Segments 12 – 14, Wisdom, Montana
Segment 12, Big Hole Pass to Chief Joseph Pass: Beaverhead Mountains, Moderate, 17 miles.
July 2, Friday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
July 3, Saturday –
Hike last part of segment,
Travel to Jackson, overnight in Jackson.
July 4, Sunday, Independence Day –
Rest day, overnight in Jackson.
Segment 13, Chief Joseph Pass to Schultz Saddle: Anaconda Range, Easy, 19 miles.
July 5, Monday –
Travel to trailhead,
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
July 6, Tuesday –
Hike last part of segment, camp on trail.
Segment 14, Schultz Saddle to Johnson Lake: Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, Moderate, 27 miles.
July 7, Wednesday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
July 8, Thursday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
July 9, Friday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
July 10, Saturday –
Rest Day.
Segments 15 & 16, Wise River, Montana
Segment 15, Johnson Lake to Lower Seymour Lake: Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, Strenuous, 34 miles.
July 11, Sunday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
July 12, Monday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
July 13, Tuesday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
Segment 16, Lower Seymour Lake to I-15/Deer Lodge Pass: Fleecer Mountain Range, Easy, 46 miles.
July 14, Wednesday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
July 15, Thursday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
July 16, Friday –
Hike third part of segment, camp on trail.
July 17, Saturday –
Hike last part of trail, camp near trailhead.
July 18, Sunday –
Rest Day.
Segments 17 – 19, Butte, Montana
Segment 17, I-15 Deer Lodge Pass to Homestake Pass: Highland Mountains, Easy 40 miles.
July 19, Monday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
July 20, Tuesday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
July 21, Wednesday –
Hike last part of trail, camp near trailhead.
Segment 18, Homestake Pass to Interstate 15 at Elk Park, Easy 28 miles.
July 22, Thursday –
Hike first half of segment, camp on trail.
July 23, Friday –
Hike last half of segment, camp near trailhead.
July 24, Saturday –
Rest Day.
Segment 19, Interstate 15 to MacDonald Pass: Boulder Mountains, Moderate 66 miles.
July 25, Sunday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
July 26, Monday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
July 27, Tuesday –
Hike third part of segment, camp on trail.
July 28, Wednesday –
Hike fourth part of segment, camp on trail.
July 29, Thursday –
Hike fifth part of segment, camp on trail.
July 30, Friday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
July 31, Saturday –
Rest Day.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Trek Itenerary August 1-September 2, 2010
Segment 20, Elliston, Montana
Segment 20, MacDonald Pass to Dana Spring, Easy 25 miles.
August 1, Sunday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
August 2, Monday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
Segment 21, Avon, Montana
Segment 21, Dana Spring to Stemple Pass, Strenuous 19 miles.
August 3, Tuesday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
August 4, Wednesday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
Segments 22 & 23, Lincoln, Montana
Segment 22, Stemple Pass to Rogers Pass, Moderate 23 miles.
August 5, Thursday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
August 6, Friday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
August 7, Saturday -
Rest Day.
Segment 23, Rogers Pass to Benchmark/South Fork Trailhead, Strenuous 66 miles.
August 8, Sunday –
Hike first part of trail, camp on trail.
August 9, Monday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
August 10, Tuesday –
Hike third part of segment, camp on trail.
August 11, Wednesday –
Hike fourth part of segment, camp on trail.
August 12, Thursday –
Hike fifth part of segment, camp on trail.
August 13, Friday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
August 14, Saturday –
Rest Day.
August 15, Sunday –
open
August 16, Monday –
Segment 24, Augusta, Montana
Segment 24, Benchmark/South Fork Trailhead to Badger Pass, Strenuous 89 miles.
August 17, Tuesday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
August 18, Wednesday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
August 19, Thursday –
Hike third part of segment, camp on trail.
August 20, Friday –
Hike fourth part of segment, camp on trail.
August 21, Saturday –
Hike fifth part of segment, camp on trail.
August 22, Sunday –
Hike sixth part of segment, camp on trail.
August 23, Monday –
Hike seventh part of segment, camp near trail.
August 24, Tuesday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trail.
Segment 25, Choteau, Montana
Segment 25, Badger Pass to Marias Pass, Moderate 35 miles.
August 25, Wednesday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
August 26, Thursday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
August 27, Friday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
Segments 26 – 28, East Glacier Park, Montana
Segment 26, Marias Pass to East Glacier Park, Easy 16 miles.
August 28, Saturday –
Hike the segment, camp near trailhead.
Segment 27, East Glacier Park to Two Medicine Campground: Glacier National Park, Moderate 11 miles.
August 29, Sunday –
Hike the segment, camp near trailhead.
Segment 28, Two Medicine Campground to St. Mary Falls: Glacier National Park, strenuous 39 miles.
August 30, Monday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
August 31, Tuesday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
September 1, Wednesday –
Hike third part of segment, camp on trail.
September 2, Thursday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
Segment 20, MacDonald Pass to Dana Spring, Easy 25 miles.
August 1, Sunday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
August 2, Monday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
Segment 21, Avon, Montana
Segment 21, Dana Spring to Stemple Pass, Strenuous 19 miles.
August 3, Tuesday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
August 4, Wednesday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
Segments 22 & 23, Lincoln, Montana
Segment 22, Stemple Pass to Rogers Pass, Moderate 23 miles.
August 5, Thursday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
August 6, Friday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
August 7, Saturday -
Rest Day.
Segment 23, Rogers Pass to Benchmark/South Fork Trailhead, Strenuous 66 miles.
August 8, Sunday –
Hike first part of trail, camp on trail.
August 9, Monday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
August 10, Tuesday –
Hike third part of segment, camp on trail.
August 11, Wednesday –
Hike fourth part of segment, camp on trail.
August 12, Thursday –
Hike fifth part of segment, camp on trail.
August 13, Friday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
August 14, Saturday –
Rest Day.
August 15, Sunday –
open
August 16, Monday –
Segment 24, Augusta, Montana
Segment 24, Benchmark/South Fork Trailhead to Badger Pass, Strenuous 89 miles.
August 17, Tuesday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
August 18, Wednesday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
August 19, Thursday –
Hike third part of segment, camp on trail.
August 20, Friday –
Hike fourth part of segment, camp on trail.
August 21, Saturday –
Hike fifth part of segment, camp on trail.
August 22, Sunday –
Hike sixth part of segment, camp on trail.
August 23, Monday –
Hike seventh part of segment, camp near trail.
August 24, Tuesday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trail.
Segment 25, Choteau, Montana
Segment 25, Badger Pass to Marias Pass, Moderate 35 miles.
August 25, Wednesday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
August 26, Thursday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
August 27, Friday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
Segments 26 – 28, East Glacier Park, Montana
Segment 26, Marias Pass to East Glacier Park, Easy 16 miles.
August 28, Saturday –
Hike the segment, camp near trailhead.
Segment 27, East Glacier Park to Two Medicine Campground: Glacier National Park, Moderate 11 miles.
August 29, Sunday –
Hike the segment, camp near trailhead.
Segment 28, Two Medicine Campground to St. Mary Falls: Glacier National Park, strenuous 39 miles.
August 30, Monday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
August 31, Tuesday –
Hike second part of segment, camp on trail.
September 1, Wednesday –
Hike third part of segment, camp on trail.
September 2, Thursday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
Trek Itenerary September 3-14, 2010
Segment 29, Rising Sun, Montana
Segment 29, St. Mary Falls to Many Glacier: Glacier National Park, Strenuous 16 miles.
September 3, Friday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
September 4, Saturday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
September 5, Sunday –
Rest Day,
organize for final segment,
camp near trailhead.
Segments 30 and/or 31, Many Glacier, Montana
Segment 30, Swiftcurrent Pass Trailhead to Waterton Townsite: Glacier National Park, Strenuous 40 miles.
September 6, Monday –
Hike first part of trail, camp on trail.
September 7, Tuesday –
Hike second part of trail, camp on trail.
September 8, Wednesday –
Hike third part of trail, camp on trail.
September 9, Thursday –
Hike last part of trail, overnight in Waterton Village.
Annual Peace Park Assembly, Many Glacier Hotel, September 10 – 12.
September 10, Friday –
Travel to Many Glacier,
Attend Peace Park Assembly, overnight Many Glacier Hotel or campgrounds.
September 11, Saturday –
Attend Peace Park Assembly, overnight Many Glacier Hotel, or campgrounds.
September 12, Sunday –
Attend Peace Park assembly, travel en route home.
September 13, Monday –
Travel home.
September 14, Tuesday –
Attend Rotary Club of Conifer.
Segment 29, St. Mary Falls to Many Glacier: Glacier National Park, Strenuous 16 miles.
September 3, Friday –
Hike first part of segment, camp on trail.
September 4, Saturday –
Hike last part of segment, camp near trailhead.
September 5, Sunday –
Rest Day,
organize for final segment,
camp near trailhead.
Segments 30 and/or 31, Many Glacier, Montana
Segment 30, Swiftcurrent Pass Trailhead to Waterton Townsite: Glacier National Park, Strenuous 40 miles.
September 6, Monday –
Hike first part of trail, camp on trail.
September 7, Tuesday –
Hike second part of trail, camp on trail.
September 8, Wednesday –
Hike third part of trail, camp on trail.
September 9, Thursday –
Hike last part of trail, overnight in Waterton Village.
Annual Peace Park Assembly, Many Glacier Hotel, September 10 – 12.
September 10, Friday –
Travel to Many Glacier,
Attend Peace Park Assembly, overnight Many Glacier Hotel or campgrounds.
September 11, Saturday –
Attend Peace Park Assembly, overnight Many Glacier Hotel, or campgrounds.
September 12, Sunday –
Attend Peace Park assembly, travel en route home.
September 13, Monday –
Travel home.
September 14, Tuesday –
Attend Rotary Club of Conifer.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Trekker's Log June 10-12, 2007
6/10 – 12, Sunday – Tuesday, hiking days 30 & 31, Segment 19A, Pie Town to NM 117
~~ county road and state highway: that’s the story of this segment. It was, of course, easy hiking, but a bit boring, and for the first time during this hike, we were bothered somewhat by bugs. We were visited by flies of all sizes, gnats, and mosquitoes.
Because of the bugs and the similarity of scenery along the way, we hiked faster and took shorter rest periods. At the end of three days we had covered this entire segment and a good share of the next. The best thing we can say about hiking this segment is that the hiking gave us the opportunity to spend a lot of time remembering the wonderful time we had with the people in Pie Town, thinking about a few days off the trail, and looking forward to The El Malpais.
During the third day of hiking, while moving along in a driving rain, we were visited by yet another trail angel, a rancher passing through who gave us a ride for a few miles to a picnic area on NM 117. That was a very nice gesture, and we accepted the offer.
Perhaps it’s the right time to say that we’re very much interested in experiencing ALL of the CDT (the official CDT, that is) but we don’t actually feel compelled to walk every step. We’re simply not compulsive about it in that way. We’ve promised ourselves that we’ll not ever ask for a ride, but when offered one, we’ll accept it if it seems right to do so.
Now we were ready for eight days off the trail. Trail angel Arnold brought Audrey (my most devoted trail angel) down from home in Conifer, and took Pem back to Boulder to spend the time with his wife and baby daughter. Audrey and I attended the Rotary International Convention in Salt Lake City during this time.
~~ county road and state highway: that’s the story of this segment. It was, of course, easy hiking, but a bit boring, and for the first time during this hike, we were bothered somewhat by bugs. We were visited by flies of all sizes, gnats, and mosquitoes.
Because of the bugs and the similarity of scenery along the way, we hiked faster and took shorter rest periods. At the end of three days we had covered this entire segment and a good share of the next. The best thing we can say about hiking this segment is that the hiking gave us the opportunity to spend a lot of time remembering the wonderful time we had with the people in Pie Town, thinking about a few days off the trail, and looking forward to The El Malpais.
During the third day of hiking, while moving along in a driving rain, we were visited by yet another trail angel, a rancher passing through who gave us a ride for a few miles to a picnic area on NM 117. That was a very nice gesture, and we accepted the offer.
Perhaps it’s the right time to say that we’re very much interested in experiencing ALL of the CDT (the official CDT, that is) but we don’t actually feel compelled to walk every step. We’re simply not compulsive about it in that way. We’ve promised ourselves that we’ll not ever ask for a ride, but when offered one, we’ll accept it if it seems right to do so.
Now we were ready for eight days off the trail. Trail angel Arnold brought Audrey (my most devoted trail angel) down from home in Conifer, and took Pem back to Boulder to spend the time with his wife and baby daughter. Audrey and I attended the Rotary International Convention in Salt Lake City during this time.
Trekker's Log, June 6-7, 2007
6/6 & 6/7, Wednesday & Thursday, hiking days 28 & 29, Segment 18, Valle Tio Vences Campground to Pie Town: Mangas Mountain
If you look in the dictionary for a definition of “Trail Angel,” and find a picture, that picture will surely be of one Nita Larronde of Pie Town. On June 3rd we drove over from Datil to Pie Town, planning to hike Segment 18 from north to south. We had actually come off Segments 16 and 17 two days ahead of schedule, and were planning to stay at Nita’s house in town for three nights instead of just one. We had laundry to do, web log entries to submit, and other things we wanted to do.
We found the key to Nita’s trailside house as directed, and made ourselves at home. Nita arrived back from a trip to California on Monday afternoon and greeted us with hugs and a warm “Aloha!” She made sure we were comfortable, told us a few things about the house, and left for her home in the country. We learned that her house in town is there just for hikers!
On Wednesday Nita rode with us to Valle Tio Vences Campground, then took our vehicle back to Pie Town. We got acquainted and had a good visit as we rode along together.
Pem and I saw one CDT sign on the edge of the Forestry Service land through which we would start our hike of this segment. We soon figured out that this entire segment is on roads, so the hiking was fairly easy. We hiked the 29 miles in two days instead of the scheduled three, and saw the next CDT sign when we got back to Nita’s house.
All said and done, we stayed at Nita’s trailside house in Pie Town a total of six nights. What a wonderful time we had getting acquainted with a group of other great people in that village! Most notable among them are Kathy of the Pie-O-Neer Café, Michael Rawl of the Daily Pie Café, Nita’s husband Don Kearney, Tucker McHugh, Uncle River, and Mikka. There were other friendly faces, but these are the people with whom we really felt a kinship. We had dinner at Nita’s country home one evening, and Nita and Don hosted a community pot luck dinner another night. Sixteen new friends attended that dinner.
If you look in the dictionary for a definition of “Trail Angel,” and find a picture, that picture will surely be of one Nita Larronde of Pie Town. On June 3rd we drove over from Datil to Pie Town, planning to hike Segment 18 from north to south. We had actually come off Segments 16 and 17 two days ahead of schedule, and were planning to stay at Nita’s house in town for three nights instead of just one. We had laundry to do, web log entries to submit, and other things we wanted to do.
We found the key to Nita’s trailside house as directed, and made ourselves at home. Nita arrived back from a trip to California on Monday afternoon and greeted us with hugs and a warm “Aloha!” She made sure we were comfortable, told us a few things about the house, and left for her home in the country. We learned that her house in town is there just for hikers!
On Wednesday Nita rode with us to Valle Tio Vences Campground, then took our vehicle back to Pie Town. We got acquainted and had a good visit as we rode along together.
Pem and I saw one CDT sign on the edge of the Forestry Service land through which we would start our hike of this segment. We soon figured out that this entire segment is on roads, so the hiking was fairly easy. We hiked the 29 miles in two days instead of the scheduled three, and saw the next CDT sign when we got back to Nita’s house.
All said and done, we stayed at Nita’s trailside house in Pie Town a total of six nights. What a wonderful time we had getting acquainted with a group of other great people in that village! Most notable among them are Kathy of the Pie-O-Neer Café, Michael Rawl of the Daily Pie Café, Nita’s husband Don Kearney, Tucker McHugh, Uncle River, and Mikka. There were other friendly faces, but these are the people with whom we really felt a kinship. We had dinner at Nita’s country home one evening, and Nita and Don hosted a community pot luck dinner another night. Sixteen new friends attended that dinner.
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.
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.
Trekker's Log, May 26-28, 2007
5/26 – 28/07, Saturday – Monday, hiking days 20 – 22
Segment 15, NM 163 to Coyote Peak Stock Tank
We were taken to the trailhead by Sheriff’s Deputy Stan Thompson, since the highway leading to the trailhead was on one of Stan’s regular patrol routes. Stan was very gracious to help us out in this way. The first assistance he gave us was a case of helping with an “emergency.” This time he helped us just out of the goodness of his heart.
During this three-day segment we learned a lot about trail-finding, about being resourceful when things don’t go right, about depending on our GPS and guidebook, and about the rare but glaring misprint in a publication. We also began to use what we had learned previously on this Challenge hike.
The trail was well-marked, for about the first quarter mile, to a fence line. At the end of the fence line, we found no more trail signs for many miles. We were on our own, studying the guidebook as we went along, looking for the roads, mountains, and streams described in it. On the second day of the hike, we climbed a fence because we knew we were in a direct line with the saddle on the side of Pelona Mountain and the terrain on the other side of the fence looked more negotiable on the way. Suddenly we saw a CDT sign, and we were on fairly new trail that took us to the saddle by way of three or four nice, easy switchbacks.
Once on the saddle, we found a cairn, then two other cairns. One cairn led to nothing; the other had a definite path beside it. We chose the cairn beside the path. About five miles later we discovered that we had been hiking on an animal trail and were well off course. We finally realized that we were on a segment of the CDT that has not been constructed. We bush-whacked back and forth, following the general direction of the trail as described in the guidebook, and got reasonably close to Coyote Peak Stock Tank at the end of the third day of hiking, but without ever seeing another trail sign.
As stated, we read and re-read the guidebook entry for this segment, finally figuring out that there was a one-digit error in the printed coordinates for the Coyote Peak Stock Tank. Before we figured that out, the GPS was telling us to go in exactly the wrong direction! On the morning of the fourth day, I woke up realizing that there must have been a misprint, for most of the coordinates included W108, but the one for Coyote Peak Stock Tank included W107. When the 108 was entered in the GPS, we learned that we were just about one mile from our destination!
So, all is well that ends well, and our hike of this segment ended on a bright note. When we got to Coyote Peak Stock Tank and looked back, there WAS a sign, and a trail leading in the direction from which we had come. As stated earlier, we learned a lot about getting to where we wanted to go without trail sign and sometimes without trail. This segment is definitely part of the 60% of the New Mexico CDT that is not yet fully constructed or marked! The topo map had not really helped us. The guidebook was, indeed, helpful in spite of the one typo. We would not have reached the end of this segment without the guidebook, the GPS, and what we had learned earlier about trail-finding.
Segment 15, NM 163 to Coyote Peak Stock Tank
We were taken to the trailhead by Sheriff’s Deputy Stan Thompson, since the highway leading to the trailhead was on one of Stan’s regular patrol routes. Stan was very gracious to help us out in this way. The first assistance he gave us was a case of helping with an “emergency.” This time he helped us just out of the goodness of his heart.
During this three-day segment we learned a lot about trail-finding, about being resourceful when things don’t go right, about depending on our GPS and guidebook, and about the rare but glaring misprint in a publication. We also began to use what we had learned previously on this Challenge hike.
The trail was well-marked, for about the first quarter mile, to a fence line. At the end of the fence line, we found no more trail signs for many miles. We were on our own, studying the guidebook as we went along, looking for the roads, mountains, and streams described in it. On the second day of the hike, we climbed a fence because we knew we were in a direct line with the saddle on the side of Pelona Mountain and the terrain on the other side of the fence looked more negotiable on the way. Suddenly we saw a CDT sign, and we were on fairly new trail that took us to the saddle by way of three or four nice, easy switchbacks.
Once on the saddle, we found a cairn, then two other cairns. One cairn led to nothing; the other had a definite path beside it. We chose the cairn beside the path. About five miles later we discovered that we had been hiking on an animal trail and were well off course. We finally realized that we were on a segment of the CDT that has not been constructed. We bush-whacked back and forth, following the general direction of the trail as described in the guidebook, and got reasonably close to Coyote Peak Stock Tank at the end of the third day of hiking, but without ever seeing another trail sign.
As stated, we read and re-read the guidebook entry for this segment, finally figuring out that there was a one-digit error in the printed coordinates for the Coyote Peak Stock Tank. Before we figured that out, the GPS was telling us to go in exactly the wrong direction! On the morning of the fourth day, I woke up realizing that there must have been a misprint, for most of the coordinates included W108, but the one for Coyote Peak Stock Tank included W107. When the 108 was entered in the GPS, we learned that we were just about one mile from our destination!
So, all is well that ends well, and our hike of this segment ended on a bright note. When we got to Coyote Peak Stock Tank and looked back, there WAS a sign, and a trail leading in the direction from which we had come. As stated earlier, we learned a lot about getting to where we wanted to go without trail sign and sometimes without trail. This segment is definitely part of the 60% of the New Mexico CDT that is not yet fully constructed or marked! The topo map had not really helped us. The guidebook was, indeed, helpful in spite of the one typo. We would not have reached the end of this segment without the guidebook, the GPS, and what we had learned earlier about trail-finding.
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