The Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail are both long-distance hiking trail connecting the Mexican and Canadian borders of the United States. Every year, a class of hopeful thru-hikers sets out on (what is many times) a once-in-a-lifetime journey with the hopes of completing the entire distance of either the CDT or the PCT. So if you're only budgeting enough time in your life to be a homeless dirtbag for one of these trails, which should it be? Which trail is better? Which trail should you hike? Which trail will fill that huge void in your soul and bring you the inner peace that you so desperately crave?

The Continental Divide Trail. You should obviously hike the CDT. It's no contest. Here's why you're going to hike the CDT and forget about the PCT.

It's Not Overcrowded

It's nice for a trail to have a community, but the Pacific Crest Trail is quickly losing its charm and becoming a victim of its own success. For nearly three consecutive months there are fifty hikers starting every day from the southern terminus. You'll be lucky to have a campsite to yourself or to find a suitable place to poop without tripping over a dozen cat holes on your way through the bush. Sure, it's nice to have company once in a while on the trail, and having a small community is nice, but the PCT is more like a thru-hiker conveyor-belt than a trail. And once you get into areas more popular with day hikers or weekend warriors? Forget about it. What a mess. On the Continental Divide Trail, you will have none of these problems. You'll never find yourself wishing there were fewer people around (except maybe in some Colorado towns) and you'll never feel like your grand wilderness adventure is being encroached upon by hoards of other hikers. That's right, you can poop with peace of mind on the CDT.