[at-l] (Guest Post) Follow That Cow

[hiker_trash@yahoo.com (Sly)]

* Message posted to AT-L from the National Scenic Trails Website
* by our guest Sly <hiker_trash@yahoo.com>.
* Please use <mailto:hiker_trash@yahoo.com> to reply to the sender.

CDT update from the Trailhead in Albuquerque, NM.  

Day 23 (5/23), Grants, NM 417 miles from Palomas, MX.  Conditions:  Hot, dry (single digit humidity) and nearly waterless, 'cept if you don't mind sharing with cows.  Windmills, stock ponds, every 8, trickling springs every twenty miles.  Yeah, that's the ticket, but where's the trail?  Not to worry, just follow the guidebook backwards.

First blaze (ax cut): 100 miles.  First CDT marker 120 miles.  Last CDT marker 100 miles ago!  Not many in-between.  Jim Wolf route, buy the book, turn it upside down and you should have no problem.  Read left to right, of course.  

Can you jump, or crawl under a barbed wire fench?  Learn before you come out here, there's lots of that.  Learn to sew too while you're at it.  CDT hikers have to be well rounded.


Cactus, cacti, cactuses, some flowering, some not, some cool (barrel).  Ponderosa pine, pinyon pine, junipers, LOCUST!  Lupine, not many others.

Cook Spring Station, Butterfield Stage line.  Ruins of Fort Cummings, Massacare Peak, Apaches!  Do a search.

Elk, antelope, quail, turkey, mule deer, rattlesnake, horny toads, lizards, bald eagle, vultures, and javelinas.  Lots of bear prints, but no bears.  Coyotes yipping.  

Stars! Lots of stars, one shooting. 

Hillsboro Peak, Signal Peak, Mangus Mountain, 9000 and up.  Acclimitizing.  Seven liters of water in a day, I can drink that!  

Days without seeing anyone: 2. No other thru-hikers spotted yet, only one backpacker, 3 day hikers, and two horse packers.  I'll talk to anyone.

Zero Days: zero (not counting yesterday).  Longest day: 25. Shortest day: 3 (day one to Columbus, NM and Poncho Villa state park.  The rat bastard, they never did catch him.  

Things lost: compass, fleece hat, camera.  Things replaced: compass, fleece hat, camera.  There's no way I hiking this trail without any of those three things.  All essential. 

Nights in a motel: 1.  Deming, day 3, 13 mile paved road walk, ouch (things to come). Hot showers are oh so good!  So is cold beer.


Fifty fords of the Gila River and 70 more of the Middle Fork.  Only went down once.  Refreshing, and didn't break anything!

Cave dwellings!  Very cool, but what happened to the people?  

Long road walks carrying 5.5 liters of water.  Where's the water?  Underground, but that don't help me.

They closed the freaking national forests!  What the ....?

Forced road walking, when there's trail?  Yeah right, I don't think so.  I'm heading to Colorado.  Will finish NM (250 miles) in the fall, when things cool down, the trails are open and there's more water.  

Cumbres Pass (10,022) this afternoon!  Colorado tonight.  12,000 tomorrow!  Snow?  I have my ice ax and long undies.  I think that's all I need.

Ooops, I'm running out of time here, I gotta go. Gotta go hiking!  Will post later from up the trail.  Could someone please post this to the cdt-l?  They hardly get any mail over there.

If you send me cigarettes, I'll send you a postcard. How's that for a deal?

Thanks, Sly