tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18289444349603323612024-03-05T12:17:51.373-08:00Sobohobos on the trailBarrel Rollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17120554155839901285noreply@blogger.comBlogger246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-33782264383442350952013-11-08T22:37:00.001-08:002013-11-08T22:37:36.921-08:00Day 145 - MEXICO!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgPAolC-s5gtwdcGGOmloWUb2eU916A4WasZjZuutosxyPKaBsUGBIcePOKsNzGh_CXkcjMpbmGGMi1hKhItanAo7GWL6nubPkwHmeGCHW6Ewl_C89I060GxJtKjBcgzsPWOT_4dWHHF5/s1600/image-756921.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgPAolC-s5gtwdcGGOmloWUb2eU916A4WasZjZuutosxyPKaBsUGBIcePOKsNzGh_CXkcjMpbmGGMi1hKhItanAo7GWL6nubPkwHmeGCHW6Ewl_C89I060GxJtKjBcgzsPWOT_4dWHHF5/s320/image-756921.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944144794820468450" /></a></p>Reached the border today
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<br>Will write more later, but we finished! Sky and I finished our triple crowns! And Gangles has a double crown! Thanks to Pony and Sparkle Cat for the glittery, wonderful crowns.
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<br>Mileage: 11mi from near Tres Hermanas to MexicoSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-26575647375643766642013-11-08T22:32:00.001-08:002013-11-08T22:32:36.081-08:00Day 144 - Chili peppers and coins<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxvgbIxPl_tZ6csaAGODlX3lOIF_RcVUpWa2uJYuME6AaxePbjNIWdyIsHfHlPlu_I-_9lHaNEX1ZvReYri457YAaiivVUk-IuVd3xwUr_EOhQljYKinT9gsOJTN-J4XRL7QCTwXi95-n/s1600/image-756082.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxvgbIxPl_tZ6csaAGODlX3lOIF_RcVUpWa2uJYuME6AaxePbjNIWdyIsHfHlPlu_I-_9lHaNEX1ZvReYri457YAaiivVUk-IuVd3xwUr_EOhQljYKinT9gsOJTN-J4XRL7QCTwXi95-n/s320/image-756082.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944143496074275138" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqU7VtQvz6xKkUn1Dl12KpAUVRq0WhbNDSjJ3ek8I2d-cG2aikx8oVqDbh55H-N0-JvpiVr-Zz37IwnCQMbfTe3m_4NCXJHVfgrmBiOTmRTUdxvSpSA9nn3E0Cl3KutEU0A-IjdUZfqftM/s1600/image-757810.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqU7VtQvz6xKkUn1Dl12KpAUVRq0WhbNDSjJ3ek8I2d-cG2aikx8oVqDbh55H-N0-JvpiVr-Zz37IwnCQMbfTe3m_4NCXJHVfgrmBiOTmRTUdxvSpSA9nn3E0Cl3KutEU0A-IjdUZfqftM/s320/image-757810.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944143507211014770" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wWx8vAsVxPAq56-7AF49tOLehI7GFU4oL2J7bcI8k2Q7-SuAoy_uxgc-vb7cGps_cdgaOwvH9M1qRxOVEFHPWc3vztN7mFp7T0e6p5dL77WYH1OkhF_tNMKM-U6LAhr9fBqk8feXaNVI/s1600/image-760452.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wWx8vAsVxPAq56-7AF49tOLehI7GFU4oL2J7bcI8k2Q7-SuAoy_uxgc-vb7cGps_cdgaOwvH9M1qRxOVEFHPWc3vztN7mFp7T0e6p5dL77WYH1OkhF_tNMKM-U6LAhr9fBqk8feXaNVI/s320/image-760452.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944143514292872914" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WUnzW-XMsuhRkrB0uuyORrAoXiSGLs3sBbaCQR3vIj96NclmnXF247bJOCkAzitSeSDiqXM2vgB7EUNq8C-Xuzy5Z805fk0J_8IGY7BpsBWkYv-m1WcJKm-Qb1WwIkyeTJVzTnYHxslN/s1600/image-762056.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2WUnzW-XMsuhRkrB0uuyORrAoXiSGLs3sBbaCQR3vIj96NclmnXF247bJOCkAzitSeSDiqXM2vgB7EUNq8C-Xuzy5Z805fk0J_8IGY7BpsBWkYv-m1WcJKm-Qb1WwIkyeTJVzTnYHxslN/s320/image-762056.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944143524377933202" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydkxDAJFoPZTu-f3j_CvjoN4TB1nnqyzD_od6WQ7B7tNefaxTqr4tayDCzFwmcNiMkj6MDA9j1SGonaXfqsIKSwEtVgnN79_q-Nkv77SJcajMLTtNw4PPk_8iVIHHVuIzsTYjef52xMXq/s1600/image-764379.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjydkxDAJFoPZTu-f3j_CvjoN4TB1nnqyzD_od6WQ7B7tNefaxTqr4tayDCzFwmcNiMkj6MDA9j1SGonaXfqsIKSwEtVgnN79_q-Nkv77SJcajMLTtNw4PPk_8iVIHHVuIzsTYjef52xMXq/s320/image-764379.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944143533231979234" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kMqKOE3FDjWdq_XcUHA-eRRA84NVkOfnwCR366K8shK2r3KxcgQveTMrdoehfNS8oY5azR0r3SDzvWhBUx7MvMdJR9rThU2ZqywNRCW5VjCm-EEwsI5UTU_dArOeBak4FL2xYXsccwGg/s1600/image-766063.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3kMqKOE3FDjWdq_XcUHA-eRRA84NVkOfnwCR366K8shK2r3KxcgQveTMrdoehfNS8oY5azR0r3SDzvWhBUx7MvMdJR9rThU2ZqywNRCW5VjCm-EEwsI5UTU_dArOeBak4FL2xYXsccwGg/s320/image-766063.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944143542193526978" /></a></p>Along the road today, saw signs we were closing in on Mexico. Roasted chili peppers scattered every few yards. Coins on the shoulder, mostly pennies, nickels, with an occasional *peso* mixed in.
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<br>Increasingly agricultural. Stands of pecan trees. A field of cotton plants. Flat, straight road. And for the first time since we started, we are below 4,000'. Creeping back down to sea level.
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<br>Got a ride back to Deming with Martin, who works at an algae plant in the desert. Nice guy. We bought him a beer at the local brewery. He invited us to his BBQ on Saturday.
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<br>Only 11mi left to Mexico.
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<br>Mileage: 26mi from Deming to near Tres HermanasSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-55461562056094773142013-11-08T22:25:00.000-08:002013-11-08T22:28:29.556-08:00Day 143 - Deming<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjADKmLUim7RTHitusefQvjTjgpLnEFb8puvw9q1pH-A4vT-ND2L9piISFNZaVpmLdD1tMmM8-i6YhcHIJMVdXvCd-YknBDzKuFgIvaO-_G8oPmYZN_DLlUc3GwplPbFbUScwpm1dDFeZHY/s1600/image-709556.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjADKmLUim7RTHitusefQvjTjgpLnEFb8puvw9q1pH-A4vT-ND2L9piISFNZaVpmLdD1tMmM8-i6YhcHIJMVdXvCd-YknBDzKuFgIvaO-_G8oPmYZN_DLlUc3GwplPbFbUScwpm1dDFeZHY/s320/image-709556.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944142440520288226" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RTfDVul-IPQWpI9JUEGYd1-P_gDM7ZeIqxk3rXC5X4xZtKL6AUNZ4lCr_nw31JDKlvdMXxaOjtVjTtIajcodzfUIyBGKFbQ6f9Km8mW06Uy6w6kuu8uhGOHEmu3vnuOISxXe3xkggtM6/s1600/image-711751.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RTfDVul-IPQWpI9JUEGYd1-P_gDM7ZeIqxk3rXC5X4xZtKL6AUNZ4lCr_nw31JDKlvdMXxaOjtVjTtIajcodzfUIyBGKFbQ6f9Km8mW06Uy6w6kuu8uhGOHEmu3vnuOISxXe3xkggtM6/s320/image-711751.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5944142448840219474" /></a></p>Back on the dirt road. Just a few more days left until we get to Mexico.
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<br>Stopped in at Blake's, a NM institution. Ordered the green chile cheese burger, the signature dish. It was too spicy for me. Plus, Sky, Gangles and I couldn't finish it. We are losing our thruhiker hunger.
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<br>Decided to take the afternoon off, and see Deming. Visited the St. Clair Winery, where we met the amazing sommelier Megan. She's a former art teacher, now full-time wine enabler, painter, mother. She specializes in oil paintings, still lifes with skulls. She gave us a tour through the red wines, and patiently and insightfully answered our questions. Neat woman. Fun afternoon.
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<br>Megan also warned us to be careful here; dangerous being this close to the border. Heard the same warning from a pair of border control guys we saw today. On high alert.
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<br>p.s., Thanks to Miriam and Sam for the awesome care package
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<br>Mileage: 16mi from dirt road to DemingSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-81398832132083214352013-11-07T07:31:00.001-08:002013-11-07T07:31:57.941-08:00Day 142 - Wigs and bees<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgoTVS2LE3ZNX_OIdFETjN2IA14caYfLc_5_YtFOP9rfHXFM29PrKl8Dha6sZs8yZ54yOWKnkjIqXUpcQShyvMfP18-kplnwsCq87gJDsj29Pazgic4oqbOMH53YQFSpsUFmoJeAXhZThg/s1600/image-717942.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgoTVS2LE3ZNX_OIdFETjN2IA14caYfLc_5_YtFOP9rfHXFM29PrKl8Dha6sZs8yZ54yOWKnkjIqXUpcQShyvMfP18-kplnwsCq87gJDsj29Pazgic4oqbOMH53YQFSpsUFmoJeAXhZThg/s320/image-717942.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5943540323642086146" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQunVNqw2jGWT04DQ-siUPmpPv5f98fL2pN4GivdOK0LFgG7v-EgD1rwnfgpyztllF0FBbPOo0dFiKjI7vb5vCPcKjS_qRTZl5FaALUyBORWlP8G65U_fXAqgZxDksLVVEYFEUFqKoF_-/s1600/image-721872.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQunVNqw2jGWT04DQ-siUPmpPv5f98fL2pN4GivdOK0LFgG7v-EgD1rwnfgpyztllF0FBbPOo0dFiKjI7vb5vCPcKjS_qRTZl5FaALUyBORWlP8G65U_fXAqgZxDksLVVEYFEUFqKoF_-/s320/image-721872.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5943540336055253810" /></a></p>I'm starting to realize that the Gila was the last backcountry experience I will have on this trip. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, as the weather gets colder, I'm ready to sleep inside. On the other hand, I do miss lolling around in open meadows, looking at mountains and mesas.
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<br>But the character of the trail has started to change. Due to zoning issues, the trail has ceased to follow the actual Continental Divide. As a result, the trails are mostly dirt roads patched together with short windy sections of trail. We're going to carve out our own route, and get to Mexico on an improvised route.
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<br>The terrain is yellow and dry, and the walking fast. The walking is tedious, since the terrain doesn't change much. Luckily, Gangles and Sky are nearby for company. Plus, we've decided to make this more fun. At Walmart, we acquired costumes and a portable speaker. Hearing music is a deeply emotional experience, after hearing very little (maybe a few songs a week) for five months. I could imagine that not hearing music would make you go crazy. I was brought nearly to tears hearing so much music from my sister's collection. Old school rock n' roll (Carl Perkins, Sam Cooke), jazz (Sarah Vaughn, Nina Simone, Dinah Washington), and some random hits from this century (Goldfrapp, last year's song of the summer). Plus, we downloaded some podcasts, most notably RadioLab, and listened to some thought provoking episodes on waste disposal, MIDI and the conundrum of blame and neurological abnormality in the the modern criminal justice system.
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<br>Music and external intellectual stimulation, two things I've missed on the trail. We're starting our re-entry into the civilized world.
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<br>Mileage: 29mi from San Lorenzo to dirt roadSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-36294460353781895442013-11-07T07:12:00.001-08:002013-11-07T07:12:50.729-08:00Day 141 - Columbus<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-FFfq1_MRppis2RVWYBih23YdUlPl4kJ3FgPkExXnA7OwURi-jSNEOfgKgrECSwkctpK5cSNArUUE-YdmtX89p84G3nCBClXY-SNbb5xtC1NNKzwa8mDjCEKTt2x1r9X9FLbEWaILmZ_/s1600/image-770730.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-FFfq1_MRppis2RVWYBih23YdUlPl4kJ3FgPkExXnA7OwURi-jSNEOfgKgrECSwkctpK5cSNArUUE-YdmtX89p84G3nCBClXY-SNbb5xtC1NNKzwa8mDjCEKTt2x1r9X9FLbEWaILmZ_/s320/image-770730.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5943535396031959634" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTLZwim2dUsDiqD-bbUmup6uTy3o9g7M9MeG-ZXTUaM5Ta8NpDQAxdmlHPHYxQma7-DpWL_HfwS7CRzxXFj8kqGaiD4QX0ub0F485nd05PmEjrXNuVIDSNiaQrRehdOUk9366rU0XHH4q/s1600/image-773240.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYTLZwim2dUsDiqD-bbUmup6uTy3o9g7M9MeG-ZXTUaM5Ta8NpDQAxdmlHPHYxQma7-DpWL_HfwS7CRzxXFj8kqGaiD4QX0ub0F485nd05PmEjrXNuVIDSNiaQrRehdOUk9366rU0XHH4q/s320/image-773240.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5943535402932999474" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnMIMYEiFu9tgxmSFatfT9FW3bRvHAlC91SGbZG4mwzLs4EB_r6w8hUom639Q-vBKU3GsMzIxL7Eqh4pbP6RuphWdQPS4E-FIx57yw1qJBjq__38V7q7tPY6cY29Sdf1JcKTSggJrtM9M/s1600/image-775710.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnMIMYEiFu9tgxmSFatfT9FW3bRvHAlC91SGbZG4mwzLs4EB_r6w8hUom639Q-vBKU3GsMzIxL7Eqh4pbP6RuphWdQPS4E-FIx57yw1qJBjq__38V7q7tPY6cY29Sdf1JcKTSggJrtM9M/s320/image-775710.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5943535413182162658" /></a></p>Here's the plan. We hit the border by Friday.
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<br>Sparkle Cat has stepped up her already extensive trail angeling, and will be slack packing (i.e., transporting some of our gear by car while we walk) us to Columbus. There is no official Southern terminus for the CDT. The most popular points are Antelope Wells, Columbus and Crazy Cook.
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<br>Antelope Wells is the Southernmost, and seems to be chosen for bragging rights. Columbus is the easiest choice logistically with bus access, and is the route prescribed by Jim Wolf / CDTS. Crazy Cook has a monument, and is the Bear Creek / CDTA route. Based on my quick skim of Nobos this year, CC was the most common choice this year. However, due to the untimely passing of Sam Hughes, longtime CC trail angel, the logistics of getting to the border and caching water are unknown.
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<br>As a result, some Sobos have gone down the CC route, but Columbus will likely be the more common choice. Water is also an issue on the Columbus route, hence the serendipity of Sparkle Cat slackpacking us.
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<br>We are going to Columbus. Water, logistics, and the excellent company of Skarkle Cat made this the right choice for us.
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<br>We decided to embrace this choice in gonzo style, which means... costumes. Trip to Walmart tonight to cherry pick the best of the post-Halloween leavings.
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<br>Oh, and we saw a javalina running across the road today. I was worried; I don't want to get mauled by an ill-tempered pig, but it scuttled off into the woods in a hurry.
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<br>Mileage: ~22mi from Spirt Canyon Lodge to San LorenzoSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-47799785916915202002013-11-04T08:10:00.000-08:002013-11-04T18:27:20.943-08:00Day 140 - Hitting the road<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOmAIND7DRrWXWsV4-k0k7xUg1rk6_nFuNwS-bsJLEiA6E1hdIZOZDDNY-sez7y959e-d4ORxlEZvrkRe0KLQM23q80i9R_CxKn-j08xv6lzUjGnRhRXiHoGRdgA5LBeOx_1kTArt3WMB/s1600/image-740943.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOmAIND7DRrWXWsV4-k0k7xUg1rk6_nFuNwS-bsJLEiA6E1hdIZOZDDNY-sez7y959e-d4ORxlEZvrkRe0KLQM23q80i9R_CxKn-j08xv6lzUjGnRhRXiHoGRdgA5LBeOx_1kTArt3WMB/s320/image-740943.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5942595959718604962" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQn-pE3PiduHF9gGLocPASC2ElMri6290UBssssPti4EMgXkECbLbuG5pJFodPyQjtz4kVzTIwl7dqxFQctRe7nTQ8A10MCB1WHRNQNnpd1N0C4GpSGRLkIv0WPfZ7QMsKM9RsyckchyphenhyphentO/s1600/image-743637.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQn-pE3PiduHF9gGLocPASC2ElMri6290UBssssPti4EMgXkECbLbuG5pJFodPyQjtz4kVzTIwl7dqxFQctRe7nTQ8A10MCB1WHRNQNnpd1N0C4GpSGRLkIv0WPfZ7QMsKM9RsyckchyphenhyphentO/s320/image-743637.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5942595971826619474" /></a></p>While we were at Doc Campbell's, literally every local person we saw at the store told us *not* to take the trail out of there. The trail was severely damaged by the flood, leaving steep cut banks and sections of missing trail.
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<br>So, we're on the road, headed South.
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<br>Oh, and my foot seems to be healing a bit, but still tender. Less blood.
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<br>Mileage: 22mi from Doc Campbell's to Spirit Canyon LodgeSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-41769542772196850992013-11-04T08:05:00.000-08:002013-11-04T18:27:59.826-08:00Day 139 - Gila Cliff Dwellings<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdkabK94SoIXFdM4Cf_QEKd9Lgw7rouvgdihnMLu3ChGEzU4dB55jgdiLPk5UsDE8_O-IOXY2SSHfSd_AmXAPBBALDEllvk9NOaEKfKUoBHzV0kunTP1fdhHR8lfQrgGNuZ34KZ0qsxJg/s1600/image-779827.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdkabK94SoIXFdM4Cf_QEKd9Lgw7rouvgdihnMLu3ChGEzU4dB55jgdiLPk5UsDE8_O-IOXY2SSHfSd_AmXAPBBALDEllvk9NOaEKfKUoBHzV0kunTP1fdhHR8lfQrgGNuZ34KZ0qsxJg/s320/image-779827.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5942596125444404642" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsWM62uuVIPsK7LEvFqsO2pLKJkTg4qaWxxSJVmwpkCf4GedXukiCEO5t8gNoKS-x-lfwJhF1X7NL66KnAZ5CIIoMqiS9k-dfz7WxML-WiFD5bLVmQ2cllrCNvbBVMuWhWiLSEzZVG07R/s1600/image-781408.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsWM62uuVIPsK7LEvFqsO2pLKJkTg4qaWxxSJVmwpkCf4GedXukiCEO5t8gNoKS-x-lfwJhF1X7NL66KnAZ5CIIoMqiS9k-dfz7WxML-WiFD5bLVmQ2cllrCNvbBVMuWhWiLSEzZVG07R/s320/image-781408.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5942596127299846258" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-hPsvy4wUPmc5yUMBkT65vsJLl716_lEpfs8_nCxqQ8z6pEwFaFP3BZLMItxMQqBbnZ9nXQDMOsKg6nH0a9cINFpdJJKmYogKk9SEpu1Wuwh0tBrcca6gIkQZbSsYVWPXLOXeJ8dsLhS/s1600/image-783604.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ-hPsvy4wUPmc5yUMBkT65vsJLl716_lEpfs8_nCxqQ8z6pEwFaFP3BZLMItxMQqBbnZ9nXQDMOsKg6nH0a9cINFpdJJKmYogKk9SEpu1Wuwh0tBrcca6gIkQZbSsYVWPXLOXeJ8dsLhS/s320/image-783604.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5942596142755490402" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwsLxUJ481jTYa_sIKRKUn7Q2YxuBuE_OlaOjiT-i7Nh9_Pk3WlITLSQ-TFVCy39TZQpS2mQ6LyS_xiD6TNs49QbymCC7lNtSHT6BNjmN_quhK-EvL2gE0FPgEtl5-9OD_EMdReNjIW5d/s1600/image-785663.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwsLxUJ481jTYa_sIKRKUn7Q2YxuBuE_OlaOjiT-i7Nh9_Pk3WlITLSQ-TFVCy39TZQpS2mQ6LyS_xiD6TNs49QbymCC7lNtSHT6BNjmN_quhK-EvL2gE0FPgEtl5-9OD_EMdReNjIW5d/s320/image-785663.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5942596148876928610" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMaLD6r9JBKw2uCIZ8KBgiqM7_9OGJ3Iwc5CghWzCd9O7lZ2tM_Scmz12bRpIifqhmo_VtQvc8YrINEu5_CsutkslRKmYUFqoDnONVWfwqh2YdgxyI333rK6_KadMfnPVLcUG5WjBxcNQ/s1600/image-788158.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPMaLD6r9JBKw2uCIZ8KBgiqM7_9OGJ3Iwc5CghWzCd9O7lZ2tM_Scmz12bRpIifqhmo_VtQvc8YrINEu5_CsutkslRKmYUFqoDnONVWfwqh2YdgxyI333rK6_KadMfnPVLcUG5WjBxcNQ/s320/image-788158.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5942596157220101426" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrdufclFOgZBa3-6CdDXUwgOpKaxZNd_OUnWCY9qkqg_5wbdCrdB4JaEEz_sYsfpE1GLlX4TwuBubsKiDA188jmrd1c12tcAE2Gvc34dwpBbPGaMIMovweUPp2BUxThlKu0Zeqcgcl3HB/s1600/image-789934.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrdufclFOgZBa3-6CdDXUwgOpKaxZNd_OUnWCY9qkqg_5wbdCrdB4JaEEz_sYsfpE1GLlX4TwuBubsKiDA188jmrd1c12tcAE2Gvc34dwpBbPGaMIMovweUPp2BUxThlKu0Zeqcgcl3HB/s320/image-789934.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5942596166311838850" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0vNefD_MVFiz6OHP8V59EA6TN7nYdGtkbsRbcAPYM9U4aYsXe15Fag5NxBiS8abEP_bl6z-A11o2RWPPFT1Uo_BKescGmqtWGA-kuTbAbbFmfVsReFNDmGeHwxWzoddUxlVOyKmWgsn_/s1600/image-792328.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0vNefD_MVFiz6OHP8V59EA6TN7nYdGtkbsRbcAPYM9U4aYsXe15Fag5NxBiS8abEP_bl6z-A11o2RWPPFT1Uo_BKescGmqtWGA-kuTbAbbFmfVsReFNDmGeHwxWzoddUxlVOyKmWgsn_/s320/image-792328.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5942596179746567410" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-pMeJtTcSYo9RFlgr7uhPd5QJRGLSIjUWjZxEauuleWHi6aMredakU9igKrSLN63vJ-zK5kqGWaDdE9sY9SGnTF5mv1puvnluBI7FdM4Rg-ZD1FJLXIS8NvrKzn_CPJWlaQA0iWLzskc/s1600/image-794730.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ-pMeJtTcSYo9RFlgr7uhPd5QJRGLSIjUWjZxEauuleWHi6aMredakU9igKrSLN63vJ-zK5kqGWaDdE9sY9SGnTF5mv1puvnluBI7FdM4Rg-ZD1FJLXIS8NvrKzn_CPJWlaQA0iWLzskc/s320/image-794730.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5942596188266357154" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxxxyx0IOLQjOW-VC-hPZFTUdatCBtw44-MxiyWK5C1PZCKy4NVmbxg_F4mAFHXylI7Wvlj3UGJRjCymdLyl0syaja50ePOKmsc5fr2lVWCwusfEDs287xmZnXJO8wLBeHEGKNZg-l0Ao/s1600/image-796429.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxxxyx0IOLQjOW-VC-hPZFTUdatCBtw44-MxiyWK5C1PZCKy4NVmbxg_F4mAFHXylI7Wvlj3UGJRjCymdLyl0syaja50ePOKmsc5fr2lVWCwusfEDs287xmZnXJO8wLBeHEGKNZg-l0Ao/s320/image-796429.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5942596191158283042" /></a></p>Woke up to a bright, crisp morning on the ridge. It was relatively warm, probably somewhere in the 30s. I was cheered by thinking that yesterday *might* be our last time at 8,000'. I could see my breath only for the first hour or so but the day warmed up comfortably.
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<br>The hiking today was relatively smooth, walking through long mesa tops. Which is good, since I've somehow worn down the skin of my right foot. It is painful when I step. My feet have been so wet from the river crossings that they've been exfoliated down from the hard, horny callus to the soft pinkness of new skin. And the soft skin has been abraded by the small rocks, sand and wetness of this section. All this despite the fact that I wear gaiters.
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<br>The other major note was our crossing of the West Fork of the Gila River, where we walked our last few trail miles down the canyon to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. As we emerged from the trail, we saw... Skarkle Cat! We joined them for a tour of the Cliff Dwellings with volunteer ranger, who really brought the space to life.
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<br>In at the RV park for the night, cleaned and bandaged my foot.
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<br>Mileage: 12mi from near the Middle Fork of the Gila River to Doc Campbell'sSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-24080377420120649012013-11-01T19:46:00.000-07:002013-11-02T14:04:51.857-07:00Day 137 - Halloween and Snow Lake<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguplpvkuJDx20pm0wEdf24XdupUpkQj4K6tqf_2oDTmw5o8AWvhLw9PILSM8LwG7vMvLaG5oKV5VPP-kvr6HqKL-H6zUkeU29CTUz4zMP6ag9LB6lPNMOgYZbHBPHQCuWYU12fe_wpeWP0/s1600/image-791857.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguplpvkuJDx20pm0wEdf24XdupUpkQj4K6tqf_2oDTmw5o8AWvhLw9PILSM8LwG7vMvLaG5oKV5VPP-kvr6HqKL-H6zUkeU29CTUz4zMP6ag9LB6lPNMOgYZbHBPHQCuWYU12fe_wpeWP0/s320/image-791857.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941770682696628482" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyp5sPMsYCwQ9feS9C7rLKvhuz98A-QJ90JZpVxmCOQpi3_bkPR3k0lTtcXSFAOkfYp1nfm8kZpP1wu50rzUfncjYqHJwi4dw4lv1vMLk5cBi7qozRt_ANNNOY3GcUI30jpNDkxudiv5Hf/s1600/image-795031.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyp5sPMsYCwQ9feS9C7rLKvhuz98A-QJ90JZpVxmCOQpi3_bkPR3k0lTtcXSFAOkfYp1nfm8kZpP1wu50rzUfncjYqHJwi4dw4lv1vMLk5cBi7qozRt_ANNNOY3GcUI30jpNDkxudiv5Hf/s320/image-795031.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941770701939399282" /></a></p>This year for Halloween, Gangles was a cactus, and I was a pincushion. We didn't go trick or treating, but we ate a lot of candy anyway. The trail is beautifully yellow, "amber waves of grain" if you will. The dry yellow grass is prickly, a mix of burrs, foxtails and thorns. The walking is itchy and scratchy (dangling Simpsons' reference).
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<br>The miles were strange today, and maybe an accurate microcosm of NM on the whole. We followed J. Ley to a tee, and covered ~28mi, which broke down into: ~22mi road, ~3mi trail, ~5mi bushwhack. Nita (of Toaster House fame) mentioned that as of 8-9 years ago, the CDT in NM was ~80% road. The percentage has declined, but still feels as though we're spending a lot of time on road, though mostly dirt and with sporadic traffic, which makes the walking easy.
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<br>We had a taste of the canyon bushwhack today, walking through T Bar Canyon to get to Snow Lake. This started off with a precipitous descent from a set of jeep tracks to a shallow, cow-befouled stream of water. We started off on a cow trail, which petered out, and we were bushwhacking along the water until we found another trail. The going was slow and arduous, requiring us to cross the water ever few hundred yards. The canyon also bore the traces of the huge flood in September, and was choked with debris and fallen trees. I would estimate that we were maxing out at 1.3mph. If this is a taste of the Middle Fork of the Gila tomorrow, we will be there all day, and possibly some of the next day. The Gila was especially damaged by flash floods, and accounts from other Sobos from this year suggest long stretches of washed out or non-existent trail, and brambles of boulder and tree fall.
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<br>We are going to look at using Wolf's suggested high route.
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<br>Camped at Snow Lake tonight, in the relative luxury of privies, trash cans, and potable running water. Feel as though we are living large with the latest amenities of the 20th century.
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<br>Happy Halloween everyone!
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<br>p.s., In true Halloween spirit, saw 5 tarantulas. All seemed purposeful, and probably off to some spider party.
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<br>Mileage: 28mi from near FS 3037 to Snow LakeSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-57921179520138513472013-11-01T19:45:00.000-07:002013-11-02T14:05:24.280-07:00Day 138 - Crossing the Gila River<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULI0D3bX-h7uFpkb_G_AENe_kvLgjQlepGfURXaPqiJANb1q8Y0goqf5CyX8dV0FBBzOc6PWzq8dBUbnUO30QzGmVuQFAkucQ4EvS-Uf4aReHe6cBagrGOUkOPd7UTvpdIJvyA_WVvlTg/s1600/image-724281.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULI0D3bX-h7uFpkb_G_AENe_kvLgjQlepGfURXaPqiJANb1q8Y0goqf5CyX8dV0FBBzOc6PWzq8dBUbnUO30QzGmVuQFAkucQ4EvS-Uf4aReHe6cBagrGOUkOPd7UTvpdIJvyA_WVvlTg/s320/image-724281.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941770824014325954" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXPRHDNPc4gxP6XXCowH8MMRuJ0jYgDXTpElpQGddO9WZrnGzA6G5Etii8zHS6AhuVkLf1VyH9hqFjzmoB5xIsUS0a0yaalfZlNQ4VmzKEDSyFzyd4L8KE4YiF0pFlMWrkmiS0yQ3zM-7/s1600/image-726763.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXPRHDNPc4gxP6XXCowH8MMRuJ0jYgDXTpElpQGddO9WZrnGzA6G5Etii8zHS6AhuVkLf1VyH9hqFjzmoB5xIsUS0a0yaalfZlNQ4VmzKEDSyFzyd4L8KE4YiF0pFlMWrkmiS0yQ3zM-7/s320/image-726763.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941770832732826274" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQc5-7Vhoo-K2yWuYxxlCXO91SJImhE_3ToMGbjm5V7Ybnma3ru7rgFYH_o6yHzM264SSf3OFv_m_lnTqjbkugCzAiYl3Y-WVEPMsL3NP8BzqMcsKBzQ9oZNA00VjPHKhcvuF_WeIYEFw/s1600/image-729767.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQc5-7Vhoo-K2yWuYxxlCXO91SJImhE_3ToMGbjm5V7Ybnma3ru7rgFYH_o6yHzM264SSf3OFv_m_lnTqjbkugCzAiYl3Y-WVEPMsL3NP8BzqMcsKBzQ9oZNA00VjPHKhcvuF_WeIYEFw/s320/image-729767.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941770847440661250" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtqHkkOWvHYka2K0O5FU7hHRzcBmB4hCnwPjAGDOx6t_mp-dYPv-M-06C-C0KF0z0i2t5LsTcUpoDH6AUxppYrpQ-gQTLcroWArehK_43nT76jazv0aJMuu-rXRN6H6FSOIxkQNuf_CXB/s1600/image-731987.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMtqHkkOWvHYka2K0O5FU7hHRzcBmB4hCnwPjAGDOx6t_mp-dYPv-M-06C-C0KF0z0i2t5LsTcUpoDH6AUxppYrpQ-gQTLcroWArehK_43nT76jazv0aJMuu-rXRN6H6FSOIxkQNuf_CXB/s320/image-731987.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941770855860465474" /></a></p>As mentioned yesterday, I have heard from multiple Sobos that the damage to the Gila River area has been extensive due to hell (Summer fire) and high water (Fall flooding). We decided for the sake of our sanity, sanctity of our shoes, and the relatively rip-free condition of our clothes, we would take an alternate around the Gila as described by Jim Wolf.
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<br>After much consultation with the GPS, we found the alternate, which required a roadwalk East, then taking the Meadows trail South to cross the Middle Fork of the Gila River. The road was relatively easy walking, dry and clear. The Meadows trail is primarily a pack trail. It was well-marked and recently maintained, though a bit torn up by horses passing while the trail was still muddy. As a result, the trail is mostly hard baked cups of dirt, like walking on the stippled surface of an egg carton. It was easiest to walk with a little flop in my step, allowing my ankles, knees to adjust to the uneven surface.
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<br>The trail walks dead South from the road to descend ~1,000' into the bottom of the Middle Fork of the Gila River canyon. The descent was steep, rocky and slippery. I relied heavily on my poles to keep from skittering off the edge of the switchbacks. When I got to the bottom, I had my first view of the post-flood destruction. It was awesome, and I mean this as in 'awe-inspiring', and not as in TMNT slang. Huge trees were uprooted and splayed across the broad washes of dry silt. The riverbed had extended to nearly the entire canyon floor, wiping out previously grassy sections, like The Meadows.
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<br>Since the sun was sinking low, we hurried to find the trail back up the other side of the canyon, for our ~900' ascent. The actual trail had been washed out, but we found a steep set of switchbacks, angled at > 70 degrees. Like climbing a ladder without handrails. It was slippery business in the eroding hillside, literally climbing up a step up, then sliding down a half step in the sand. Think naturally occurring Stairmaster. We finally climbed high enough to find the intact section of trail to the canyon rim. The switchbacks were nicely graded, and we made it up to the top just as the sun was setting.
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<br>All in all, a satisfying, albeit long day. Looking forward to a half day (~11.5mi) in to Doc Campbell's tomorrow morning.
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<br>Mileage: ~22mi from Snow Lake to crossing of the Middle Fork of the Gila RiverSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-90543391131793813672013-11-01T19:29:00.002-07:002013-11-02T14:06:27.946-07:00Day 131-3 - Hiatus #2-4 Grand Canyon!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjh0yY1L6Do_KTBptwyIarEHByWLczcnCnfgWrzofST_4Ux3UL38iJutF2QObpUJrxD7eoajdQNWBrPpuZRLmJkK7p0EWvaGjN4Toq2ptjd8qJZvVaTkjsuA8LNUXDj-IuTlB56D7mavf/s1600/image-787948.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzjh0yY1L6Do_KTBptwyIarEHByWLczcnCnfgWrzofST_4Ux3UL38iJutF2QObpUJrxD7eoajdQNWBrPpuZRLmJkK7p0EWvaGjN4Toq2ptjd8qJZvVaTkjsuA8LNUXDj-IuTlB56D7mavf/s320/image-787948.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941771094746570402" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFVh5yJ0Fo_ngyI1AKYECCIaQ9CFO7_CB-Ii2gQpchdOWCdDPmk-Qi-CGLeKCDlDF-6kU2VFBB5rYhDX4pSXtRuV9i7uQ6PM058UGSQgIAbEySk944xO87cfuXy9qC-XvRjpIKQUL99o9/s1600/image-790393.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFVh5yJ0Fo_ngyI1AKYECCIaQ9CFO7_CB-Ii2gQpchdOWCdDPmk-Qi-CGLeKCDlDF-6kU2VFBB5rYhDX4pSXtRuV9i7uQ6PM058UGSQgIAbEySk944xO87cfuXy9qC-XvRjpIKQUL99o9/s320/image-790393.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941771104823639218" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCf6bGlaqFb7aevhQTx0h5Cen6u0BtU4g34stN0_iBHxggN6yvH564U2fsadqjx2_lS3I9ER8244P7EWlJJcTzuFtJGu9sbRgLEzmP1TvNzqa-Bi9weiJZ0jYhvezpmX7UzpzJBx-jtWdq/s1600/image-793591.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCf6bGlaqFb7aevhQTx0h5Cen6u0BtU4g34stN0_iBHxggN6yvH564U2fsadqjx2_lS3I9ER8244P7EWlJJcTzuFtJGu9sbRgLEzmP1TvNzqa-Bi9weiJZ0jYhvezpmX7UzpzJBx-jtWdq/s320/image-793591.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941771118900513810" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-JfFM-T1Bar0L0pr5wdttLV_FFXAJ4zWx8rL1eUAsXuqwidcscZBmcQ9QpbmtRgTJHiUC9FkXlzZpNgduSLzXjWyfGWYuxY9lIHR8jCYMf-oXz239eYNJnp04PKGiqMLJuWHii2ssJY_/s1600/image-796510.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-JfFM-T1Bar0L0pr5wdttLV_FFXAJ4zWx8rL1eUAsXuqwidcscZBmcQ9QpbmtRgTJHiUC9FkXlzZpNgduSLzXjWyfGWYuxY9lIHR8jCYMf-oXz239eYNJnp04PKGiqMLJuWHii2ssJY_/s320/image-796510.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941771132973991650" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiRI3QNGROCFD6NSQyysuLwgTgLtwAnu3Dx1WmlS9Pzz7CxTg0RRxF1mApjZ9-6filIS6TZLaK1-zQlPtlGJEvheAyBmYwX2Fgp8uak4r60wUlT3aPKDy0HK9dq6CYjj4Ph1ukQz1jLn_/s1600/image-799521.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiRI3QNGROCFD6NSQyysuLwgTgLtwAnu3Dx1WmlS9Pzz7CxTg0RRxF1mApjZ9-6filIS6TZLaK1-zQlPtlGJEvheAyBmYwX2Fgp8uak4r60wUlT3aPKDy0HK9dq6CYjj4Ph1ukQz1jLn_/s320/image-799521.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941771147097231586" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1w7Fe_cmc8KCW7PCl7Ay_qRDKJWK44O7fctUnbvXoG2N7KWsZvH51rCJd4fC4TCAweC-RQVA70H9h3GjKRZukkv8_oB9cskR_iwW1wjeQFUgp4j_eL8TLD7aABYQ7iIRp3Wwf_gOePLI/s1600/image-702596.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1w7Fe_cmc8KCW7PCl7Ay_qRDKJWK44O7fctUnbvXoG2N7KWsZvH51rCJd4fC4TCAweC-RQVA70H9h3GjKRZukkv8_oB9cskR_iwW1wjeQFUgp4j_eL8TLD7aABYQ7iIRp3Wwf_gOePLI/s320/image-702596.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941771158475993778" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKc4gR1vrhonrRV00gNL1ygiXD3lJQKKa_WleleKZVq2PHfHHBLJSQ4arjjF87goYkdTgS6JuRtMU-xZiVHW5HUcanbHI4t355BBHCj43wojas1W2GP07WOVKvapcEjdal9Nf3ysOF5s_v/s1600/image-705036.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKc4gR1vrhonrRV00gNL1ygiXD3lJQKKa_WleleKZVq2PHfHHBLJSQ4arjjF87goYkdTgS6JuRtMU-xZiVHW5HUcanbHI4t355BBHCj43wojas1W2GP07WOVKvapcEjdal9Nf3ysOF5s_v/s320/image-705036.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941771167965422018" /></a></p>Wonderful visit to the Grand Canyon. Still guided by Nita's schematic, we spent three days at the GC: 1 day of oohing and aahing, 1 day hiking down, and 1 day hiking back up to the rim. We lucked out and were able to get a walk up permit, which extended our trip. But, honestly, when are we going to get the chance to camp at the bottom of the Grand Canyon?
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<br>We took the 7mi South Kaibab trail down to Bright Angel campground. We spent the afternoon taking a dip in the Colorado River, playing Bananagrams and sipping lemonade. The next morning, we climbed 9mi up the Bright Angel trail back to the rim, and drove back to Pie Town. In the spirit of the holidays, we had to pick up a couple of pumpkins to carve.
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<br>Wonderful hiatus from the trail. Ok, all business now, we have to get to Mexico. But thanks to Skarkle Cat for the adventure!
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<br>Mileage: 0
<br>Pumpkins carved: 2Steinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-33278242094276742942013-11-01T19:29:00.001-07:002013-11-02T14:04:26.004-07:00Day 135 - Goodbye, Pie Town<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvqD8e3tNT_EKvpnBPWMR5UWNS4tDwlBXiFe_V3NPpyF0nCtgBVle16n-_VzCw1D_M579Gq9KcfH0JjJMqeMKHYkBVMs8YoJh8uaSs3kvg8v2r1FzBQWvkpUZslm_RWvcfqDjmB8-4gb6/s1600/image-766004.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvqD8e3tNT_EKvpnBPWMR5UWNS4tDwlBXiFe_V3NPpyF0nCtgBVle16n-_VzCw1D_M579Gq9KcfH0JjJMqeMKHYkBVMs8YoJh8uaSs3kvg8v2r1FzBQWvkpUZslm_RWvcfqDjmB8-4gb6/s320/image-766004.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941770576277429906" /></a></p>After much hemming hawing and general procrastination, we got back on the trail today around noon. The hiatus to the Grand Canyon was incredibly fun. While it should have been energizing, it actually extinguished my ardor for getting to Mexico. I was reminded of how fun it is to sleep indoors, drink out of faucets, and have heat at night. Plus, seeing the Petrified Forest, Painted Desert and Grand Canyon reminded me that I can *drive* to amazing places, and not have to painstakingly hike everywhere. And, I heard so much music, from radios, CDs, tapes. It was wonderful.
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<br>But, I must focus. We are less than 300mi from the end, and I can keep it together long enough to get there. We did buy plane tickets for November 12, so we have to finish by November 11th at the very latest. I think we'll probably finish on the 9th or 10th, but we'll see how it goes.
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<br>Today, we picked up where we left off, after passing the brown house on Ed Jones Road. The road walk was long, but broken up by an ascent of Mangas Mtn. Afterwards, the spring which is indicated as 'good' on the map is completely dry. Some hunters who have been seeing CDTers go by were kind enough to supply water and do a some "two old guys out hunting in the woods" comedy.
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<br>We night hiked with Sky for a while, great conversation about Islesboro, the US health care system, AT memories. The miles flew by.
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<br>Camped in some trees, hiding from the strong gusts today. Going to find water in the am.
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<br>Night.
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<br>Mileage: ~24mi from brown house on Ed Jones Rd to near Hwy 12Steinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-45950166486949664452013-11-01T19:29:00.000-07:002013-11-02T13:47:15.567-07:00Day 136 - Bear, snow, cactus<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdu1B1jgchleTvxbPhshGbWbuT0jJOiBoL25w7MCTRYYTKh_-ZoigKjXjYznF_KfgouPlNUds5mjrJuyzibyo8mMgEjhThkUOQxB2LRLlBMlMDTy5SovJIKWbiJXD8zi5ilDgXX1aAaVb/s1600/image-735567.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIdu1B1jgchleTvxbPhshGbWbuT0jJOiBoL25w7MCTRYYTKh_-ZoigKjXjYznF_KfgouPlNUds5mjrJuyzibyo8mMgEjhThkUOQxB2LRLlBMlMDTy5SovJIKWbiJXD8zi5ilDgXX1aAaVb/s320/image-735567.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941766146547389474" /></a></p>I stopped to take off my jacket around 10:30am, since it was warming up. Gangles went on ahead, and I was going to catch her in a few minutes. I passed a fresh cone of bear scat, mostly pinon nuts, but didn't think much of it. Two minutes later, I heard Gangles yelling, "STEIN!" Apparently, she had just seen a black bear. They surprised each other, coming around a corner. The bear took a quick look at her, and then took off, South on the trail. We waited a few minutes for the bear to clear out.
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<br>Later in the afternoon, we had patches of snow, groppel and hail. I thought we were past the bad weather, but I suppose we procrastinated too long at the Grand Canyon. Strange to see snow on the cacti and other desert plants here. It's quite cold now, supposed to hit 19 degrees in Pie Town, so maybe single digits tonight as we're on the divide. Camped early, since it was so cold. Hope to catch Sky tomorrow at Snow Lake.
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<br>Really cold, ready to be done
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<br>Mileage: 24mi from near Hwy 12 to near FS 3037Steinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-21994040345861201482013-10-25T18:26:00.001-07:002013-10-25T18:26:48.669-07:00Day 131 - Hiatus #1 Petrified forest and Painted Desert<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8Gwit18rL4ktIBHRnrxToA9TCkujl5MLRNsiHfi61vCFNpfHrU6WRek0-CujR_LRgD4kC8PL8R6Bi5zizgYL7-XNNGon8peNcbsxQBCzTV_AiaDI3_1WayHgAdNyin6zZElmytjtrZ9J/s1600/image-708670.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL8Gwit18rL4ktIBHRnrxToA9TCkujl5MLRNsiHfi61vCFNpfHrU6WRek0-CujR_LRgD4kC8PL8R6Bi5zizgYL7-XNNGon8peNcbsxQBCzTV_AiaDI3_1WayHgAdNyin6zZElmytjtrZ9J/s320/image-708670.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938869505430633090" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSx1jBN2Gfl8limfj69NjMtIop-GBQjx2eyEIKDCHMOyFiwIgPl7LciP1v963VZ0DydCdcD3KW9Br9Pkwkm5-rrz_Trr2fCrdOpC6d1B_z25gZQDBMb-7ke6JBVeC5MNCQ5JLN6DaI6CpM/s1600/image-710773.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSx1jBN2Gfl8limfj69NjMtIop-GBQjx2eyEIKDCHMOyFiwIgPl7LciP1v963VZ0DydCdcD3KW9Br9Pkwkm5-rrz_Trr2fCrdOpC6d1B_z25gZQDBMb-7ke6JBVeC5MNCQ5JLN6DaI6CpM/s320/image-710773.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938869513849481074" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQBIbcCpozW725DZOoVGz07YXIF6SzbJts7eUODkBjTwzYjg1WfZ6nftYM_XubCesG5VFMTRrxp6aTgwsEKaITDeeY9KA_OiA6lIkxt0Ztz-Ljzqs_7onhirZR9ZS4kF9qppZlh82VOOVB/s1600/image-712649.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQBIbcCpozW725DZOoVGz07YXIF6SzbJts7eUODkBjTwzYjg1WfZ6nftYM_XubCesG5VFMTRrxp6aTgwsEKaITDeeY9KA_OiA6lIkxt0Ztz-Ljzqs_7onhirZR9ZS4kF9qppZlh82VOOVB/s320/image-712649.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938869520708829970" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9_p-nwTNm0tn_WVHSAS9BwnwQ50fwCN1rYnWQidZdfKhTUIoeGCNHcg0fb3ENIkOEcohLqFQXIgkN2hg_-eJ7uZT2XtSUXnx2gQjhcQ0aBNUMwb02ZlVEET7aRrMnbCJgGQVGJZRqSIJ/s1600/image-715469.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM9_p-nwTNm0tn_WVHSAS9BwnwQ50fwCN1rYnWQidZdfKhTUIoeGCNHcg0fb3ENIkOEcohLqFQXIgkN2hg_-eJ7uZT2XtSUXnx2gQjhcQ0aBNUMwb02ZlVEET7aRrMnbCJgGQVGJZRqSIJ/s320/image-715469.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938869533431248114" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmzEEaYNXtbzX6AgaQmD6CFdOctVsOTpBUC6PcFd2v1vUX6OPm_TlOqTnNLYSOFKBnvvY6AVIxmKrCNi4BPhZr3xCsI3ReESQvK4x78HfUdlmFYCNLGZ-fFko5ZDnA5SoDjGguC77WqlD/s1600/image-717664.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDmzEEaYNXtbzX6AgaQmD6CFdOctVsOTpBUC6PcFd2v1vUX6OPm_TlOqTnNLYSOFKBnvvY6AVIxmKrCNi4BPhZr3xCsI3ReESQvK4x78HfUdlmFYCNLGZ-fFko5ZDnA5SoDjGguC77WqlD/s320/image-717664.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938869543342082770" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQQuWlsKte8NvsENIyIVjv7yKTJvTkXkC3DR2Ut_e2mojikTzqXA7u9OPCRCGkEME4lF8uZyoc5XFF07Rm3IZPw0BbDU0FLc_ABvNgZx3dznEMCSck7yJ2QS8N5B48V6l-F_ocA4E1LeN/s1600/image-719243.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQQuWlsKte8NvsENIyIVjv7yKTJvTkXkC3DR2Ut_e2mojikTzqXA7u9OPCRCGkEME4lF8uZyoc5XFF07Rm3IZPw0BbDU0FLc_ABvNgZx3dznEMCSck7yJ2QS8N5B48V6l-F_ocA4E1LeN/s320/image-719243.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938869550055838066" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEI0LpnPMNWnRSe9EDCm5x6Rc4yi1Pl-x3x4qyrb_uni3af4pnyOoRoP6NfJmEi8mu15RqOu2DhXeAQIYpNq-MO1GavANryFMruSDRHJ5clXXg_sdKGACuGCbY7Mwr8zsnKPvy4LwT8kbt/s1600/image-720921.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEI0LpnPMNWnRSe9EDCm5x6Rc4yi1Pl-x3x4qyrb_uni3af4pnyOoRoP6NfJmEi8mu15RqOu2DhXeAQIYpNq-MO1GavANryFMruSDRHJ5clXXg_sdKGACuGCbY7Mwr8zsnKPvy4LwT8kbt/s320/image-720921.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938869556561943650" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwkK1yl0jSWlJVPrskpevf3XjjbwtMCPH1Hf1BVPa_KeCDWXP-DPuQHetr1ThwjyfZHTmH8z7XXm0hYpKOMk7B3o861PkwtX3cErbxFmGBb0vkaoasUFPJuB7uDfLttqlUhK6JHiEiDv8/s1600/image-722583.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXwkK1yl0jSWlJVPrskpevf3XjjbwtMCPH1Hf1BVPa_KeCDWXP-DPuQHetr1ThwjyfZHTmH8z7XXm0hYpKOMk7B3o861PkwtX3cErbxFmGBb0vkaoasUFPJuB7uDfLttqlUhK6JHiEiDv8/s320/image-722583.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938869563450454834" /></a></p>Roadtrip!
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<br>We're going to the Grand Canyon! One day to get there, one day at the Canyon, and one day to get back to Pie Town.
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<br>Today's highlights: Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, a peek at Walnut Canyon.
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<br>All courtesy of a detailed schematic from Nita, of the Toaster House.
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<br>Thanks to Skarkle Cat for the idea, the wheels, and letting us tag along!
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<br>Mileage: 0miSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-15829397063130086442013-10-25T18:09:00.001-07:002013-10-25T18:09:49.498-07:00Day 130 - Pie-mania!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxxzwKsOAGt1DkeWdZAXPaFL0nTYRGYq4McLs9YGMHUS4_vk8Hx87A8PBTQIhuxqWk3zzsfiWSBJgJqmNXDHiVRla9lpxSWvSeBnOt_cWjpdPTi8j5pH4uhYfkyOtC5UaaTorDLnfSxvs/s1600/image-789498.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxxzwKsOAGt1DkeWdZAXPaFL0nTYRGYq4McLs9YGMHUS4_vk8Hx87A8PBTQIhuxqWk3zzsfiWSBJgJqmNXDHiVRla9lpxSWvSeBnOt_cWjpdPTi8j5pH4uhYfkyOtC5UaaTorDLnfSxvs/s320/image-789498.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938865127026052578" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUoKHIExzsXQJsqQM67oz1T5dTEUEmFmB8IXflKnYDCIimnY5upzPq2azo0zVsIwAMaKKKhBHvfVJ5JEU486PvpFh-ytzQu7VM-hpqeSOxJNPj1sA2yMjFhUvf6jumcImHMdr7ftxevVz/s1600/image-793135.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizUoKHIExzsXQJsqQM67oz1T5dTEUEmFmB8IXflKnYDCIimnY5upzPq2azo0zVsIwAMaKKKhBHvfVJ5JEU486PvpFh-ytzQu7VM-hpqeSOxJNPj1sA2yMjFhUvf6jumcImHMdr7ftxevVz/s320/image-793135.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938865145459122274" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVkHM32LU8hsjl4W7LPc_rh8BjLWb_QUuRtq53k1TfBGQE6ot9NPA3ByOjVZbUCn-fqpZymzocL2Zv2s_zKtJaeLEc8XR_bVJnkQgXQ6aa_t-LDWB-ofsbkeerM-K59Suz3yqJFclole-/s1600/image-796311.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVkHM32LU8hsjl4W7LPc_rh8BjLWb_QUuRtq53k1TfBGQE6ot9NPA3ByOjVZbUCn-fqpZymzocL2Zv2s_zKtJaeLEc8XR_bVJnkQgXQ6aa_t-LDWB-ofsbkeerM-K59Suz3yqJFclole-/s320/image-796311.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938865158069045650" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8UzVI0DG4fqEEJooE1BHpBahGzVe0ywqduQsQb0KBYpOUqc72cQr-cilokcUg9h3Fbm-vH3XvHsml_BIBg-C4th8FCP395YmGdi9-ayL78AvWVu5UNHlr9YNQY_SnhBBLFXm__zgsKBRx/s1600/image-798927.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8UzVI0DG4fqEEJooE1BHpBahGzVe0ywqduQsQb0KBYpOUqc72cQr-cilokcUg9h3Fbm-vH3XvHsml_BIBg-C4th8FCP395YmGdi9-ayL78AvWVu5UNHlr9YNQY_SnhBBLFXm__zgsKBRx/s320/image-798927.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938865169148021794" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQEpTDVtlOZKxuL6miGV1lYzGqUkiLckmNpgW4bXGrWryjMGxjfKqd6zMMJHytA3e30fTnpxWAsBH6SvV2ueh0NTm7EQmLQ0Hu6gq7LG-vGJgZzFCz1WqzOZf7QRO89A2lMDIfcb8xhsy/s1600/image-700811.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzQEpTDVtlOZKxuL6miGV1lYzGqUkiLckmNpgW4bXGrWryjMGxjfKqd6zMMJHytA3e30fTnpxWAsBH6SvV2ueh0NTm7EQmLQ0Hu6gq7LG-vGJgZzFCz1WqzOZf7QRO89A2lMDIfcb8xhsy/s320/image-700811.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938865174601356898" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_PybrTeANqzV5xg0_cwdQKSdFTyrVW1IP6xg2p5zQshRsHWbVXwT2BWyny16yaLFY7lwgmO7-f1EecD8STG8AJiPvkzp1HqgOpZmK-bYSr9d3T7rDqu5epBc-Duy_CGpUmkf3SnVv4Kz/s1600/image-703581.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_PybrTeANqzV5xg0_cwdQKSdFTyrVW1IP6xg2p5zQshRsHWbVXwT2BWyny16yaLFY7lwgmO7-f1EecD8STG8AJiPvkzp1HqgOpZmK-bYSr9d3T7rDqu5epBc-Duy_CGpUmkf3SnVv4Kz/s320/image-703581.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938865189713395922" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGPMgVXiSiReaA0-fpUV-Re3RVL69DwaBZzv6ks95fmntQ_xgaRoiZM8oduFQ2FJkkBM3Cm45Y1xJoDEHBSWIS1Ahm6oRVFh5vxvE-3xilgr58amiOR4I93UKZSjF1E4ONH8IyG9ZSN5R/s1600/image-706322.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitGPMgVXiSiReaA0-fpUV-Re3RVL69DwaBZzv6ks95fmntQ_xgaRoiZM8oduFQ2FJkkBM3Cm45Y1xJoDEHBSWIS1Ahm6oRVFh5vxvE-3xilgr58amiOR4I93UKZSjF1E4ONH8IyG9ZSN5R/s320/image-706322.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938865243206309218" /></a></p>Pie Town lived up to its name. We had the honor of having dinner with Nita (of the Toaster House) and Ajo (of magical hats). During dinner, we had a lot of pie talk: crust preferences (thick or thin), preferred shortening (butter, lard, Crisco, or combo), thickener (flour, cornstarch, tapioca, none at all!), topping (crumb, lattice, crust), etc. I had no idea I had so many opinions on pie, but it was a rousing discussion.
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<br>Then, topped off with a very competitive game of Scrabble, which Nita took with both style points and overall score. Nita and Ajo were great company. Thanks for everything!
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<br>Also, we did a quick tour of Pie Town to look at the VLA satellite, and the windmill museum. Then followed by a slack pack in the afternoon with Masa, who is a fascinating guy. He's a Japanese hiker, and will become the 2nd Asian triple crowner when he finishes in a few weeks. He's a friend of Jackaroo, who I met on the AT and JMT. And, he's working on completing the Japan Trail, which will be 1,600+ km when completed, and stretch the length of the country. Glad we had a chance to get to know him.
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<br>Oh, and in one of those, "only on the trail" moments, someone made an offhand joke about going to go see the Grand Canyon tomorrow. And it blossomed from an offhand joke into a full-blown adventure. Another hiatus from the trail, and we'll be back on Sunday.
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<br>Mileage: ~17mi from Pie Town to the brown house on Ed Jones RdSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-36247329405342748652013-10-25T07:38:00.000-07:002013-10-25T08:47:54.703-07:00Day 129 - Pie Town!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiblRNZ3ZteWQSOk2o77zhPk2dsVw4OBPh-CiJ8Dhma_Tk_LWvrz__MPB5mhy_eeHolkdvMLp7aBvQEwU3M5hDc-28m3s0GuMUsW9N0dBKeZNhqmtM4H_z6DQs_niDG7XuV06hHEofQVSz9/s1600/image-774703.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiblRNZ3ZteWQSOk2o77zhPk2dsVw4OBPh-CiJ8Dhma_Tk_LWvrz__MPB5mhy_eeHolkdvMLp7aBvQEwU3M5hDc-28m3s0GuMUsW9N0dBKeZNhqmtM4H_z6DQs_niDG7XuV06hHEofQVSz9/s320/image-774703.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938720323246603442" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHDP1ZB5leMozQwI1cyy4elGMeljFZb3LapSnOg0ed7NCd6G9RncXlRA-rFQlHcd2ZVlBuqc7hwBBtw6EiTchd9NlraqEKKQbO2zPqbaty54bCAGtAQRB7kEhtJFsb7JKhXQkvtNz7m63/s1600/image-777833.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHDP1ZB5leMozQwI1cyy4elGMeljFZb3LapSnOg0ed7NCd6G9RncXlRA-rFQlHcd2ZVlBuqc7hwBBtw6EiTchd9NlraqEKKQbO2zPqbaty54bCAGtAQRB7kEhtJFsb7JKhXQkvtNz7m63/s320/image-777833.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938720337122296242" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIObBPULbmpt45udZdStnFvV-PDfQra7n6zRT7x4hM8QtUCZ1yu2IvgJTExgb39rjH2tzO7hei4toM48loCwcZyDp3ONCZhgkn3oARlfFt4qMvp3S89hnvpH8be4h7kxJQ-X7zWNbuWbC/s1600/image-780582.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIObBPULbmpt45udZdStnFvV-PDfQra7n6zRT7x4hM8QtUCZ1yu2IvgJTExgb39rjH2tzO7hei4toM48loCwcZyDp3ONCZhgkn3oARlfFt4qMvp3S89hnvpH8be4h7kxJQ-X7zWNbuWbC/s320/image-780582.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938720345948104946" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikV3Ad_zdiR-HjHZQQHrShM36z08MMXEIQjGTRTWGGlvZpPjXZOn4Ws95twvUd2ymxRWJnG8Kqo_7OO3bP8hlySZ4Ti3OVW8bx1awm_m5seYOCFoaOnwKRmTFwXwqogBdXDuaJdmm78NU/s1600/image-783161.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgikV3Ad_zdiR-HjHZQQHrShM36z08MMXEIQjGTRTWGGlvZpPjXZOn4Ws95twvUd2ymxRWJnG8Kqo_7OO3bP8hlySZ4Ti3OVW8bx1awm_m5seYOCFoaOnwKRmTFwXwqogBdXDuaJdmm78NU/s320/image-783161.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938720359145362962" /></a></p>I did not relish today, 32m on a mostly straight dirt road to Pie Town. The occasional passing car kicked up a huge plume of dust. One white truck stopped, and J.J. Henio introduced himself. He's half Apache, half Navaho and manages the road conditions. He gave us his address and asked us to write to him at the end of the trip so he knows the dusty hikers he met, did indeed make it all the way to Mexico.
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<br>Otherwise, not much of note. We gratefully filled our water bottles from the Thomas Mtn Ranch spigot. We stopped or lunch there, at the halfway point, 16mi done, 16mi left. John and Angie Thomas weren't there, but we had their vocal and amorous donkey for company.
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<br>I was bone tired as we kept walking. My feet are sore from roadwalking on hard baked sand. To keep our spirits up, we listened to the 5 songs, and 2 podcasts I still have on my phone.
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<br>We arrived around 7:30pm at the Toaster house to find Skarkle Cat. Home sweet home.
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<br>Mileage: 32mi from Pie Town Rd to Nita's Toaster houseSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-56060731642325363172013-10-25T07:30:00.000-07:002013-10-25T09:42:45.792-07:00Day 128 - Lava rocks, La Ventana, getting lost<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzJSuYVgEIypqvXFogWwFK_t2oFA0aOI19kozjjyiYaSo8QI_0lxCAMo9Gcyx-B5SLw4YJk3x4e3jyV6dpWtjQG_cpfYfUrGq7mbo8Ol1nTY3h8JbKRHRW5mOym2kxpTaurf5ie_9IZBb/s1600/image-765794.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzJSuYVgEIypqvXFogWwFK_t2oFA0aOI19kozjjyiYaSo8QI_0lxCAMo9Gcyx-B5SLw4YJk3x4e3jyV6dpWtjQG_cpfYfUrGq7mbo8Ol1nTY3h8JbKRHRW5mOym2kxpTaurf5ie_9IZBb/s320/image-765794.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938734456867590850" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMv8-KeeSY681tD_Ye03XnLSQfgg8Gw6J49hkJu4W1tHe5XDwi__eeKXFDff7gO-ksUrfTIUrtysZzAgg4mpSapnlqJG5RIe751Kz4HnsEomPin7Qu65Ipo2AHw-jqnHVxFGUFmaT0ERe/s1600/image-768073.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMv8-KeeSY681tD_Ye03XnLSQfgg8Gw6J49hkJu4W1tHe5XDwi__eeKXFDff7gO-ksUrfTIUrtysZzAgg4mpSapnlqJG5RIe751Kz4HnsEomPin7Qu65Ipo2AHw-jqnHVxFGUFmaT0ERe/s320/image-768073.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938734466347429410" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7hTio2WZIt-Jr4Mns0IydFZnLdv2dexWcgaRLa01PEGunbFTqkNqH177-16A57NYWsBamxXJPqL08nlKjkHiFKsx8N7mSasZxfubWnDCZd9pGQrAjUqcy2xfeJkxUuiqiFxlDG29pC6e/s1600/image-771025.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7hTio2WZIt-Jr4Mns0IydFZnLdv2dexWcgaRLa01PEGunbFTqkNqH177-16A57NYWsBamxXJPqL08nlKjkHiFKsx8N7mSasZxfubWnDCZd9pGQrAjUqcy2xfeJkxUuiqiFxlDG29pC6e/s320/image-771025.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938734482097740962" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4stlYfCkhTY5usH2IbQvds0S9ij98lJTBdIA7jZLHA-5aty2s17JsLx5cPObQBpvQocj07dYalHyyVpZQSs6FfsChlpepGyrnZmCb0Z9xf4ycPmyZI14ioXhEEa7DOAzNn8qfOrAKUFk/s1600/image-774429.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4stlYfCkhTY5usH2IbQvds0S9ij98lJTBdIA7jZLHA-5aty2s17JsLx5cPObQBpvQocj07dYalHyyVpZQSs6FfsChlpepGyrnZmCb0Z9xf4ycPmyZI14ioXhEEa7DOAzNn8qfOrAKUFk/s320/image-774429.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938734494124104962" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGpZvtLAtarHBuv8cHDQoUr4XOvv-seLKzQs_pllUD4k71I6NWtA6w-DYD1l9EttP7BhO2gNKUYNx2KSnJTNAIDWMC44T151-qYiK_MEpzGL77L115L3aO1ZnKb2DVP4vPDUism_17zn8/s1600/image-777055.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGpZvtLAtarHBuv8cHDQoUr4XOvv-seLKzQs_pllUD4k71I6NWtA6w-DYD1l9EttP7BhO2gNKUYNx2KSnJTNAIDWMC44T151-qYiK_MEpzGL77L115L3aO1ZnKb2DVP4vPDUism_17zn8/s320/image-777055.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938734506204877682" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zXvegbkpCgsDGZ8DJ2HieX7DfcKos_MXRBKWkN7qKaqgy_Ees8zDUhcfJuWH-G8PQrX8Uf9EN_JdolfQ1iJLd87IXE9fu6rCiGrn-7zfJOAAGT3hZ5WSPvkQpdl2pBdxcieLYDGD6T0p/s1600/image-779565.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zXvegbkpCgsDGZ8DJ2HieX7DfcKos_MXRBKWkN7qKaqgy_Ees8zDUhcfJuWH-G8PQrX8Uf9EN_JdolfQ1iJLd87IXE9fu6rCiGrn-7zfJOAAGT3hZ5WSPvkQpdl2pBdxcieLYDGD6T0p/s320/image-779565.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938734518417072178" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfxMD-6YpuWRsxbkIdNlwpCXbTMhqyfwQbR8u97E3M9iltrtx5PP4iHnL7hpNHgrISl-DLvxpaikliZDl_pxSd75t0NWHSt0lNBt6mJ73DI8t8VC7k8kYz3U-jruChni6Rl68-uLBKfr8/s1600/image-782625.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfxMD-6YpuWRsxbkIdNlwpCXbTMhqyfwQbR8u97E3M9iltrtx5PP4iHnL7hpNHgrISl-DLvxpaikliZDl_pxSd75t0NWHSt0lNBt6mJ73DI8t8VC7k8kYz3U-jruChni6Rl68-uLBKfr8/s320/image-782625.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938734533684112642" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLxbqtPVxGFKyclLROixzU2qQUEpVmItDAp4SZsp63fBN2D_jIsNkf2RJzXKkfWi6mEt0ALIGXYt-uYK6AIzrrStDqBh_7_ZRslrXxMaWT3ooh3TAVtd4XPt8GJJ7pbfsalypZCkkCzRz/s1600/image-785026.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLxbqtPVxGFKyclLROixzU2qQUEpVmItDAp4SZsp63fBN2D_jIsNkf2RJzXKkfWi6mEt0ALIGXYt-uYK6AIzrrStDqBh_7_ZRslrXxMaWT3ooh3TAVtd4XPt8GJJ7pbfsalypZCkkCzRz/s320/image-785026.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938734538847238770" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1J8ccTA8xKu_mRlLrPhoC5qCZGl0EGNyEsCJS5UTLsidghf7-5OsGlousL5hwPnjaMHFFAv4n5bSkr6q74ObPpdLN8KajzYHWpHTomSrIoIMtGU21SVEKi_bSRffTEpytz7o9jczefNWc/s1600/image-787982.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1J8ccTA8xKu_mRlLrPhoC5qCZGl0EGNyEsCJS5UTLsidghf7-5OsGlousL5hwPnjaMHFFAv4n5bSkr6q74ObPpdLN8KajzYHWpHTomSrIoIMtGU21SVEKi_bSRffTEpytz7o9jczefNWc/s320/image-787982.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938734554373905474" /></a></p>This morning, I crossed 8mi of lava on the Zuni-Acoma trail, which has been around for nearly 1,000 years. It is a trail across rough, spongy-looking lava rocks ranging in size from pebbles to huge boulders. The spongy rocks look light and airy, but are actually hard as, well, rocks. And the roughness is tough terrain, like walking across a 3D buzzsaw. The most wear I've put on my shoes this trip was the short stretch on the lava, tearing out small chunks of rubber as I walked. The terrain varied, with some slabs of long, relatively flat stretches, and some stretches of loose scree with poor footing. The informational signs at both ends note that the Spaniards could not cross the lava with pack animals, even on the trail, and detoured around the area.
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<br>And yet, this is one of my favorite sections of the CDT so far. Thanks to the Mumms, I had the eyes to enjoy this section of trail. I had a real thrill walking along the winding trail, knowing that people have been crossing it for hundreds of years on this very route. The way is marked only with cairns, and I had to look cairn to cairn like a treasure hunt to navigate. We came across some signs on civilization--a semi-circle of rocks marking the foundation of an old structure, bridges of lava rock pressed tightly together to cross deep crevices. Truly a unique section of trail.
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<br>Plus, before we started the lava rocks, we came across a surprise, courtesy of Skarkle Cat. They left us some trail magic at the trailhead. Any challenge, when fueled by Sprite and donuts, seems more fun. Thanks, Skarkle Cat.
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<br>After the lava rocks, we stopped at the Mumm's next water cache at Hwy 117. We gratefully drank the fresh, clean water, which is in such short supply in the area. Thank you, Hugo and Carole!
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<br>A few miles later, we arrived at La Ventana, a natural sandstone arch. I'm terrible with proportions, but the arch must be at least 100' across. We hit it at the right time, and it was incandescent with the noon sun.
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<br>And here's where the wheels came off. The Ley maps note an alternate trail, on the rim above La Ventana. Though we had 30mi on the docket, we didn't want to miss the hike on the rim of the mesa. So, we followed the dashed line on the map, and bushwhacked up to the top of the mesa.
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<br>I wanted to take the all forested approach, in the center of the bowl. Gangles suggested we hug the edge of the bowl tightly, and go up right next to La Ventana, which seemed to be indicated by the map. As we climbed next to La Ventana, we crossed numerous cave dwellings carved out of the sandstone. One had a partition wall intact. Fascinating. We kept climbing, a few hundred feet, the tread becoming steeper and more rocky. From the valley, the top of the bowl looked sheer, but with enough angle that we could switchback up. By the time we arrived at the rim, we realized that we couldn't get up the last 15'. The bowl had evolved slowly into sheer, 90 degree sandstone. There were some footholds and handholds, but we were not confident enough climbers / boulderers to get all the way up. [Note: Passable if you have climbing skills; also, the better bushwhack is the forested, non-cliff route] We managed to climb with full packs partway, but couldn't climb the last 5'.
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<br>We were stuck, at the top of the bowl, with 5' of impassable cliff at top. We had to descend. It was so steep that we were sliding feet first, crab-wise, down the rocks. We couldn't descend standing up. At some point, the rock was so steep, I felt if I slid, I might go right off the edge. I braced myself and just pointed at a tree, which luckily broke my fall. On another slide, I was sliding, wedged in a crevice, but the weight of my pack was pulling me down the rock headfirst. Gangles guided me down by grabbing my leg, so thanks for the assist. I was pleasantly surprised we survived without head injuries. Harrowing.
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<br>Three hours later, we were back in the same place where we started. We shook off the adrenaline and hiked as fast as we could down Hwy 117. We had to clear it by sundown, since there have been reports of drug activity on the road (small planes dropping packages, idling trucks waiting nearby, warning shots fired at CDT hiker tents).
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<br>And sitting on the side of the road...MASA! He was recovering from his cold and had set out from Grants earlier that day. We chatted for a minute, and then pushed on.
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<br>We did clear Hwy 117, and had to night hike a bit to get to Pie Town road. Long, exhausting day. While I am sitting in the tent, some truck passed and let out a shrill 'YEEHAW!'. I hope that's a friendly whoop.
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<br>Mileage: ~25-30mi from near Hwy 53 to near Pie Town RdSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-85998946488191974382013-10-21T20:39:00.000-07:002013-10-25T09:32:34.170-07:00Day 127- Leaving Grants...<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXR4MhaNa6uf2YG46Jx8HjBuBiZMthxIdWDIdmqm5-9-sv9QhNWI8LJ4JpOX15YhlirlxayAKn_Osws4trO1HbM5DOBM_8inFO2Jj72MQqfxUik928-RJjTETH0NVIAI5dadCDpsCurrxj/s1600/image-754172.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXR4MhaNa6uf2YG46Jx8HjBuBiZMthxIdWDIdmqm5-9-sv9QhNWI8LJ4JpOX15YhlirlxayAKn_Osws4trO1HbM5DOBM_8inFO2Jj72MQqfxUik928-RJjTETH0NVIAI5dadCDpsCurrxj/s320/image-754172.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938731832280351602" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyjFTDRPz20rzXVfy2nQJuIFjanP1jB2Jtspl6UYk34MohkVNLhtujtMmKO7LiZ7ae15UnYMEiCQTgwbNPCxplwENAIG3zr5FjUpSs50LFaHhDA2Sojwv6ASUEnyJGTUu_eIHfPG1I9ar/s1600/image-756556.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyjFTDRPz20rzXVfy2nQJuIFjanP1jB2Jtspl6UYk34MohkVNLhtujtMmKO7LiZ7ae15UnYMEiCQTgwbNPCxplwENAIG3zr5FjUpSs50LFaHhDA2Sojwv6ASUEnyJGTUu_eIHfPG1I9ar/s320/image-756556.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938731844757812450" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_wX1enHpzpwxofNj-hccc51fN-V-KBFtKTL5nqbZFKBBl3S0MisWaxkj5ucDwH26BAMiKEry6WFpwOJYPongiv6rrqzmhcf9yCDttLS9PVB0RRBvjuLSQowRGjPFbtcPdLf05g76JgO2/s1600/image-759578.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_wX1enHpzpwxofNj-hccc51fN-V-KBFtKTL5nqbZFKBBl3S0MisWaxkj5ucDwH26BAMiKEry6WFpwOJYPongiv6rrqzmhcf9yCDttLS9PVB0RRBvjuLSQowRGjPFbtcPdLf05g76JgO2/s320/image-759578.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938731856488659634" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpo2MBhxu_ds_MKrbv2jek7FSYJgGj-SOW46fkeGbHgsDaLsl1a1i9KcPgLFWQWcvInTcGTXYv2coLtuADv-xtKCJtrq_6TjXUFKMHK00uYNzWFaZK-rhSPPsopNnhmnab8o8KNkFUh-Cm/s1600/image-762010.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpo2MBhxu_ds_MKrbv2jek7FSYJgGj-SOW46fkeGbHgsDaLsl1a1i9KcPgLFWQWcvInTcGTXYv2coLtuADv-xtKCJtrq_6TjXUFKMHK00uYNzWFaZK-rhSPPsopNnhmnab8o8KNkFUh-Cm/s320/image-762010.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938731866503206066" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4V8nytw-qElXD-Dmcb50-MKPQY8nb0INbkkRVSFtCnaNqpZb48AqPJ9W6j-8XqNSe8WR6ZKFCTW8EPuYQeMP63B9tRsyyWM3Fdlwrxd1HaUIzyr-_Wkv9Cl5JDURYU6pryO-d3_efx2P/s1600/image-764306.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4V8nytw-qElXD-Dmcb50-MKPQY8nb0INbkkRVSFtCnaNqpZb48AqPJ9W6j-8XqNSe8WR6ZKFCTW8EPuYQeMP63B9tRsyyWM3Fdlwrxd1HaUIzyr-_Wkv9Cl5JDURYU6pryO-d3_efx2P/s320/image-764306.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938731872793765362" /></a></p>We had a hard time getting on the road today. I think we're mentally exhausted from the first 2,400mi up to now. We lingered a little too long at our last outpost of civilization, the local McDonald's. The local citizens of Grants are so friendly. Several came over and introduced themselves, and one rancher even invited us over for dinner.
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<br>We finally got out of town, walking on the road until we came to the first canyon. During our walk, we came up with a crazy scheme: we are going to try long days to shave off a day on this stretch. This means we'll attempt to get to Pie Town in three days, 24mi, 30mi, 30mi. The biggest miles we've done since WY.
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<br>Tonight, we had to night hike, since we lollygagged in town for so long. But it was fast, easy walking on nicely groomed dirt roads. We stopped for the night near the Mumm's water cache by Hwy 53, just before entering private lands. Tomorrow is a big day, with a historic stroll over an ancient trail marked on lava rock with cairns, and La Ventana, a natural rock arch. Excited.
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<br>The stars are especially lovely tonight before the moonrise, so brightly contrasted in the desert sky. The Milky Way is clearly visible, and Gangles mentioned that it always makes her crave cereal.
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<br>Thanks again to the Mumms for their water caches. So necessary and helpful!
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<br>Mileage: 24mi from Grants to near Hwy 53Steinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-56617081844250056912013-10-21T20:30:00.000-07:002013-10-25T09:36:17.863-07:00Day 126 - Happy birthday, Gangles!<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzoiQH2rWXIyE-bsxVSgqu-Nipv7D2faK-AgBp6XcKf5QcYTBulvDUHOzmtcr32b3oqP9DD-J5dbkKIC5sYKZcWliUsDKwLA08f3QvaSHsM-gK3jdh7RNZMqhQzm_6W0jfDc3cLDtWyY9/s1600/image-777865.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigzoiQH2rWXIyE-bsxVSgqu-Nipv7D2faK-AgBp6XcKf5QcYTBulvDUHOzmtcr32b3oqP9DD-J5dbkKIC5sYKZcWliUsDKwLA08f3QvaSHsM-gK3jdh7RNZMqhQzm_6W0jfDc3cLDtWyY9/s320/image-777865.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938732792001317170" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6isPNLBmub3imMWvg8-1WwNl8PxmmlIjNfPdakg9ChJHdOoHZOIIV4YwQ-F9kdeHFEoNJ-R6b9hFh0WbTo-PDKXLr2DiAH9bFZUNr0Z0723j-ZPrXO3eG8Uc9xuCJxtf_sf38Pwb6TJRQ/s1600/image-781119.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6isPNLBmub3imMWvg8-1WwNl8PxmmlIjNfPdakg9ChJHdOoHZOIIV4YwQ-F9kdeHFEoNJ-R6b9hFh0WbTo-PDKXLr2DiAH9bFZUNr0Z0723j-ZPrXO3eG8Uc9xuCJxtf_sf38Pwb6TJRQ/s320/image-781119.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938732805102863842" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqWBrZshXdmrUEx7Lh9ocdPnjzMTlpyZHwfDPKFa4XA17quuIfFvKQhihb563HtqMYvy-g3MjzhF8uMu-XjoKkkTjO4dMJ67RaMUqDCLrafTmGuMa9ubVjzLw9XkIHQGvL3qYlq3KyTEz/s1600/image-784273.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqWBrZshXdmrUEx7Lh9ocdPnjzMTlpyZHwfDPKFa4XA17quuIfFvKQhihb563HtqMYvy-g3MjzhF8uMu-XjoKkkTjO4dMJ67RaMUqDCLrafTmGuMa9ubVjzLw9XkIHQGvL3qYlq3KyTEz/s320/image-784273.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938732819980430690" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuLRrYReD1moWm49lp_gH7KMNN8O5Qdrfa2W527j9ncFi0IEJII0iHjhVZyL-_mVUsCp2aBIjfgkDkaB7ME-DAxEr4u5__JbvwUcZbYGMSWu4D4w9tbdku3c-57qX-_do8brLOeZRlkQg/s1600/image-786818.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDuLRrYReD1moWm49lp_gH7KMNN8O5Qdrfa2W527j9ncFi0IEJII0iHjhVZyL-_mVUsCp2aBIjfgkDkaB7ME-DAxEr4u5__JbvwUcZbYGMSWu4D4w9tbdku3c-57qX-_do8brLOeZRlkQg/s320/image-786818.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938732829037340418" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQQqL7T4wTC_XemvORweWCBUzz9XQGHFDN7y6zgkrcnjQ5iKVBLEsRpLE5dcNNvCqzHt5JAxi4nueDgL4v-NJoZqpZMN6UMSe_CAAjQcfzk6fxhyphenhyphenZPmpGu8BRCzheoOkkKiyuX_LRyiaP/s1600/image-790044.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeQQqL7T4wTC_XemvORweWCBUzz9XQGHFDN7y6zgkrcnjQ5iKVBLEsRpLE5dcNNvCqzHt5JAxi4nueDgL4v-NJoZqpZMN6UMSe_CAAjQcfzk6fxhyphenhyphenZPmpGu8BRCzheoOkkKiyuX_LRyiaP/s320/image-790044.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938732842035607410" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9__133OaxMEggdD6W5-DHaP378d2SmL_QE9Ah12SwwC8Ewi2eEY_321weMpjzKc4fL8B81UyQUyKEjxZRZqAsl8AmQ4s5SwP3P7VLLt8IaIx3CNdDSBykpnf-dEYScAmwer5nacCtvDxi/s1600/image-792623.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9__133OaxMEggdD6W5-DHaP378d2SmL_QE9Ah12SwwC8Ewi2eEY_321weMpjzKc4fL8B81UyQUyKEjxZRZqAsl8AmQ4s5SwP3P7VLLt8IaIx3CNdDSBykpnf-dEYScAmwer5nacCtvDxi/s320/image-792623.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5938732854956968882" /></a></p>Happy 29th birthday to Gangles! It is her cribbage birthday, since 29 is the highest possible cribbage combination. (I don't know what this means, I'm just transcribing her excited squeaking about cribbage, but it sounds neat)
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<br>We had a quick walk in this morning, descending the dry and cactus-y mesa to the road into Grants. We passed a women's correctional facility, and wished a good morning to the inmates on the other side. They were quite chipper. We wanted to chat more, but wasn't sure if it was kosher, and pushed on.
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<br>Grants was spread out, so we decided to end the day at the Coco Bean coffee shop so we could meet Sky and SparkleCat for lunch. SkarkleCat (Sky + SparkleCat) were the first hikers we've seen since we lost Steve in WY. Had a wonderful lunch with them, catching up on trail gossip. They kindly ran us back to the motel, where we finally met...Masa! Unfortunately, he's battling a head cold, and taking a few days off to recuperate. So, Masa is in Grants for another day, and SkarkleCat left town. We're in the bubble again, but hope to see all of them in or near Pie Town.
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<br>We also had a surprise birthday celebration for Gangles, decorated courtesy of the local Dollar Tree. Classy affair, and the event of the season.
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<br>For dinner, we had the honor and pleasure of having pizza with the Mumms, the local trail angels. They supply water for most of the hikers in the areas surrounding Grants, which is desperately dry. I almost felt like a real person, and not a hiking hobo, sitting at a table with placemats and talking about something other than the CDT. The Mumms were wonderful dinner companions and conversationalists, urbane, witty and so gracious to invite us into their home. They told us about their line of work (exquisite artisan birdcages), local explorations of ancient ruins and petroglyphs, and an epic road trip to the Ontario region. A fun and memorable night. Hugo and Carole, thank you for all you do for the hikers!
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<br>Ok, off to bed, going to try a big day out.
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<br>p.s., Is it just me, or is the CDT littered with vertebrae?
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<br>Mileage: ~8mi from mesa top near Grants to GrantsSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-31909478676891479122013-10-19T18:39:00.001-07:002013-10-19T18:39:24.509-07:00Day 125 - Mt. Taylor<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOuOWr5-UG1rYVrD8XvbpS_vDkZtHXjWSuIJ70SE5sXoQyIzGZe97rGvCoBQI11s-HCjWjEsg-KFLuUCaJQaqMvP-cZ-qY-b4AdF8RMCNg8HUVko5HODkT7hnvDkztEfg1Cr80Ze6U_a5/s1600/image-764510.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOuOWr5-UG1rYVrD8XvbpS_vDkZtHXjWSuIJ70SE5sXoQyIzGZe97rGvCoBQI11s-HCjWjEsg-KFLuUCaJQaqMvP-cZ-qY-b4AdF8RMCNg8HUVko5HODkT7hnvDkztEfg1Cr80Ze6U_a5/s320/image-764510.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936646241556800610" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFaP27vzRiuPXe_G3XcImO9tNFo8H2Hh96vtCR2NcfW41R3-5NwsAAkJwlxQgdbnBObR8q_MCW29wYFBpboOCwi-lPwLoPSLQL9xMiFZ7I8cEl14SHwsa095rmJ5V-rjrcjogfWmvok_r/s1600/image-773592.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFaP27vzRiuPXe_G3XcImO9tNFo8H2Hh96vtCR2NcfW41R3-5NwsAAkJwlxQgdbnBObR8q_MCW29wYFBpboOCwi-lPwLoPSLQL9xMiFZ7I8cEl14SHwsa095rmJ5V-rjrcjogfWmvok_r/s320/image-773592.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936646275669418706" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtMxNN327x5IIVp-_xR_SS2g1JOPYkp-5ie5GhnzyattBP5PEzrpRpGnFfkpzS1JK-A6GPfLXykCbwgP4ceakkhC2KOdeGn1MlYTXiFVYBFojvplhsUgkve64WksSYFZOrZNLW1yiVakDF/s1600/image-782574.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtMxNN327x5IIVp-_xR_SS2g1JOPYkp-5ie5GhnzyattBP5PEzrpRpGnFfkpzS1JK-A6GPfLXykCbwgP4ceakkhC2KOdeGn1MlYTXiFVYBFojvplhsUgkve64WksSYFZOrZNLW1yiVakDF/s320/image-782574.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936646321966306146" /></a></p>We went over Mt. Taylor today, our last time over 11,000' on the trail. And not a day too soon. Another cold night and morning--all of our water froze again. Had to wait a few hours to drink.
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<br>Beautiful view on Taylor, 360 degrees around, including the much antennaed peak La Mosca nearby. Some jokester has put up a tin silhouette (maybe Pogo?) of a cartoon on the summit sign. Many elk hunters out and about today, flashes of blaze orange zipping up and down the mountains effortlessly in pick-up trucks and ATVs.
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<br>And, thank you thank you thank you to the Mumms for their water cache at FR 193 & 501. Much needed.
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<br>Into Grants tomorrow am for Gangles' birthday!
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<br>p.s., Can't believe we've been on the trail for 125 days. 5^3. Let us get off this trail before we hit the next cube.
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<br>Mileage: ~25mi from near Lower American Springs to near Mt. Taylor trailheadSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-13284471675353341522013-10-18T19:19:00.000-07:002013-10-19T17:39:30.057-07:00Day 124 - Stones in the road<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgb7JVxVcqRRBdOX5v5tZNSJEUrRkDdCm9Sl8ndtaPoafne0iXZsJY39iVyHOD4bPEb353NduJx3fKa0H7_76Tv00KcreJb6Y3LVBHzqzse_7kiJsP1ZkMF-WIVSwX_enSyxyJ72M1B8b/s1600/image-770057.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTgb7JVxVcqRRBdOX5v5tZNSJEUrRkDdCm9Sl8ndtaPoafne0iXZsJY39iVyHOD4bPEb353NduJx3fKa0H7_76Tv00KcreJb6Y3LVBHzqzse_7kiJsP1ZkMF-WIVSwX_enSyxyJ72M1B8b/s320/image-770057.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936630803931400338" /></a></p>Spent most of the day on the forest roads which comprise the official trail. Uneventful. Some hunters gave us water. The road was rocky. We spent the day chatting and making miles.
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<br>Today felt like an interstitial transition day, between the alien landscape of the past two days, and the upcoming climb up Mt. Taylor.
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<br>Mt. Taylor is not on the "official" CDT, but according to Nobos, the far more popular route. The "official" route skirts the mountain on a trail to the North for no apparent reason. Maybe because the mountain is considered sacred to local indigenous people? Who knows? I am excited to climb to 11,000'+ one last time on the trail. Then balmy valley temps all the way to Mexico. Right?
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<br>p.s., In June, there was a report of a "friendly" mother bear and two cubs near this spring. Am a bit jumpy, but it is rifle hunting season, so hope that keeps the wildlife at bay
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<br>Mileage: 28mi from near Seco Tank to near Lower American SpringsSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-33316105285636224862013-10-17T20:32:00.000-07:002013-10-19T17:41:11.084-07:00Day 123 - Greetings from Mars<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3j5BvcraX8NYVFk-2ufI0JEKwfjoEuJrEhmHaDzFrr2hV5ZytvVshEd7yPXNZz5MhdLboBIJLH3rLgpEzM-IwrZjpJIjxwTF9orZPEYtZGoAETCju5bXdEwD5vxRkvxiPgHJ0W7OIzF3/s1600/image-771086.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3j5BvcraX8NYVFk-2ufI0JEKwfjoEuJrEhmHaDzFrr2hV5ZytvVshEd7yPXNZz5MhdLboBIJLH3rLgpEzM-IwrZjpJIjxwTF9orZPEYtZGoAETCju5bXdEwD5vxRkvxiPgHJ0W7OIzF3/s320/image-771086.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631240548302514" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWW5izRfKfe5WlLqpMo12O-aOu7OSAEAst02z_nvC-7WT7_6zUx6UBNxHjsZ0x4Z0qCH2jNi7Ts1dFnY8nciVVyPMy1Q6hoyx8H8t7skbRqpCVsxmxVyQ3icaq8644IHA8xCIYpYO8iZ8/s1600/image-774710.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWW5izRfKfe5WlLqpMo12O-aOu7OSAEAst02z_nvC-7WT7_6zUx6UBNxHjsZ0x4Z0qCH2jNi7Ts1dFnY8nciVVyPMy1Q6hoyx8H8t7skbRqpCVsxmxVyQ3icaq8644IHA8xCIYpYO8iZ8/s320/image-774710.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631254644082914" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4Jzl1Y9cjwlHBFIdFJHUXVm7sS7b1kbk4WBbeKHuo0NSS9oBnmdr3dfBU1h8-3wCgn-p-yqR3DEYZ26Yi_hFGs7v4XGCKMPtIE5jg_V32Cq4iqv6v7gLC-SONgbwqJYA6YxAczVkcpHV/s1600/image-778530.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4Jzl1Y9cjwlHBFIdFJHUXVm7sS7b1kbk4WBbeKHuo0NSS9oBnmdr3dfBU1h8-3wCgn-p-yqR3DEYZ26Yi_hFGs7v4XGCKMPtIE5jg_V32Cq4iqv6v7gLC-SONgbwqJYA6YxAczVkcpHV/s320/image-778530.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631273758022818" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qXvrFhJPsvCJ5aWQtggeMXl9UjgYbAzHPNtydIhDANfbkKm9E8A91jUgcao3vTre9HmgVREghW8PjTB_Y8KzVjosDa1MlMpWL7YTsJ-P5uG7cYUavKykS_GCanPzupcqXDyrSk7XbzVw/s1600/image-783952.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qXvrFhJPsvCJ5aWQtggeMXl9UjgYbAzHPNtydIhDANfbkKm9E8A91jUgcao3vTre9HmgVREghW8PjTB_Y8KzVjosDa1MlMpWL7YTsJ-P5uG7cYUavKykS_GCanPzupcqXDyrSk7XbzVw/s320/image-783952.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631293839749122" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPp1kwAOj9rMHE2vbnU0Ew5uYRG-fuFhgnloQX293ljeOGzl3LmHFsFy45Z2SEDhGPb2ugjSXDh91puIC1l_iwcaJu5OSRsHOT6Sjubq34A4EU69GoozPczclPLuNexnCNb9Fe2MaWuSHf/s1600/image-787489.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPp1kwAOj9rMHE2vbnU0Ew5uYRG-fuFhgnloQX293ljeOGzl3LmHFsFy45Z2SEDhGPb2ugjSXDh91puIC1l_iwcaJu5OSRsHOT6Sjubq34A4EU69GoozPczclPLuNexnCNb9Fe2MaWuSHf/s320/image-787489.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631312532232450" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAv_gd-tX4AcRUDR9qTYwXytWEDmaUCJOc-5TGAaDB41KYnK1UdOtZTug1YUJOFvIKvY9tTy-k4_vIjLzMWOda1XCe-gab_TL-iMKmO_hUm-y2ieW8z7k0oHfJKFNhJtmF2HO5g0b6EFPE/s1600/image-791180.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAv_gd-tX4AcRUDR9qTYwXytWEDmaUCJOc-5TGAaDB41KYnK1UdOtZTug1YUJOFvIKvY9tTy-k4_vIjLzMWOda1XCe-gab_TL-iMKmO_hUm-y2ieW8z7k0oHfJKFNhJtmF2HO5g0b6EFPE/s320/image-791180.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631323283797762" /></a></p>At some point today, we lost the thread of the trail and wandered off into the desert scrub. I came across the eviscerated carcass of an adult cow. The still furry red hide was drawn tightly over the intact skeleton, like some macabre tent. I would have taken a photo, but I almost retched. The death was recent, the bones unbleached but the flesh already consumed probably by coyotes, then by raptors and insects.
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<br>And less then a mile later, amid the harsh dry landscape, a reassuring sign of life--a herd of five wild horses: white, strawberry roan, grey and white paint, bay with black points, bay with a white blaze and stockings. All different coats, yet in one family unit. When I approached, the horses didn't startle, but drew near each other, their tails towards the center, and their heads spread out in a fan formation, watchfully monitoring my progress past their territory. We passed, quickly for us, too slowly for the horses, and the horses went back to grazing.
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<br>Signs of decay and vigor so close together, a reminder of how quickly life cycles through the desert environment.
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<br>Beautiful walking today, up and down mesas, winding through still alien rock formations.
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<br>Water far apart in this section, ~15-17mi between good sources. Long day today, but continuing to crawl towards Grants.
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<br>Mileage: ~26mi from near Deadman Peaks to near Seco TankSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-33783348965595217342013-10-16T18:52:00.000-07:002013-10-19T17:41:46.423-07:00Day 122 - Pitch Black<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qBXKxRv6QATp5cAlq9d_zQqD_3eXBask9Fbxkz5p36x_dijdMOTzLjyt-XCm_QghbRlncBd3xcw0qpjn4mE8M4WFIBPWarykmNYRYnmhYXTbwHstX9IKXDwEfqRM9yZCT1Azak1O6DWs/s1600/image-706424.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qBXKxRv6QATp5cAlq9d_zQqD_3eXBask9Fbxkz5p36x_dijdMOTzLjyt-XCm_QghbRlncBd3xcw0qpjn4mE8M4WFIBPWarykmNYRYnmhYXTbwHstX9IKXDwEfqRM9yZCT1Azak1O6DWs/s320/image-706424.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631389243499234" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tKnIhb28ypyTAgmNU2b4m4OjMVdrhOxmpZOh-1fOeza7Xc4R1O7N7iQ_-gZu3gvrUXLet8e9E5hINlgWCNvYHcIL_1FGGo4lA9JDc5-9XjfDbvjJLz9DqUzp6lJLo0YVnzW-y_WUhcD6/s1600/image-709959.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tKnIhb28ypyTAgmNU2b4m4OjMVdrhOxmpZOh-1fOeza7Xc4R1O7N7iQ_-gZu3gvrUXLet8e9E5hINlgWCNvYHcIL_1FGGo4lA9JDc5-9XjfDbvjJLz9DqUzp6lJLo0YVnzW-y_WUhcD6/s320/image-709959.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631404739501282" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsTVEVKQP3SJACEasOkrzDXnJmSPhHEgbGdnLiBT8mGTC-IjZeRMU39QlENAH-TTvBrHfQUozjGyNqNsNYwGEFv3CSret8PLW7dVnNUUgs_XPCrfvaPV7-eH5ptS9oewrH9TgmWwEHwWE/s1600/image-713278.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsTVEVKQP3SJACEasOkrzDXnJmSPhHEgbGdnLiBT8mGTC-IjZeRMU39QlENAH-TTvBrHfQUozjGyNqNsNYwGEFv3CSret8PLW7dVnNUUgs_XPCrfvaPV7-eH5ptS9oewrH9TgmWwEHwWE/s320/image-713278.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631417932403106" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Fl4nyIW7TOIQkrO9CRcHPNth8vY3VCkWv6lDcZWgo6J83eIY7oVZYhx9ZHHKazQgA_HT8itUDeDvijeHx9YZxc19j83MqVV07ZKn2Q1kiE4CVM_RtXrbLeAKQoFqIBWiAO86ZyDjqjGe/s1600/image-717435.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9Fl4nyIW7TOIQkrO9CRcHPNth8vY3VCkWv6lDcZWgo6J83eIY7oVZYhx9ZHHKazQgA_HT8itUDeDvijeHx9YZxc19j83MqVV07ZKn2Q1kiE4CVM_RtXrbLeAKQoFqIBWiAO86ZyDjqjGe/s320/image-717435.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631440630453122" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg993RgNdgc5CXAqV3qiy9QdUqONsic8Ej4pxqpuhDZNGS0GkTvJCUptXLSrGMUbWzrygQIERplkupWpUpgU_9e3dpwLNqJmFVO9rnACw1WxvsLn5prY2oCKIoEhEe1VX44RC765pxnkzIc/s1600/image-721342.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg993RgNdgc5CXAqV3qiy9QdUqONsic8Ej4pxqpuhDZNGS0GkTvJCUptXLSrGMUbWzrygQIERplkupWpUpgU_9e3dpwLNqJmFVO9rnACw1WxvsLn5prY2oCKIoEhEe1VX44RC765pxnkzIc/s320/image-721342.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631454165957058" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBHDe4BvZAz4H52pMvRKVTFaPIN4qy7kImY7kQh73eAmmLG3WKiYRkqdoy-AwTtLmT7LG3iHZ2rOZGdpE2VK2HVQV3J1AlcXwCnHyRY2smLwVrGlUPXg_4CgFqz3_NNTy-U3AbG2TukLN/s1600/image-725787.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBHDe4BvZAz4H52pMvRKVTFaPIN4qy7kImY7kQh73eAmmLG3WKiYRkqdoy-AwTtLmT7LG3iHZ2rOZGdpE2VK2HVQV3J1AlcXwCnHyRY2smLwVrGlUPXg_4CgFqz3_NNTy-U3AbG2TukLN/s320/image-725787.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631481273285122" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVhdltV9Y4ndr4aaW2JMi7-2hahvJdUZghNv2LaI08CDAFlz0hXB7mafjREcWdRUVpPEM-PA_jSYv74OX4g3EBD8oCfXoAFFKi6GE5b6d74pPadC9glXndupcAm2moVYvImV-t0SNGr4v/s1600/image-730473.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVhdltV9Y4ndr4aaW2JMi7-2hahvJdUZghNv2LaI08CDAFlz0hXB7mafjREcWdRUVpPEM-PA_jSYv74OX4g3EBD8oCfXoAFFKi6GE5b6d74pPadC9glXndupcAm2moVYvImV-t0SNGr4v/s320/image-730473.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936631495411729970" /></a></p>One of my favorite movies is "Pitch Black", a movie about a spaceship crash landing on another planet. It stars Vin Diesel and Radha Mitchell, and helped launch both of their careers. I'm not a huge sci-fi fan, but I love this movie because the sets of the foreign planet are beautiful, like MoMA beautiful. Check out some production stills. And even more amazing, the set isn't an anonymous soundstage in Burbank, it is Australia! The alien right here, among us on earth.
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<br>Just like New Mexico. The desert here is beautiful and barren looking--oddly shaped rocks, deep crevices, all lit under the klieg light of a cloudless sky. And strange bits of movement in the corners of my eye, an almost perfectly camouflaged tan bobcat running into the sage. Little whirling dervishes of dust cyclone upwards in tight cones. Almost easy to imagine we're not on earth.
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<br>And this is so strange, since we're only ~25-30mi from Cuba, NM.
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<br>We left the Del Prado hotel this morning, after the wonderful hospitality of Mrs. Yang and her son Daniel. Wish we had been able to spend more time with them, but the trail calls.
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<br>The hike begins with a roadwalk, then we veer off to the left into the sand and sagebrush. The trail climbs up to a mesa, and we walk along the edge, with spectacular views of the valley below. Eventually, we descend from the mesa to the valley, and intersect some BLM roads.
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<br>Just as we stopped to plot where we were going to collect water, a passing white pick up truck slowed to a halt. The three guys were curious about what we were doing. They offered us a ride to Mexico, Grants, wherever we wanted to go. But, we have a continuous footpath, and no hitching, so we passed. Then they offered us water, and Dr. Pepper (a sign that we are getting closer to TX?). Real, fortuitous trail magic from real angels. Thanks guys.
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<br>With ~20m of sunlight left, we crossed a section of trail where someone had spelled out "hi" in rocks. Took it as a good sign and decided to camp here, on a broad, flat expanse of sage. No wind cover, so the tent is shivering in the gusts. It is going to be a cold night, something in the 20s. Glad we got fleece liners.
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<br>Incidentally, the combination of the cold and dust has given us both bloody noses. We may need to get this checked out in Grants.
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<br>Oh, and there is the small matter of Gangles' birthday on October 20. We're aiming to be in Grants on that day.
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<br>Mileage: ~28mi from Cuba to near Deadman PeaksSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-74657490192351316222013-10-16T06:12:00.001-07:002013-10-16T06:21:13.980-07:00Day 121 - Koobah or Cube-ah?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Actual dialogue from today:<br />- What do you think that animal part on the trail was?<br />- Definitely some kind of organ. [pauses] And it definitely had a bite missing<br /><br />Descending San Pedro Peaks, we came across something, some kind of intact piece from an animal left in the middle of the trail. No skeleton or other carcass nearby. We speculated it had been dropped by a passing raptor, who was now frantically searching for it. And this discovery after finding a set of antlers still attached to a half skull as we navigated a blowdown near the trail. Bloody animal parts a reminder of the brutality of the wild.<br /><br />Last night was surprisingly cold at 9,000', definitely dropped below freezing. Frost all around, and on our tents. It was hard to get out of bed. Glad we did pick up our cold weather gear at Ghost Ranch, and in Albuquerque. We climbed the last 1,000' or so to the broad yellow meadow near San Pedro Peaks, encountering some recent snow and groppel. I would guess the temperatures were still in the 30s for most of the morning, as the snow and marshy areas were frozen solid. Mostly easy walking down to the dirt roads connecting to the highway through town. <br /><br />We raced in, but missed the PO by mere minutes. The address was mis-mapped by Google maps, and the extra confusion de-railed us.<br /><br />The roadwalk is doing a number on my feet, the bones ache from the pounding on pavement. I wonder if I should increase my calcium intake. Gangles is fighting some kind of head cold, so I'm keeping a close eye on her. Plan is to go by the PO in the morning, and try and get a big day in. We're aiming to be in Grants by<a href="x-apple-data-detectors://0" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">10/20</a> for Gangles to celebrate her birthday in town.<br /><br />At the Del Prado for the night. Where all the hikers seem to stay. Great place, thanks to Mrs. Yang and Daniel for the hospitality.<br /><br />Mileage: ~18mi from near San Pedro Peaks to Cuba, NM<br /><br /><br /><span style="padding-bottom: 10px; padding-right: 23px; padding-top: 10px;"></span></span><br />
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Steinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-72510075496078372222013-10-14T18:57:00.000-07:002013-10-15T16:41:36.678-07:00Day 120 - hump day<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUoI_LwX9gUSumz77ShC83AW9h5CUPgK9TQoQ-zdfs0NS6KILgbrfPEXSBMY8bT6aGd5z0XVaHkREfSK4zLIfZWAR_OO8rwIu0b_hDdxu2DkCueGWU7eRm2qpQbCraYU4iCt94MoP6_Si/s1600/image-796679.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUoI_LwX9gUSumz77ShC83AW9h5CUPgK9TQoQ-zdfs0NS6KILgbrfPEXSBMY8bT6aGd5z0XVaHkREfSK4zLIfZWAR_OO8rwIu0b_hDdxu2DkCueGWU7eRm2qpQbCraYU4iCt94MoP6_Si/s320/image-796679.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5935131544917678738" /></a></p>I couldn't expect the trail to be as well-marked and groomed as it was in CO. It was lost in a different way, blending among other criss-crossing trails and roads, red herrings scattered every so often. Reminds me of that story of hiding something in plain sight--if a yellow ribbon is tied around the tree where the treasure is hidden, confuse treasure hunters by tying a yellow ribbon on every tree in the forest.
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<br>Zen was the only solution. Only a trance-like state of looking but not looking, could we find the trail. At times when I was totally lost, I had to stop and gaze, look and not see, and the trail would shine faintly, mystically. And walk long enough, along the possible trail, I would be rewarded with the sight of a CDT post, sharpened at the top like a gigantic pencil.
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<br>Miles seem easier than in CO, mostly because of the clear weather. Cuba tomorrow. And then, onward!
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<br>p.s., The J. Ley maps note drug trafficking activity near the trail, along Hwy 96. Didn't see anyone at the trailheads, though heard an eerie, human-sounding whistle of a short musical phrase. Creepy. Glad to be clear of this section.
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<br>Mileage: 23mi from Skull bridge to near San Pedro PeaksSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1828944434960332361.post-89340129354407928752013-10-13T19:58:00.000-07:002013-10-15T16:42:33.154-07:00Day 119 - I can hear the coyotes howling each to each, but I do not think they will howl to me...<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tVmh4C4UtPC8Giox45gEPkCo7OIhDMW6P3vbDBkw7yVzh-vZ7gaTmM8JpUK7K5js9EWDbBGEnOWya0t6QCKP515jJ2FCF8OG1ADUxsnTwDard0rkR6f_1LFUAb6ZbBtqwwuG5saaAeaL/s1600/image-753156.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3tVmh4C4UtPC8Giox45gEPkCo7OIhDMW6P3vbDBkw7yVzh-vZ7gaTmM8JpUK7K5js9EWDbBGEnOWya0t6QCKP515jJ2FCF8OG1ADUxsnTwDard0rkR6f_1LFUAb6ZbBtqwwuG5saaAeaL/s320/image-753156.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5935131788735588850" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitny63-PZiyOLcfhflnrICy7e2OiDVPNhzddw9yFDGzo14eX4w5pQmQ6De0Q0NCu3dRQ4Y9Ew2CtLRo4TDv2FRF16JVycX3v1mG7qv3Pnq96rPzY9n3MsKJlT3yu8n5EnE_F5ltzjssNXa/s1600/image-756179.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitny63-PZiyOLcfhflnrICy7e2OiDVPNhzddw9yFDGzo14eX4w5pQmQ6De0Q0NCu3dRQ4Y9Ew2CtLRo4TDv2FRF16JVycX3v1mG7qv3Pnq96rPzY9n3MsKJlT3yu8n5EnE_F5ltzjssNXa/s320/image-756179.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5935131798377404434" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXMtonuXeLFwpUuCyCB5xJprdR-NuD-Ul2ZgBR1SVZalV7E7R4ipoA_Cr6J0pyG5prF7ginEsF0FhUnxKsR0Levs_EZ4eAZ8SCCQ5qkDNUFcf49wdeirVXy6cFgQS3iHZc8EtH4TBJ9IU/s1600/image-758250.jpeg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEXMtonuXeLFwpUuCyCB5xJprdR-NuD-Ul2ZgBR1SVZalV7E7R4ipoA_Cr6J0pyG5prF7ginEsF0FhUnxKsR0Levs_EZ4eAZ8SCCQ5qkDNUFcf49wdeirVXy6cFgQS3iHZc8EtH4TBJ9IU/s320/image-758250.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5935131806052536690" /></a></p>Nicole took us to get banh mi, and then back on the road to Ghost Ranch. Lovely dry weather, though clouds rolled in late. Scattered sprinkles, but no steady rain.
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<br>Camped by the Rio Chama, which is murky and unappetizing. Haven't found the water troughs near Skull bridge, but think they should be nearby, and easier to see in the morning.
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<br>Hope to be in Cuba in a few days. Happy to be back on the trail, but sad to be saying goodbye to Nicole, Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
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<br>Coyotes howling, we are in for the night. Early morning and big day tomorrow.
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<br>Night.
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<br>Mileage: ~11mi from Ghost Ranch to Skull BridgeSteinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939835434112312671noreply@blogger.com0