Trekker's Log, May 2-4, 2007

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!