Gail and Greg navigated and postholed through 95% snow for a week. Gail said they were doing one mile an hour much of the time. She's calling it quits for real this time. This year is not the year for hiking the CDT - it's neither fun nor safe. It sounded much more like walking to the South Pole.
Greg and Rhianna kidnapped her and whisked her off to Durango, where she's currently doing the shower/eat/drink/sleep thing and is plotting her return home. She will pick up the CDT next summer, although she's not sure of the order yet. Although she's not generally a very good quitter, she's in very good spirits and is looking forward to coming home, reorganizing her gear and resetting her sights.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Chama NM
Gail took off again from Cuba, NM last Sunday and joined up with Greg for the last little bit of this leg to Chama. She and Greg by now have coffeed, breakfasted, showered, coffeed and all that good stuff in tiny Chama. It was a bit tough going on this leg, with lots of GPS navigating along dirt roads, 4WD track and the occasional trail. Gail said she was told to budget at least a total of one hour a day for GPS perusal on stretches of the CDT and she said that was about right on this stretch. She said that signs and rock cairns were few and far in between, and sometimes the cairns were wrong. However she did manage to get in one 20 mile day anyway.
Gail and Greg were both depending heavily on GPS when they met. The way Gail told it, they were both walking while looking down at their GPSs when they practically bumped into each other. Gail was pretty happy to see another human after not seeing anyone for five days. And it was Greg!
Chama is in NM, but this morning Greg and Gail crossed the border to CO to get to Highway 17 before getting a ride back south to Chama, which is the nearest town. They have a zero day tomorrow before heading back up to CO for another stretch. Gail is happy for the zero day because the weather is a little cold and wet right now. They have their restaurant picked out for dinner tonight, although it's a mile from where they are staying so in her words they'll "be doing some walking."
Gail and Greg were both depending heavily on GPS when they met. The way Gail told it, they were both walking while looking down at their GPSs when they practically bumped into each other. Gail was pretty happy to see another human after not seeing anyone for five days. And it was Greg!
Chama is in NM, but this morning Greg and Gail crossed the border to CO to get to Highway 17 before getting a ride back south to Chama, which is the nearest town. They have a zero day tomorrow before heading back up to CO for another stretch. Gail is happy for the zero day because the weather is a little cold and wet right now. They have their restaurant picked out for dinner tonight, although it's a mile from where they are staying so in her words they'll "be doing some walking."
Monday, May 16, 2011
Hike on pause
Gail's at Campe Verde in AZ. She'll likely take a month "off" and start up again on schedule near CO. The fires are still going, and they've sort of been the last straw for hiking through desert in a year when rainfall has been 5% of normal. She is in great spirits and is being well taken care of by Sharon and Bill, so do not worry about her. She's also waiting to hear some trail reports from those have resumed north of the fires.
Update: Gail has a plane ticket to Seattle Monday May 23. She's doing day hikes, weeding and gin and tonic drinking with Sharon and Bill until then. Lucky.
Update: Gail has a plane ticket to Seattle Monday May 23. She's doing day hikes, weeding and gin and tonic drinking with Sharon and Bill until then. Lucky.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Back in Silver City
Gail called from Silver City, said something about taking a shower and finding a nice ale. She is now strongly considering coming back to Seattle until it's showtime for Colorado because there are strong winds forecast this weekend, not good for fighting fires in such a dry year. Think calm thoughts for her this weekend. However, she's got great attitude and is keeping her mind on fun. She can come back and do the rest of NM next year before she heads back to WY for the finish.
Although I think I'm going to use my daughterly persistence to see if I can get her to start back up at I-40 since it makes sense logistically, to me at least. My daughterly persistence has got me many things in the past, including clothes, hairspray and a puppy, and I even got her to play Scrabble with me a couple of times, so let's see if I still have the touch.
Although I think I'm going to use my daughterly persistence to see if I can get her to start back up at I-40 since it makes sense logistically, to me at least. My daughterly persistence has got me many things in the past, including clothes, hairspray and a puppy, and I even got her to play Scrabble with me a couple of times, so let's see if I still have the touch.
Examples of water sources so far
Cattle pond
Cattle trough
Cattle tire thing
Cattle tire thing close up
Cache
Silver City plus
Gail is hiking two days south of the fires. Then it's back to Silver City Friday night and probably onward north of the fire on Sunday. She'll have to come back to hike the Gila Forest later. Maps and information about the fire are here. A guest at the lodge she was going to stay at in evacuated Gila Springs brought her package to Silver City, so Snickers were saved. Also the maps and other stuff.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Silver City zero day
A few quotes from this morning:
"Good morning. It is a special good layer of hell having room in old hotel directly above excellent coffee shop. I could not sleep after smells woke me up at 5:30. Promise of excellent breakfast burrito just up the block. Perfect zero day town."
"This is silver mining town. Many of the storefronts are boarded up but there is healthy number of good eating places and big colorful murals. The original main street was washed out by major flood due to overgrazing in what is now national forest. The river bed is now a park with sweet walking bridge I will cross to laundromat. Sharon is driving the young woman hiking with chihuahua who was evacuated off trail due to fire back to point about 2 driving hours away. Peanuteater and Hurricane 2 guys with brit accents are in town with me and mulling next steps."
"At laundromat next to river park and reading my book re New Mexico written in 1934. Cannot believe that Coronado and his conquistadors explored the desert in full armor with one guy doing nothing but counting steps."
"Good morning. It is a special good layer of hell having room in old hotel directly above excellent coffee shop. I could not sleep after smells woke me up at 5:30. Promise of excellent breakfast burrito just up the block. Perfect zero day town."
"This is silver mining town. Many of the storefronts are boarded up but there is healthy number of good eating places and big colorful murals. The original main street was washed out by major flood due to overgrazing in what is now national forest. The river bed is now a park with sweet walking bridge I will cross to laundromat. Sharon is driving the young woman hiking with chihuahua who was evacuated off trail due to fire back to point about 2 driving hours away. Peanuteater and Hurricane 2 guys with brit accents are in town with me and mulling next steps."
"At laundromat next to river park and reading my book re New Mexico written in 1934. Cannot believe that Coronado and his conquistadors explored the desert in full armor with one guy doing nothing but counting steps."
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Silver City
Gail just pulled into Silver City after doing an extra four miles north, taking pictures and high fiving the trail signs, before she pulled out the GPS and realized she'd missed the turnoff to Silver City. Then she went back four miles and then down to Silver City. She's in pretty good spirits, although she hasn't decided what to do about the fires yet. A few other hikers had gone through the fire via Gila River. They said it was one of the scariest things they'd ever done. They made it to their next town and then got an escort by police back to Silver City. Gail really has no choices to get around the Gila Forest, which has been mostly evacuated and might not be opened up until August.
South of Silver City is the Tyrone open pit copper mine. She walked around it to the east side. She could see one lonely bulldozer re-contouring a section of the mine to start bringing it back to natural. There was an educational display by the trail that described how the land is contoured and then cattle are allowed to wander onto the land because they poop and then grass can grow on the poop, and so on. This was a bitter pill for Gail who as mentioned below hates cattle grazing.
Speaking of cattle, Gail told me that when she takes water from the cattle watering tanks, which is her only source of water besides caches left by nice people who like hikers, the cattle get pretty distressed. She says that the calves "bawl" and feel forced to actually get up and walk away from strange humans. But, Gail used to sing cowboy lullabies to my brother and me when we were kids, so she knew what to do. She sang the lullabies and the cows simmered right down.
Gail is headed out for Mexican and margaritas, her favorite. She'll start researching tomorrow what she will do about the fires.
South of Silver City is the Tyrone open pit copper mine. She walked around it to the east side. She could see one lonely bulldozer re-contouring a section of the mine to start bringing it back to natural. There was an educational display by the trail that described how the land is contoured and then cattle are allowed to wander onto the land because they poop and then grass can grow on the poop, and so on. This was a bitter pill for Gail who as mentioned below hates cattle grazing.
Speaking of cattle, Gail told me that when she takes water from the cattle watering tanks, which is her only source of water besides caches left by nice people who like hikers, the cattle get pretty distressed. She says that the calves "bawl" and feel forced to actually get up and walk away from strange humans. But, Gail used to sing cowboy lullabies to my brother and me when we were kids, so she knew what to do. She sang the lullabies and the cows simmered right down.
Gail is headed out for Mexican and margaritas, her favorite. She'll start researching tomorrow what she will do about the fires.
Fires
Gail will be rerouting for at least a couple of days due to the wildfires. Several people have been pulled off the trail already. Gila Springs, where she has a supply box waiting for her, has been evacuated so she is afraid that her Snickers will go up in flames.
She has a ride out of there with Sharon and Bill, who have been meeting her at towns. They live about seven hours west in AZ, so getting around is not a problem. It's just a matter of deciding whether to come back to Seattle for a week or three or not at all. She wants to stay on schedule, and she can come back and hike the burnt section later. Her main focus is fun. I'll hear more later today when she pulls into Silver City and chats with Sharon, who knows all and is also supporting other hikers while she's out supporting Gail.
Gail did say that it is beautiful and that I would love it there. She was in the pines last night. NM is up and down, so she gets variety of landscape.
She has a ride out of there with Sharon and Bill, who have been meeting her at towns. They live about seven hours west in AZ, so getting around is not a problem. It's just a matter of deciding whether to come back to Seattle for a week or three or not at all. She wants to stay on schedule, and she can come back and hike the burnt section later. Her main focus is fun. I'll hear more later today when she pulls into Silver City and chats with Sharon, who knows all and is also supporting other hikers while she's out supporting Gail.
Gail did say that it is beautiful and that I would love it there. She was in the pines last night. NM is up and down, so she gets variety of landscape.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Lordsburg plus
Gail texts: "Maybe the better word to describe these arid lands is not 'uninviting' but 'not overindulgent.' The first 90 miles were mostly cross-country with assistance of signs and GPS and maps. Unlike PCT and AT you must stay aware of terrain and your location and water sources. But everyday has good surprises. One good thing about walking is that you see the little things. I am having a good time. Made better by fact that Sharon continues to leave water at road crossings."
Gail has always totally despised the use of public land for grazing cattle. She is walking through cattle land with a lot of overgrazing damage, so she must be really stewing.
Gail already has me on identification duty. She knows the mule deer, pronghorns, jackrabbits and coyote from when we lived in AZ, but asked me to identify "small gray and white bird with bright yellow throat patch." I Intertubed it and have decided it is a female and/or immature olive warbler. http://birdquote.com/quote/bad-bird-bad-egg/
Gail said that she has learned from Wise Bill that "creosote bushes are the oldest living things on the planet. Older than bristle cone pines. Some of the wellwater was deposited in underground aquifers in the ice age. I am walking with the very old. Desert sand also old."
Gail started walking again on Sunday. But due to wildfires, she will have to reroute in a few days. Fires are currently burning in the Gila National Forest. She may not get one of her packages due to evacuations of towns. She might even end up coming back to Seattle for a week or two before resuming on schedule north of the fires. The weather is windy, dry and warm, which doesn't help. Cross your fingers! I'll post an update when I get news.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Lordsburg
Gail called from Lordsburg. She's having a great time of course, even though the desert is "not an inviting place" and "90 degrees in the sun" is not her favorite weather. When I told her it was gray and cool here, she demanded that I go outside and enjoy the gray and cool for her. I told her no way.
She said she's seen a lot of border patrol, including a lot of helicopters. She said seeing patrol helicopters flying in canyons was like being in an episode of Airwolf (I had almost forgotten about this show and my ghastly pre-teen crush on Jan-Michael Vincent - there, now you know. In case you were wondering, I did not ever have any crush on David Hasselhoff.) Gail was filling up at a water tank when one helicopter flew right over her, so she waved so as to make it clear that she was not crossing the border illegally. The helicopter swerved right around and then came over very close. The pilot waved back. She says all the border patrol are "very cordial".
Gail has for the first time not been able to reliably hang her hammock while hiking, so she's been "cowboy camping" on the ground. She did find two junipers the right distance apart yesterday, so took a good nap at 4 pm in the hammock and enjoyed it a whole lot.
She's back in Lordsburg through Saturday. She scheduled a zero day here and is regretting it somewhat since Lordsburg is not much to write home about, although it's more hospitable than the desert. She has been trying to get a free meal out of the "India Indians" who run the hotel by telling them that she loves the good smells coming out of their home. She has a good track record with winning her way into free food, laundry and so on, so odds are good she will eating Indian food tonight. In fact, I think I could use some Indian food tonight.
She said she's seen a lot of border patrol, including a lot of helicopters. She said seeing patrol helicopters flying in canyons was like being in an episode of Airwolf (I had almost forgotten about this show and my ghastly pre-teen crush on Jan-Michael Vincent - there, now you know. In case you were wondering, I did not ever have any crush on David Hasselhoff.) Gail was filling up at a water tank when one helicopter flew right over her, so she waved so as to make it clear that she was not crossing the border illegally. The helicopter swerved right around and then came over very close. The pilot waved back. She says all the border patrol are "very cordial".
Gail has for the first time not been able to reliably hang her hammock while hiking, so she's been "cowboy camping" on the ground. She did find two junipers the right distance apart yesterday, so took a good nap at 4 pm in the hammock and enjoyed it a whole lot.
She's back in Lordsburg through Saturday. She scheduled a zero day here and is regretting it somewhat since Lordsburg is not much to write home about, although it's more hospitable than the desert. She has been trying to get a free meal out of the "India Indians" who run the hotel by telling them that she loves the good smells coming out of their home. She has a good track record with winning her way into free food, laundry and so on, so odds are good she will eating Indian food tonight. In fact, I think I could use some Indian food tonight.
Somewhere in desert
Gail sends text that reads this: "Think of me tomorrow because I have to find a working windmill. No water cache. Terrain looks like spaghetti western. I found a bong under a rock. But no weed."
The windmill is for water. The only source of water in these stretches of NM is often groundwater pumped into tanks for livestock. Normally Gail's not fond of cows, but she has said often that cows will be her new best friends this summer because cows mean there is water nearby.
Start
Gail started the CDT on Sunday May 1. Friends Sharon and Bill dropped her off at the start at the border of Mexico and New Mexico. Sharon and Bill are providing water caches in this very dry section of trail during a very dry year for this area.
I note with lingering disapproval her continued use of the map/gadget neck bag. I know, it's convenient.
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