[CDT-L] another one says goodbye (long)

Since we're leaving for the CDT at the end of next week, and life is
getting more chaotic by the day, I thought now would be a good time to say
goodbye to all our friends here on the list.  We've enjoyed the
discussions, debates and humor - we'll miss you.   We would love to hear
from you while we're gone - so our tentative schedule is attached.   We
will have an on-trail e-mail at spiriteagle99@hotmail.com - but obviously
we won't be able to check it very often.  

My mood fluctuates from extreme excitement (Only 9 more days - yea!!!), to
panic (Oh my God, what ARE we doing?), to despair (we'll never get it all
done before we leave), to terror (lions and tigers and bears, Oh my!
(actually, snowfields and rivers and bears, oh my), to joy (mountains,
lakes, flowers, wildlife and walking every day - life at its best!)  All
thruhikers are a bit crazy - the week before departure, we're downright
lunatics.  I had forgotten how much work it is to pack, move and do mail
drops, while trying to keep on training and doing my job. But Life is good.
 Still, I'll be very glad to finally be on the trail. 

This won't be anything like the AT, I know.  It is going to be harder than
I can possibly imagine right now (and I have a good imagination.) But I
also know it will be good. Pray for us if you will - we need all the help
we can get.  

We may see some of you at the Ruck in January - after that, who knows? 

Ginny
************************************************************
	Mail Drop schedule (tentative)

May 30		Warm Springs/Anaconda start (heading north)
	
June 7		Lincoln MT 59639			Rest day?
	
June 12		c/o Benchmark Wilderness Lodge 
		1 Benchmark Road 
		Augusta MT 59410
		(No mail, resupply only)
	
June 20		East Glacier, MT 59434		+Rest day

June 29		Anaconda, MT 59711		Travel from Waterton to Butte, Rest day
						(Head south)

July 5		Wisdom, MT 59761			+Rest day
	
July 14		Leadore, ID 83464
	
July 24		Macks Inn, ID 59858		+Rest day?
	
July 28		Old Faithful Post Office, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
(Maybe?)
	
August 3	Cowboy Village Resort-Togwotee 
		Highway 26-287
	         	Moran, WY 83013
		(resupply only)

August 11	c/o Big Sandy Lodge
		#8 Spotted Tail Circle
		Rock Springs, WY 82901
		(Resupply only)
	
August 14	c/o Atlantic City Mercantile 
		100 E. Main St. 
		Atlantic City Wy 82520
		(Resupply only)

August 22	Rawlins, WY 82301			+Rest day

Aug.  31 	Steamboat Springs, CO 80477	+Rest day

Sept.  7		Grand Lake, CO 80447 		+Rest day (Labor Day weekend?)

Sept.  13	Silverthorn, CO 80498

Sept.  18	Twin Lakes 81252		

Sept.  23	Salida, CO 81201		+Rest day

Sept.  30 	Lake City, CO 81235	+Rest day

Oct.  9		Pagosa Springs, CO 81147	+Rest day

Oct.  15		Chama, NM 87520		+Rest day

Oct.  21		Ghost Ranch Conference Center
		HC 77 Box 11
		Abiquiú, New Mexico 87510
		Resupply only?

Oct.  24		Cuba, NM 87013		+Rest day

Nov. 1		Grants, NM 87020		+Rest day

Nov.  6		Pie Town 87837

Nov.  10	Reserve 87830

Nov.  13 or 15	c/o John Kramer
		Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument 
		HCR 68 Box 100
		Silver City NM 88061
or
		c/o John Kramer
		Mimbres Ranger Station
		Wilderness Ranger District
		Route 11, Box 60
		HC 68
		Mimbres, NM 88049
		(No mail, resupply only)

Nov.  19	Deming, NM  88030		+Rest day

Nov.  23	Finish?

Nov.  25 	Thanksgiving

Obviously, this is all very tentative.  We could go faster or slower than
planned, and take fewer or more days off.  Weather, post office hours,
equipment problems, etc. will also affect the itinerary. 

* The ones in bold are best to send mail to.  We'll have to check the Post
Offices in order to pick up our maps. All of the ones that only show a town
should go to Jim and Ginny Owen, c/o General Delivery, U.S. Postal Service. 

On all mail, packages etc. write on the outside (lower left corner is good)
"Please hold for CDT hikers, Est. arrival date:  x/x/99."   Send a week or
two ahead of the expected date.  They will generally hold packages for
about 3 weeks, longer if there is an ETA on the outside.  If we're running
significantly behind schedule, we'll try to let people know.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message from the Continental Divide Trail Mailing List

==============================================================================
To:            Virginia Owen <OWEN@TheAdvisoryGroup.com>, at-l@backcountry.net, cdt-l@backcountry.net