Dear readers,
This issue of Passages is a very special one: On its digital pages are more voices directly from the CDT community than ever before. Because of our commitment to supporting human-powered writing, and with thanks to our amazing sponsors (make sure you scan this issue for special offers!), CDT Passages Magazine is now helping to support the outdoor writing community.
Thank you for helping build such a rich community, and we look forward to sharing your stories. Download your free issue, or browse the featured articles below!
Feature:
Silver in the Rust
Silver City Shines as a Gateway to the CDT
From time immemorial, the region where the boundaries of modern-day southern New Mexico, southern Arizona, and northern Mexico meet has been a convergence point for landscape connectivity, migration, and diffusion for wildlife, water, weather, and humans.
CDTC Friends,
This letter is coming from southern New Mexico, where I am writing from the dining room table at the Trail Days Home Base in Silver City. All of us at CDTC are busily preparing for the 2024 CDT Trail Days happening Earth Day weekend. April is always such an exciting month and time for the trail and the communities along its path, especially here in southern New Mexico where Hachita, Lordsburg, Silver City, and Gila Hot Springs are preparing to welcome hundreds of northbound CDT travelers. It is also when everyone at CDTC gears up, from the operation of the Southern Terminus Shuttle and Field programs to CDT Trail Days, our main annual event. Trail Days returns every third weekend of April, and the event symbolizes the arrival of spring and the opportunity to celebrate Earth Day along the Continental Divide.
“…because of the trail, we can come together and be inspired not just by what we have overcome in our pasts but we can look forward to in our collective futures.“
Echoes from the Divide: Building Community in Nature
By Jesse Cody
Lured by the allure of America’s legendary trails, my quest for the Triple Crown commenced in 2015 on the Appalachian Trail. It marked the beginning of an extraordinary journey into uncharted realms. The notion of conquering the trio of iconic trails and the Pacific Crest Trail was barely a flicker in my mind. As I set out on this adventure, I realized it would be more challenging than I had ever imagined. Spanning from the Appalachian to the Pacific Crest and now to the Continental Divide Trail, it was a formidable odyssey.
I found myself engulfed in darkness and grappling with suicidal thoughts shortly before embarking on my hiking treks. I felt utterly lost and thought there was nowhere to turn until fate placed Bill Bryson’s book, A Walk in the Woods, into my hands. Like countless others who found solace within its pages, I wondered if a long walk could illuminate a path toward a life worth living.
More in this issue of Passages:
From the Field | Building More Than Trail
By Haley Gamertsfelder
A CDTC Volunteer highlight from the Burro Mountains, NM
Trail Towns: Doc Campbells
By Danielle Krolewicz
An hour and a half drive from Silver City, a winding road through the Mimbres Valley leads to Doc Campbell’s Post, a general store located along Highway 15.
DREAM to Get Outside
By Julia Smit
How a Montana nonprofit is breaking barriers to accessibility in the outdoors
Braving the CDT
Simon “Odin” Eklov was called to wander the wild from an early age. His latest adventure spanned from Mexico to the Canadian border in 2023 when he set out to thru-hike the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT).
The Media Roundup
Music | CDTC Staff Picks
The Shakedown
In this edition, we asked Instagram followers: Are paper maps still worth carrying, or has digital navigation become the standard?
Book
If you can’t do this, you can’t do grizzlies.
The thought of hiking the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) was terrifying for author Tim Voors. Keep reading
Catch up on all things CDT in this issue of Passages Magazine! Full issue:
If you are interested in submitting articles or photography for Passages, the CDTC online magazine, please contact the Communications Manager.
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