By Callie Smith 

CDT is highlighting new lenses on the trail each month and April is Visual Arts and Photography month! Our CDT community is full of wonderful photographers who capture unique moments on the trail. We asked a few of them to share their favorite CDT photo along with a story about the photo.

Heidi “Feather/China Rock” Zhang (@featherhikes)

(TOP) Lord of the Rings in Glacier: When we reached the Crown Jewel of the CDT, Glacier National Park, in early September, 2017, the entire states of Montana and Idaho had been burning for months. The official CDT border was just closed. Amongst all the ash and dust, we were gifted 3 days of fresh, first snow of the season. Here upon the Garden Walls of Glacier, millions of years of glacial carving warbles our sense of time. Just as Frodo “died” with the demise of the ring, we lived and “died” with the journey itself. Photo by Heidi Zhang from Glacier National Park. Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis ancestral lands.

Cliff People on the Knife’s Edge: Here, Mark “Maine Man” and “Winter” sit at the start of the infamous “Knife’s Edge” in the San Juan mountains. The entire traverse was buried under snow still, featuring a 500ft+ drop into the abyss. Mark and Winter made small postholes in the front so my short legs could manage them. We watched as our friends traversed the valley down below while calling us “crazy”. It was a great day of my life. (Photo by Heidi Zhang from the Weminuche Wilderness.  Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) ancestral lands)

Sarah “Soundtrack” Kehrli (@hikertrashsoundtrack)

This photo is from the wind river range. It’s my favorite because well not only because are the winds are magical, but because I spent this night cowboy camping. It was one of the best night sky’s I got to see on trail. Laying down at the end of the day and watching the sun go down and slowly one by one stars start appearing and popping out till eventually you have this huge milky way in front of you And if you are awake long enough you can see the milky way shift through the mountains as the earth turns. This night I saw about 20 shooting stars, which is more than I’ve ever seen in my life, all in one night. (Photo by Sarah Kehrli from the  Wind River Range. Apsaalooké (Crow), Shoshone-Bannock, Eastern Shoshone, Cheyenne Ancestral Lands)

Steven “Twinkle” Shattuck (@shattuck311)

After hiking the first half of the CDT solo, I really enjoyed hiking the second half of the trail with my good friend Andrew Bentz.  I’ll always remember the side summits that derailed our chances of completing the trail in one go – never a regret. The Chinese wall was particularly beautiful with easy access to the top spotted while on the CDT below it. Having a hiking partner to enjoy it all with made it all the better! (Photo by Steven Shattuck from the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis and Salish Ancestral Lands) 

Kevin League (@kevinleaguephoto) — Kevin League Photography 

Love this one. Late summer fleabane daisies bloom along a section of the Continental Divide Trail near MacDonald Pass, Montana. Leading lines like this trail wandering through the photo just immerses the viewer and the image. (Photo by Kevin League from MacDonald Pass in Montana. Eastern Shoshone, Arapahoe, and Cheyenne ancestral lands) 

Amy “Slider” (@tromboneandhike), of a photo by Sam “Ramen King” Conley (@sam_thru_a_lens)

This is my favorite photo because it captures a great and not so great day on the CDT. This was the last bit of the climb to the high point of the day ~13,000ft. It felt great to get there and it was beautiful, but I also had been having problems with the fit of my backpack causing my hips to be rubbed raw. Not long after this, I was far behind my trail family and crying out of frustration because nothing I was doing was helping the problem. As miserable as that sometimes was, I’m glad for the reminder that thru hiking is brutal and unforgiving as much as it is an exhilarating thing that I can’t stay away from. The CDT tested me a lot more than my first thru hike and I would 100% do it all over again. (Photo by Sam “Ramen King” Conley @sam_ramenking_conley, @sam_thru_a_lens. Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) Ancestral Lands) 

Annie Seekins (@aseekins)

There are a few reasons I chose this picture. I took this one on Texas Pass in the Wind River Range. We reached the top of the pass as the sun was setting, this photo doesn’t do justice to the colors of the sky. When I got to the top and saw this view I became overwhelmed with emotion. For some reason, climbing this pass and seeing this view at the top unleashed all of the emotions I hadn’t been able to deal with up to this point. This was the first time on trail that it really, fully sunk in how lucky I was to be out there, for so many reasons. 

I thru hiked in 2021, after postponing the 2020 hike I’d planned and not knowing if or when I’d have the chance again. I was also coming to terms with a close relative’s terminal diagnosis, and this was on top of years of past trauma I was working through as I finally had the time and solitude on trail. Standing on this pass, looking around at the surreal beauty of that range at sunset, I finally felt like everything was going to be ok. I stood there crying for a few minutes, then took out my phone to take this picture as a reminder of how I felt at that moment. How alive I felt, how grateful I was to be there, and how at peace I finally felt with things so far out of my control. (Photo by Annie Seekins form Texas Pass in the Wind River Range. Apsaalooké (Crow), Shoshone-Bannock, Eastern Shoshone, Cheyenne Ancestral Lands)

Joshua “Dine N Dash” Bradly (@dineanddashhikes)

I took this picture in the San Juans right before the CDT and CT split off at the southern end of Colorado. The way the clouds were looming over the mountains made for such a dramatic photo of an already dramatic range. Shortly after taking this picture, those clouds unleashed lightning on the plateau I was standing on. I’ve never hiked so fast in my life. (Photo by Joshua “Dine N Dash” Bradley. Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) and Pueblos ancestral lands)

Callie Smith is the Community Engagement Coordinator at the CDTC. In her free time she enjoys whitewater rafting and trying out new recipes in the kitchen.