5/14 & 15, Monday & Tuesday, hiking days 12 & 13, Segment 9, NM 35 to Forest Road 150: Rocky Canyon The hiking on this segment was moderate to strenuous, and once again we had Joseph with us to make sure we were on the right track. We hiked this segment from north to south, then went back to Rocky Canyon to camp, before beginning the next segment.
Joseph with Pem
The hikers found this sign to be rather funny, out in the wilderness with no pavement to be found for many miles.
5/10 – 13/07, Rotary District 5520 Conference, Taos
This was a good time for a time out from the Trail. Pem and I drove up to Taos while Audrey drove down from Conifer, bring Pem’s wife, Moni, and their baby daughter, Pelzom, with her. It was a great reunion for Audrey and me as well as for Pem and his family.
We had several good contacts with possible supporters of the Rotary CDT Challenge at the Conference Trade Show. One contact has already led to a contribution by an El Paso Rotarian! We look forward to visiting further with the dozen or so other people who showed an interest, when the hiking has ended for this year, and we can begin to follow up on all the great conversations we’ve had.
At luncheon on Saturday, at what appeared to be the largest single gathering of the conference, we received an extremely gracious and complete introduction from the podium by the Chair of the Conference, Past District Governor Bob DeLaHunt of the Rotary Club of Chama Valley. He made us feel like celebrities while he described our project as worthy and described us as local heroes. The audience responded accordingly! We are very grateful to Bob for the wonderful statements he made about us, and particularly what he said about the Rotary CDT Challenge.
5/8 & 9/07, Tuesday and Wednesday, rest and celebration days in Silver City
On Tuesday we had the privilege of attending the regular weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Silver City. We were treated as honored guests, for which we were humbly grateful. We also got to meet several people who are, indeed, very interested in hiking in general, and specifically interested in the Continental Divide Trail. One local Rotarian, Kathy Eaton, hiked across the entire United States in 2006. She stated that she wants to hike with us next year, during the Colorado part of the Rotary CDT Challenge. We will surely welcome her!
At the end of the meeting, we were introduced more formally by President Ray Davis, who reiterated the invitation for all to attend the community celebration the next evening at Copper Creek Ranch. He also invited Pem to speak briefly. Pem answered a few questions, and drew enthusiastic applause from the group.
On Wednesday, 32 or more people gathered at Copper Creek Ranch for a picnic dinner, sponsored by the Rotary Club. After dinner, we showed our slide show and video presentation to a good response. Included in the group were at least a dozen girls scouts with their parents and leaders. It could very well be that the Girls Scouts organization will Lead the Way in adopting a segment of the Trail in the Silver City area.
5/5 - 7/07, Saturday, Sunday and Sunday, hiking days 9 - 11, Segment 8, NM 15 to FR 152, with Nate, Gene, Jon & Julie, FR 152 to NM 35: Twin Sisters, with Joseph Gendron
State Representative Nate Cote of Las Cruces and Gene Marciniak, New Mexico Department of Health officer of Alamogordo, joined us for the first part of this hike. It became a good lesson in following directions and in teamwork.First, we had a great deal of difficulty trying to figure out the location of the trailhead at the FR 152 end of the first section of the segment. Yours truly would not accept any of the likely trailheads which the others pointed out, so we amended the hike. The four of us would hike halfway from the Arastra Site to FR 152 on the first day, then Pem and I would hike the rest of the way on the second day while Nate and Gene hiked back to the vehicles and came around on the roads to find us at the end of the segment. In the meantime, Challenge Core Group members Jon and Julie were planning to come back for the second day, hike out to meet Nate and Gene, and hike back with them.So the four of us, Nate, Gene, Pem and I, hiked out. We hiked about half the roughly 14 miles to a nice camp site near Twin Sisters the first day. The next morning, we got a good lesson in being prepared for the weather. It had been hot the day before, but this day dawned COLD! It had snowed during the night, so we had to shake snow off our tents before putting them away. The temperature was at or near freezing, and there we stood, in shorts and sweatshirts, not in long pants and jackets. We shivered through a quick breakfast before Nate and Gene headed back for the Arastra Site while Pem and I went on towards the FR 152 trailhead.Jon and Julie connected with Nate and Gene just fine. They walked back to the Arastra Site together, enjoying the warming weather and getting acquainted. They got into the vehicle and came to get Pem and me. Meanwhile, Pem and I reached the trailhead at FR 152 without incident. For Pem, the trailhead was as expected. For me, it was on the wrong side of the road! It was the trailhead the others had decided was the correct one; it was the one I had argued against. Now Pem and I had a new discussion. We decided to hike towards the vehicle that would be coming for us. Pem started out in one direction, while I wanted to go in the other. We placed a quick non-monetary wager. Pem won. I began to realize that when Pem and I had divergent opinions about any of this, Pem was going to be right. My inherent sense of place, location, and direction was failing me. Pem’s instincts, based on his years of wilderness trekking, were almost always going to be correct.The six of us celebrated the Trail at a very nice café back in Silver City. Then Pem and I returned to the Silver City KOA Kampground, which was our "base camp" for much of the time we were in the Silver City area.This is probably a good time to mention the Silver City KOA. I had stayed there several years ago when we had a three-day Rotary Trek northeast of Silver City. While we were there at that time, the KOA had been our base camp, and one evening, the Rotary Club of Silver City gave us a very nice picnic at the KOA. Owners Jim and Jackie Blurton are terrific supporters of the Continental Divide Trail Alliance, and of the Continental Divide Trail itself. Pem and I, along with other members of our Core Group, stayed there a total of eight nights during the series of day hikes and over-night hikes that helped us to cover all the miles of the CDT from Lordsburg through Silver City and on to Rocky Canyon. This KOA is highly recommended to anyone hiking the CDT, and Jim and Jackie Blurton will prove to be most gracious hosts. They were, indeed, extremely accomodating to us, offering every assistance they could think of in order to make our stay there not only comfortable, but enjoyable as well. Our hats are off to you, Jim and Jackie!Joseph was back with us on Monday. We finished Segment 8 of the Trail, looking forward to several days away from the trail.
Good Morning, Sunshine... er, Snowfall!
5/2-4/07, Wednesday - Friday, hiking days 6 – 8, Segment 4, Lordsburg to NM 90, via Engineer Canyon.
This is the NEW Segment 4, totally different from the guidebook’s Segment 4, which was "Separ to NM 90: Separ Road." It is a good example of taking the Trail off roads and putting it in the wilderness, where it was intended by Congress.
We hiked this approximately 20-mile segment in three days, one of them a very short day. Again we were blessed with Joseph Gendron’s presence, for without him, we would not have been able to hike this segment. Though the route is designated, there is as yet very little actual trail, and there are virtually no trail signs of any kind, nor any indication anywhere of where the trailheads are. We hiked a lot in washes between mountains on Forest Service land, and across open land (I wanted to call it prairie) on BLM land. On the first day, we hiked from Engineer Canyon towards Lordsburg, and ended up at a very nice, level, gravel campsite, high on a bench of the mountains overlooking Lordsburg. The plant life was varied, much of it photo-worthy. We saw several javelinas towards sunset. I really enjoyed observing the night settle in on the day, and watching the full moon take over and dominate the night.
For some reason, I was up very early the next morning, and was able to observe the reverse, the night separating from the day as dawn approached. At about 4:30, while it was still dark, suddenly there was the most awful, very loud, frightened animal call that I have ever heard. It woke up both Joseph and Pem, and it raised the hair on the back of my neck, sending chills up and down my spine. It didn’t really scare me, for I recognized the sound as one of fear, not one of threat, but it surely did startle me. It kept on for several minutes, then began to originate from a little distance. It continued and it continued to come from farther away until it was barely audible before it stopped. Joseph and Pem had, indeed heard it. Joseph explained that a coyote had probably gotten very close to our camp site before getting the smell of humans. When it did, it sounded the alarm! I tried, but I couldn’t really replicate the sound. What an experience, to be in the presence of an obviously frightened animal in the wilderness!
We were in Lordsburg in time for a late breakfast, and had the good fortune of meeting Mayor Smith and several Lordsburg police officers. Joseph introduced us all around, and Mayor Smith promised that when we come back in October for the make-up hiking southeast of Lordsburg, he would put together a community celebration for us. What a great guy he is turning out to be!
That hiking day was short, but the driving days during this segment were rather lengthy. We were doing the unusual in making all of the hiking we were doing into day hikes and a couple of hikes which involved one night of camping; that led to quite a bit of very slow driving, moving the two vehicles through the wilderness to the trailheads, always making sure that one of the rigs was at the end of the next hike.
On the third day of this hike, from NM 90 back to Engineer Canyon, I suddenly realized that Joseph Gendron was completing the third full segment of hiking with us, which should qualify him for a promotion from guest hiker to a more honored and responsible position. So, with all the pomp and circumstance of the authority vested within myself as a Past District Governor of Rotary International (and with all the humility of recognition that this authority does NOT extend beyond myself) I issued the verbal proclamation that Joseph Gendron, trail builder and volunteer guide for most of this Challenge hike up to now, is declared an official member of the Rotary CDT Challenge Core Group. Joseph accepted!
4/30 & 5/1, Monday & Tuesday, hiking days 4 & 5, Segment 5, NM 90 to Silver City
This is the segment of the CDT that goes through the Burro Mountains and over Burro Peak. According to the guidebook, "As unsung as their namesake, the Burro Mountains occupy a minor place in most people’s consciousness. Today their main cachet is the presence of the Continental Divide and the Continental Divide Trail."
The guidebook, six years from publication and admittedly out of date, states that "alternatives to a road CDT route are being explored, but for now…" Well, the alternatives have been explored, the trail has been laid out and constructed, and these two days of hiking were a real highlight of the trek up to now, at least for Pem and me. (Actually, it would be a disappointment if, six years later, the guidebook did still represent an accurate description of the trail.)
Joseph Gendron was with us for these two days. We are learning much from Joseph, and his presence with us is highly beneficial. On Monday, we were also joined by David Warnack and Joe Trujillo of the Forestry Service. As we hiked along, David and Joe explained a lot about how the trail had been brought off the road and up into the mountains.
There was also a big surprise, in that David remembered me from five years ago when he helped us with a three-day Rotary Trek north of Silver City. I recognized him as looking familiar to me, but until he mentioned that he knew me from somewhere, I could not figure out the connection.
I have to say that this segment of the Trail is now a showcase for trail design and construction. What good fortune it was for us that we were able to hike with the individual primarily responsible for its location and building! It is unfortunate that the guidebook includes statements such as "as unsung as their namesake," "true, they’re sure-enough mountains, but except for local ranchers, hunters, 4WD drivers—and CDT hikers—the Big Burros are largely ignored by the public," and "the Burros have their charms, to be sure, but who would go to the dry, undistinguished Burros when the vast Gila Wilderness, with 600 miles of trails, as well as hot springs, beautiful rivers, and magnificent peaks, is nearby?" All of these statements were true six or more years ago. I wonder when an updated guidebook will be created, for the one we are using is SO out of date. ~~ AND out of print now. I’m also prompted to wonder about the worth of a revised guidebook, for a lot of work has been done in recent years, and is being done today, to take the Trail off roads and make it as Congress designated, "a non-motorized hiking trail within 50 miles of the actual Great Divide." With the technology available today, it would be great if there were a dynamic guidebook available, such that hikers could, from month to month, or at least from year to year, learn all about the current route of the CDT. Who will step forward to take on this tremendous challenge? ~~ and how would CDT hikers know that it was available?
During the weekend and these two days, we saw several hikers walking on the road between the Separ Road junction and Silver City. We guessed that these hikers did not know that the Trail has been totally re-routed from Lordsburg north to NM 90, mostly off road. We guessed that if they had studied the guidebook, they had decided not to backtrack a few miles to this segment’s trailhead, or did not even know that the new trail was there for them to use. What a shame! These people missed a great hike on the new Trail through the Burro Mountains and over Burro Peak.
Well, we saw no burros. We did see deer, and bear sign, and several birds. The awesome engineering of the trail, the sounds of nature, the smells of the juniper and other plant life, and particularly the presence of Joseph, David, and Joe, all contributed to making the hike through this segment a real joy, and a highlight of the hiking part of the Rotary CDT Challenge.
4/29/07, Sunday, hiking day 3, Segment 7, FR 506 (Little Walnut Road) to NM 15: Pinos Altos
The hiking group today included Jon and Julie and Joseph, in addition to Mat and Pem. The day was cool, with a mix of low-hanging clouds, fog, drizzle, rain, and glimpses of an old and abandoned monastery as we walked along. For yours truly, it was, indeed, a worshipful experience. The feeling was often one of being closed in by nature, and being close to God as a result.
The group actually hiked from the Arastra Site at the north end of the trail back to Little Walnut Road. It was a great hike! Each of us was often lost in his or her own thoughts, and all of us were often laughing and enjoying the experience all together.
It is understandable that on this day we met no other hikers. Anyone wanting a pleasant day hike on a Sunday would have opted out because of the weather. On the other hand, we were there, as we are every day, to experience the trail and to experience all that the trail has to offer.
What a wonderful experience we had on a quiet, rainy, foggy Sunday! Julie was the example for the way each of us felt: wet and uncomfortable on the outside, bubbling with enthusiasm and grateful for the experience on the inside.
4/28/07, Saturday, hiking day 2, Segment 6, Silver City to Forest Road 506 (Little Walnut Road)
Six of us took this hike, a very pleasant day hike. All of us were part of the Challenge Core Group, Jon and Julie, Pem, Suzanne, Audrey and Mat. This is a great hiking segment for young hikers, and it’s close to town.
The disappointment was that though this was a Saturday, we saw no hikers other than those in our own group. This segment is a wonderful, easy hike, with good trail all the way along and a lot to see. It seemed sad that no one else was out there to enjoy it with us.
