Trekker's Log, May 29 - June 2, 2007

5/29 – 6/2/07, Tuesday – Saturday, hiking days 23 – 27, Segments 16 & 17, Coyote Peak Stock Tank to NM 12: Tularosa Mountains and NM 12 to Valle Tio Vence Campground

Trail angels Jon and Julie came out from Las Cruces to help us with a re-supply. We also took a bit of a tour of the area while putting out three water caches for the days to follow. Then the four of us had lunch in Datil before Jon and Julie left us at Coyote Peak Stock Tank and took our vehicle to the Campground.

At the end of the re-supply day, we managed to hike to the top of the trail near the top of the rise above Coyote Peak Stock Tank. This strenuous hike was a harbinger of the entire route on Segment 16, which has a total elevation gain of more than 7800 feet.

On the second day in this segment, we hiked for more than four hours on well-marked trail, but suddenly there was no more sign of trail. ~~ no cairns, so signs, so slash marks on trees. We hiked for another four or more hours on a direct route to our water cache. When we reached our water we did find signs and the trail going in the direction from which we had just come. We had been near the trail for most of the day, but only really on the trail for about half the time.

Day three was more of the same. We hiked several more miles, some of it on the trail, but most of it on a direct route to our next water cache. When we reached the water cache we discovered that someone else had needed our water more than they thought we did, and had taken half of it. However, Pem had seen a stock tank near that place when we were putting out the water, so we were able to go there and get the water we needed.

Well, we may have set a new record, at least for old Mat, of miles hiked in a day. We found ourselves on a road early in the morning, and were able to make very good time. This was definitely a “vicinity hike,” in which we were confident that we were very near the trail at all times, but were never certain when we were actually on the trail.

We finished Segment 16, only to realize that we had plenty of daylight left, we would be walking on a road all of Segment 17, and the Valle Tio Vences Campground was only 12 miles away. We finished Segment 17 in time for dinner in Datil followed by an overnight in the motel there.