We’ve had back to back Warmshower’s guests this week all of which have been fun for us to host.  In June we’ve probably had 4 cross-country cyclists and 5 since we’ve returned from Thailand.  This week’s batch started with a freshly graduated college student who made it to Durango in 7 days from Redlands, California on a diagonal quest across the states to catch summer music festivals and the Ragbri along the way.  He was “so taken” with Durango that he couldn’t get it all in and stayed two days with us and another with a fellow Durango WS host before loading his bike on the Narrow Gauge train.

Currently we’ve got two California teachers who have just completed their 3 leg of the Continential Divide trail.  I originally thought they’d completed the Colorado Trail (CT) which I have planned to ride in July and was eager to learn about their experience.  I’m just as pleased to know more about the “famed” Continential Divide Trail (CDT) as that could be more to my liking for a July bikepacking ride.  I rode a shake-down of the last 80 miles of the CT last summer in preparation for the whole ride this summer.  It was great but much more difficult than I’d imagined.  I’d figured I could knock off 40 plus miles a day but was lucky to manage 30 and had to re-think my time for the entire length of the CT, which I’ve allowed for this summer.

However now that I’ve heard more about the CDT, which has less single track and “hike-a-biking” I’m more interested in trying this route instead.  Colorado mileage is similar, and could be even longer depending on how much of the 2,745 miles from Canada to Mexico you want to attempt.  Our WS guests managed Steamboat past Del Norte over 500 miles in less than 8 days.  This sounds more reasonable for my 2012 across Colorado goals, and leaves me more time for hikes in the San Juans.  So I’ve ordered the Adventure Cycling maps for the Colorado segments of the Great Divide Trail and we’ll see what happens.

Meanwhile I’m training again on the mountain bike on some of the 2,000 miles of local single track in Durango.