Hiking the Continental Divide Trail

5 States, 148 Hiking Days, 25 Supply Points, 130 Maps
br>A how-to adventure for both armchair and real-life hikers. Foreword by Steve Dudley, Executive Director of the Continental Divide Trail Alliance. An avid outsoorswoman, West Point graduate and former Captain in the U.S. Army, Jennifer Hanson – with her husband Greg Allen – set off to thru-hike the 2,400-mile Continental Divide Trail. Together they traversed:

• Arid ranchlands of New Mexico
• Snow-capped mountains of Colorado
• Red Desert of Wyoming
• Glacier National Park of Montana

During their hike, Jennifer learned that she had lost her father to cancer, and, within three weeks, her husband was forced to leave the trail due to an injured nerve in his foot. Jennifer finished the last nine hundred miles of the trail – alone.

Hiking the Continental Divide Trail: One Woman’s Journey is the story of their incredible summer and is filled with courage, humor, stunning scenery, local personalities and the simple joys of backpacking. In addition, it is an invaluable resource for those planning their own section- or thru-hike of the CDT. Appendixes include:

• Thru-hike Preparation and Timeline
• Equipment and Clothing List
• Food List
• Itinerary and Supply Points
• Map List and Sources
• Complete Index

Author Biography

Jennifer A. Hanson was born in Heidelberg, Germany in 1959 while her father was stationed there with the U.S. Army. She graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1981 and became an avid back-packer and outdoorswoman. In addition to thru-hiking the 2,414-mile Continental Divide Trail, Jennifer has completed the northern third of the Appalachian Trail, most of Vermont’s Long Trail, back-packed in the Canadian Rockies and has climbed to the highest point in a dozen states across the country. She has been employed as an Appalachian Trail Ridge Runner and has served as a Local Hike Reporter for www.LocalHikes.com. Her website offers tips for hikers as well as more photographs and anecdotes from her CDT thru-hike. Jennifer also enjoys snow-shoeing and alpine skiing, and delights in teaching these skills to others, especially youngsters. She is the owner of Hanson Financial Services, a computer consulting company, and lives in upstate New York with her partner, Denise Watso, and their two children.