening light. | Chihuahuan Desert, NM 10/17/22 Day 118

Noisy catches last light from our campsite in a wash. | Chihuahuan Desert, NM 10/17/22 Day 118

Sunset over Pyramid Peak. | Chihuahuan Desert, NM 10/17/22 Day 118

Big Hatchet Peak. Just over the ridge, Mexico! | Chihuahuan Desert, NM 10/19/22 Day 120

Another cattle trough, complete with cattle. | Big Hatchet Mountains, NM 10/19/22 Day 120

For the second year in a row, I destroyed my prized hiking shirt. | Big Hatchet Mountains, NM 10/19/22 Day 120

The final night! | Big Hatchet Mountains, NM 10/19/22 Day 120

Noisy slowly packs up during a lazy morning, our last of the hike. | Big Hatchet Mountains, NM 10/20/22 Day 121

Noisy heads to the border on our final day. | Big Hatchet Mountains, NM 10/20/22 Day 121

The final stretch to the border was through the Big Hatchet Mountains along this wash. | Big Hatchet Mountains, NM 10/20/22 Day 121

Noisy gives her rendition of the National Anthem for my Triple Crown ceremony. | US/Mexico Border 10/20/22 Day 121

I could barely life my leg that high, but who cares! We're done! | US/Mexico Border 10/20/22 Day 121

We LOVE the monument. | US/Mexico Border 10/20/22 Day 121

Another hike, another utterly destroyed shirt. | US/Mexico Border 10/20/22 Day 121

© Evan Leonard