One State Down!

Tuesday June 8, 2010
Camp 38: Chama Trails Inn
Camp 39: First Colorado camp!

We are camped directly on the trail tonight as we are walking through a section that is closed for logging due to beetle infestation.  There are trees down everywhere and hundreds of snags all around us.  It was tough finding a camping spot without a widow-maker looming above us so we settled for a place right on the trail.  Let’s see, yesterday we crossed over into Colorado!!!  It is very exciting to have hiked an entire state already.  We spent the morning listing our New Mexico favorites as we walked.  We made it to Cumbres Pass which is in Colorado but then we hitched back into Chama, New Mexico to resupply.  Chama is an old divided town, one end is very cute and historic and somewhat touristy with the old railroad running through.  There are several shops, an old saloon, a few hotels and very friendly locals.  The other end of town was right by the Interstate and the people were actually kind of rude.  We didn’t figure this out until too late when we had booked an expensive room across the street from a grocery store.  Our stay was strange and Eric caught a peeping Tom staring into our room from the alley…yuck.  On our way back to Cumbres Pass a lady drove us a mile to the “better” end of town but she had to get back to work and couldn’t take us any farther- funniest and shortest hitch ever!  We sat in Fosters Saloon and had a couple brews and then a stranger bought us a round.  We played pool, listened to the jukebox and then, in a bit of a fog, decided to make our way back to the trail.  After what felt like an eternity, a couple picked us up in their Jeep.  They were awesome, taking us back to the pass even though they weren’t heading that way.  We hopped out with a thank you, grateful for the generosity.  We hiked on and looked up to see a huge bear heading toward us on the trail.  She was grazing along and didn’t even know we were there until we stood and watched her for a good bit.  Eventually we yelled, “hey bear” and she looked up, startled, and bolted in the other direction.  We are definitely in a new state as the snow fields lay before us and the mountain streams are not in short supply.  Our view tonight is amazing and we had yet another awesome sunset and a lightning show!

sunflower
hi: hanging out at the saloon, enjoying good beer and listening to Hey Jude with my love
lo: hmmm….not really

g
hi: great morning
lo: the state of the trail that we are on


New Mexico Favorites:

Breakfast: Pie Town apple pancakes and sausage with huevos rancheros in Deming being a close second

Lunch: Ella’s Café in Reserve

Dinner: steak and burger in Reserve

Dessert: Coconut Cream Pie in Pie Town

Camping Spot: sleeping out under the stars at City of Rocks State Park

Hitch:  Toughie in Reserve and Alice in the Gila (Silver City)

Funniest Hitch:  the 1 mile hitch in Chama

Towns: Reserve, Cuba and Pie Town

Highlights:  Gila Wilderness, lots of wildlife sightings, the diversity of the state, the kind people and our crazy off trail adventures!

Wildlife: A Wolf and Javelina

Best cold and much needed drink:  Ice cold Coke at Rockhound State Park

Sunday June 6, 2010
Camp 37:  Carson National Forest, North of Lagunitas

Last night we fell asleep to howling wolves and a lightning storm in the distant peaks.  Above us, a clear sky, amazing stars and bright planets, our tent illuminated with each strike of lightning.  Today started out smooth and we were actually on the CDT!  There were cairns and even CDT signs!  Avoiding private land, the trail meandered through beautiful Aspen groves, along spectacular ridges and into a canyon along a stream.  We could see for miles, wide open spaces and mountains in the distance.  We saw herds of elk and antelope grazing and we stumbled upon an elk calf lying right in the middle of the trail.  Apparently his mama sensed danger and he was hiding.  At first it didn’t look like he was breathing as he was very still, his eyes closed.  We knew things were going too easy and soon we dropped steeply to the stream and zigged when we should have zagged!  We took a trail along the stream heading NE when apparently the CDT went NW. Argh!  We followed an old road and had a berm “stylin” contest along the way.  We then followed another road which led to Lagunitas campground and eventually linked back up with a trail that skirted a ridge, giving views of the distant mountain ranges and deep green valleys.  Stunning.  The clouds built and loomed creating a spectacular sunset.  It was a crazy day with lots of ups and downs, but it was beautiful and filled with laughter, and out here, that’s all that matters.  My entire body aches as I lay here waiting for a warm dinner.  We have hereby created a team trail name, “lost before noon.”

Friday June 4, 2010

The landscape is changing before my eyes with each step.  The dry sandy mesa, turning to wide open meadows; green and lush, blanketed with dandelions and larkspur.  A dilapidated house sits among a stand of Aspen, lonely.  Mountains tower to the east and small patches of snow remain beneath the pines just at the edge of the forest.  I can see for miles and miles on all sides as we climb higher.  Clear springs surround us, water plentiful and delicious.  The taste of melted snow is sweet on my tongue.  The ground is saturated and I leave footprints in the mud.  Buttercups and Marsh Marigolds complement the fields of corn lilies.  The sun is slowly going down; my legs move on their own and I don’t think I can stop them.  The majestic snow-capped Rockies are getting closer and my stomach flutters.  We stand silently and watch the grazing elk.  He looks in our direction and immediately bounds up the mountain as three others follow suit.  We set up camp at 10,000 feet and watch the clouds turn orange and the sky fades from pink to purple on the horizon.  We are home, on many levels, we are home.

Camp 35: 10,000 feet with mountain and valley views
Camp 36:  spectacular sunset, major thunderheads in the distance and howling wolves!

CDT truths and philosophies

sunflower and little g's CDT Truths and Philosophies:

1. When in doubt, put on pants.
2. It is possible for a desert thorn to go through your shoe sole, superfeet and sock and stab your foot in a   single step.
3. When feeling down and out visit Deming, New Mexico...there's sure to be a homeless man telling you how incredibly beautiful you are.
4. Sandy dirt roads, desert thorns and bike tires are not a great combination.
5. Keep your receipts and Wal-Mart can be a very effective rental program.
6. If better out than in were a kingdom then Eric would be king.
7. New Mexico is indeed home to some of the most generous and kind people in the world.
8. New Mexico should hereby be referred to as the windy state, it's state flower the Bud Light can and it's state tree the barbed wire fence.
9. Fietenbuttz (German):  the smell your sleeping bag accumulates after hiking 500 miles.
10. A fellow hiker once said that if you collect all of the Bud Light cans in New Mexico you could pay for your entire CDT thru-hike.  Turns out, he is indeed, correct.
11. “Moose poop jewelry, who would wear that shit?”  sunflower
12. There is a reason why everyone else sets up camp around 4pm in Colorado while we are just starting to hike up and over a mountain pass around that same time.  It's called a thunderstorm and really, when will we learn?

Thursday June 3, 2010

Camp 34: Lost again, where is Harris Bear Spring?

We had a pleasant day of walking once we finally figured out how to get away from Ghost Ranch.  We hiked in the canyon for a bit which was nice and toasty but finally got to the top of the mesa and caught a breeze.  Trail finding was brutal today, once we find it we can’t seem to keep it which can be frustrating.  We were walking down a forest service road and saw a black bear so we stopped and watched for a while.  We were down wind so she couldn’t smell us as she slowly made her way down the road.  Eventually she heard us and darted into the woods while a second bear, brown in color, bounded across the road in the other direction.  Great! We split them up!  We didn’t even know the second one was there and weren’t quite sure if it was a mom and cub or mating season.  They both looked fairly big.  We stood and watched and eventually the brown bear crossed to the other side of the road.  She kept an eye on us but didn’t seem too concerned.  It was really cool!  We saw the Rockies in the distance…awesome!  For now, we are off trail and hungry, once again.

Tuesday June 1, 2010

Camp 32 and 33: Ghost Ranch, New Mexico

Our day began with not being able to find the trail, although we swear we were on it when we went to sleep! We followed the GPS to the supposed intersection but again, not happening.  We followed a drainage until it got so steep that if we fell it would have been a tumble straight to the bottom.  We changed the plan and decided to contour the mountainside and guess what...we found the trail!  It was a beautiful walk along the river through towering pines and hemlock.  A gorgeous blue sky, a big black bear and a couple of elk rounded out the day.  We got a hitch to Ghost Ranch with a former congressman who was moving and passing through the area.  He was super friendly and seemed very knowledgeable of the area.  We are staying at G.R. For a day or two in hopes that Eric's knee will return to a somewhat normal state.  It is a really bizarre place. We have been here for awhile and still haven't seen anyone that works here.  It is some sort of Presbyterian Retreat Camp with food that highly resembles staff cafe at the Evergreen Lodge...yum (enter sarcasm here)!  We did run into Pete again, a hiker that we met in Grants and haven't seen since.  Eric is making dinner and I'm writing under the star filled night.

first "cup" of coffee in awhile 

Monday May 31, 2010

Camp 30: Gallina River Trail beneath the Aspen

We both slept horribly last night, tossing and turning until the sun appeared.  We shared our crazy dreams and I am now a true believer that there are spirits in that canyon.  I can't explain it as I've never experienced it before but we were both glad to pack up and hike.  We started out slow as Eric's knee is badly swollen and he is unable to bend his leg.  We continued up the unmaintained river trail trying to follow the markings and cut logs.  It crossed the river several times, overgrown and impossible to keep track of.  The canyon became very narrow and both sides were extremely steep.  The trail, of course, was nowhere to be found.  I stumbled upon something that resembled a trail and we followed it for awhile before it disappeared.  We decided we had to get on top and out of the canyon so we hiked among the Aspens, straight up the mountain for about 2,000 vertical feet.  It was insane.  A few rocks slid, thundering down the mountainside and my heart nearly stopped.  I looked back, sure Eric had fallen, but instead there he was hobbling up the side of this mountain, dragging his leg along.  I had to smile as the whole scene was a bit unbelievable and at this point there was nothing left to do but laugh.  We finally reached the top and sat silently on a log.  I reached for the whiskey and we shared a shot with the mountain.  Cheers to respecting Mother Nature and the mountain.  We proceeded on our adventure staying on top of the ridge and quickly realized a massive storm had blown down thousands of trees.  We stared in disbelief at the uninviting maze before us.  We crept through the woods, climbing, or in Eric's case, dragging ourselves over the trees.  This goes on for miles.  The GPS reports that we are 1.8 miles from the San Jose Trail.  After all that we had only traveled about 1.3 miles as the crow flies, from our camp this morning.  Unreal.  5 hours and 2,000 feet later and we aren't any closer to getting out of this mess.  We continued on, exhausted and finally found our trail within the hour.  The San Jose Trail was like a superhighway compared to the path we had been on.  We hiked at 9,000 feet so there were still snow fields and the trail is really muddy and wet, but hey, no complaints here. 

We stopped a bit early tonight at a great camping spot beneath the beautiful Aspens.  We built a fire and had some warm food.  Great for the body and soul after the past few days.  So our adventure continues in the morning, hopefully after a good nights rest.