[CDT-L] NM Mountain Club

The web site address for the New Mexico Mountain Club given in a recent 
posting is correct.  The address is http://members.aol.com/nmmtclub/home.htm. 
 If you want to go to this site to find out about our club, that will be 
great; but the site has minimal information about the CDT.

The New Mexico Mountain Club is working on a non-road route for the CDT from 
the north boundary of the Cibola National Forest north of Mount Taylor to the 
town of Cuba.  We have cleared and cairned 30 miles of this 54-mile stretch 
starting at the national forest boundary northward to Deadman Peaks.  We have 
done some tread-work where there is rocky or steep terrain and we have built 
pass-throughs for all the fences that don't have gates.  However, it will be 
many years before tread is in place for our entire segment.  Our segment is a 
scenic alternative to the present road route and it provides convenient 
access to clean water sources.  The water sources for the first 30 miles are 
Ojo de los Indios, Ojo Frio, and piped well water adjacent to Arroyo de los 
Cerro Colorados.  The 20 miles of trail not yet done will go past Jones 
Canyon Spring and Smoky Spring.  Our route comes back to or crosses the road 
route at several places.  Presently, it comes back to the road route and ends 
just south of Deadman Peaks.  From Deadman Peaks northward to Cuba, I would 
recommend Jim Wolf's route for now.  Those wanting to know more details about 
this segment of the CDT are welcome to contact me.

It appears from recent postings that the road sign marking Barrel Springs has 
confused several hikers.  I, like others, have been unable to find this 
spring.  The 1:24,000 topo quad shows the spring to be about a mile from the 
road sign on a steep brushy hillside.  Even if the spring is reliable, there 
is no easy access to it.  I will tell BLM that the sign is confusing to CDT 
hikers and perhaps they will take it down.

Sincerely,
Charlie McDonald
New Mexico Mountain Club
cmcdon1039@aol.com

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