Whirlwind

Last sunday I was reviewing my options:  Keep hiking into the snow and see how bad it is for myself, or make plans to head up to Wyoming's Great Basin to hike some miles while this snow business sorts itself out a bit.  Reports of the San Juans included things like "150% snow pack" and "extreme avalanche danger"... I was very much leaning toward the Wyoming option but then the new decision was: how do I make it up to Wyoming and back?  Public transportation is just awful in this country for anyone not heading from giant city to giant city.  I called a good friend from the PCT in 2013, Happy Feet/Chad, who lives just south of Denver to see if he had any ideas.  Within 10 minutes he offered to drive 5 hours to come pick me up on his day off.  WOW!  By 2 AM i was in Castle Rock CO.  The next day I made it to REI to get new tips for my poles, they were down to the nubs!  It's always great catching up with awesome hiking friends, we hadn't seen each other in almost 2 years and we didn't skip a beat.  THANK YOU CHAD!!!!!

Dropping me off in Cheyenne, WY I had my first hitch in 5 minutes!  Peter took me over 100 miles toward my goal of Encampment, WY and we talked the whole time, it was a beautiful drive.   My second hitch was from 2 gentlemen from my home state of PA out on vacation and before I knew it I was in the tiny little town on Encampment.  After a delicious lunch @ the Bear Trap and confirming with the Post Office that my maps didnt arrive yet (a girl can hope!) it was time to decide what to do with and extra day waiting for maps to arrive...

The next town north is Saratoga and the best part about this little town is the public hot springs!  And they're free!!  So, out goes my thumb one last time that day in pursuit of ultimate relaxation.  Within 20 minutes a local fly fishing guide picks me up and by nightfall I'm checked into the Sage & Sand Motel and was partaking of a local play "Cheaper by the Dozen" before heading to the hot springs 3 blocks away.  Dusty at the Motel was probably the coolest motel manager I've ever met and EVERYONE should stay there!

What does a hiker do when waiting for maps?  Hot springs and Fly Fishing of course!!!!  Remember that fishing guide that picked me up? Steven Heinitz of North Platte Trouters (www.nptrouters.com) is an absolute ANGEL and took me on a float trip down the North Platte River in search of some stunning scenery, awesome wildlife, and trout of course!  I hadn't held a fly rod in my hand for 8 years, and had also never fished from a boat, but before I knew it I was totally lost in the experience around me and had an absolutely incredible time!!!!  Thank you SO MUCH Steven!!!!! (and Buoy).

I loved the irony that I was fishing on the water that is the snowmelt from the mountains that I was avoiding...  Just taking advantage of the situation ;-)

With all of that adventure it was time to hike.  I'm in Rawlins today and plan to continue on to South Pass City, then Pinedale, before heading back south to Ghost Ranch where I left the trail.

Happy Trails!
~beads

feeling good after a big snowy climb up Los Pinos to Los Pedros Peaks @ 10,600 feet

Indian Paintbrush in Chama River Valley

Ghost Ranch

A stunning setting that inspired Georgia O'Keefe's historic work...

Straight out of Cuba we had an entire day of snow, slush, post-holing, freezing fords, and numb/wet feet.  It's was beautiful up at 10,600 feet but I was still glad to be back down at 8,000 feet and out of the snow.  Today? rain. This has been the coldest, wettest spring that any of the locals can remember.

The snow is literally falling up in the San Juan Mtns as I write this.  Decisions, decisions.
All part of the fun!!!

Happy Trails!
~beads

Mach 7 Drizzle and Beautiful Mesas

Here in Cuba, NM enjoying some good mexican food and the fantastic hospitality of the Del Prado Motel and  owner Mrs.Yang. 

Crossing the 500 mile mark it is amazing to think back at the various environments and weather conditions that have been thrown at us so far.  Definitely more than any other trail experience I've had thus far.  We've had everything from barren dusty desert to high alpine pinon forest to wild river fords to lava and volcanic rock to mesa features over 2000 feet tall.  The weather has ranged from mid 80s down to 22 degrees and I believe we have had pretty much every kind of precipitation at least for a short time.  Snow, sleet, hail, rain, and mach 7 drizzle.  We went to sleep 3 nights ago literally in the middle of a thunderstorm and had more than a few lightning strikes within a couple miles of us.  It was getting dark fast and with a 2000 foot descent in front of us we decided to camp at the top of the mesa despite the storm; there were lots of good trees around so it definitely could have been more precarious....

With the multiple storms rolling through there has been a lot of concern among hikers regarding the snow coming up.  Low seasonal snow packs have made us hopeful but now that there is fresh snow on the ground it is turning out to not be quite the walk in the park we were all secretly hoping for.  From here I hike up to Ghost Ranch and then Chama is my last chance to get snow gear before heading north into CO.  Even between here and Chama we will likely encounter a bit of snow.  There are many factors to consider.  I am quite comfortable traveling and camping on snow, I probably have more alpine experience than the average hiker, but the real issue is navigation and speed.  I have been covering 25 to 30 miles a day and snow would greatly decrease that forward progress.  Some hikers are slowing down to give the snow more time to melt, some are talking of trying to push through into the San Juan Mountains anyway, and a few are thinking of what we call a "Flip-Flop".  I may potentially travel up to Wyoming to do the Great Basin and give CO a few more weeks to melt out, then do CO southbound.  Once I make it back down to where I got off the trail I'll then have to travel back up to WY and continue northward to Canada.  It's just an idea.  It will be a week or 2 before I make the decision but for now I will simply continue north.  Tomorrow will be my first day over 10,000 feet and there is a good chance the thunderstorms rolling through tonight will drop some snow. 

The trail through mesa country has been absolutely incredible.  Maintained by the Back-Country Horsemen of NE New Mexico they have clearly put a lot of time and energy into building the best trail we've seen yet.  Very well marked with rock cairns and posts and really taking advantage of the natural awesomeness around us.  At the top of the mesas the trail would travel right along the edge, we even cowboy camped on the edge of the mesa one night.  

Fun trail term: Cowboy Camping is something many hikers will do in the desert.  With no humidity there is no dew.  And more importantly there are no bugs to bother you as you sleep.  It's fast and efficient, and more importantly you get to sleep under the stars in the fresh desert air.    

Time's up at the library computer.... 

Happy Trails!!

~beads

The Land of Enchantment - New Mexico

Greetings from Grants!!!!

 

Boy has New Mexico truly been a land of enchantment.  The flowers are gorgeous, the weather hasn't been nearly as unpleasant as it could be, and we are certainly not just walking through a boring desert.  Beautiful sandstone cliffs and even lava fields from Mt. Taylor (to the north) have filled the days recently.  Many of the places we travel through know the hikers are heading north and like to support us.  I've even had a police officer stop to ask "what are all the hikers doing in town?"  and of course I got the chance to tell him all about the Continental Divide Trail and how we are all crazy enough to try and walk to Canada in 5 months.  It's so much fun to see their faces when they hear about the trail for the first time, and then take one look at me and ask... "so how long have YOU been out?"  It's a fun life walking from place to place making my way northward.  I just looked at a map of New Mexico and had a WOW moment when I realized how far I had walked already.  I still have a lot to go but it sure is amazing to realize how far a person can walk just by doing a little bit every day. 

 

So far there have been a few small climbs but overall the "trail" has been a gentle grade.  Burrows Peak and Mangas Peak and a few 1-2000 foot climbs have been it, a nice introduction while my feet get stronger.  Just to the north of Grants is Mt. Taylor, some hikers choose to do a short side trip to climb the mountain (I'm not sure yet if I will do this) but between here and Cuba, NM the mountains really start to stretch upward and Lion Heart and I will have a bit of work cut out for us.  I do like it when the trails go upward, the views are always worth the effort!

 

There have been a few hikers so far that have had some serious stress injuries... a reminder to take care of ourselves and rest when we can.  It is amazing that we can literally walk from dawn until dusk with a few short breaks and be able to get up and do it again tomorrow.  Even when our bodies are stiff and sore at the end of the day we can still keep walking once we loosen up and keep going for just a few more miles.  Swollen knees, tibia fracture, metatarsal fractures, plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendonitis. 

 

Fun trail culture factoid: A Trail Angel is anyone who helps hikers.  Sometimes this generosity is a surprise and sometimes the hikers know of an Angel in town ahead of time.  Trail Angels do things like offer water by a hot road, offer rides, set up surprise food stations, even just offer a cold beverage to a hiker as they drive by!  It is absolutely amazing how many genuine loving experiences hikers have from complete strangers.  Apple is an Angel I met on the Appalachian Trail in 2007 and guess who I met in Lordsburg helping hikers!?!!  It was truly a surprise to see a familiar face out in the middle of the desert cooking hotdogs and handing me a cold Gatorade.  Nita in Pie Town is an absolute Angel for offering her Toaster House Hostel to hikers as a great safe place to relax and recoup.  Sheridan is a local rancher in Pie Town who happens to travel along the road that hikers use to walk into town, he keeps a small cooler of drinks in his truck and boy is it a nice treat in the middle of the day on a hot road walk!!!  Even heading north of Pie Town we met Ann and John Thomas who have a sign up at their gate inviting hikers and bikers in to get water from their well.  In the midst of countless "No Trespassing" signs it is a welcome site to see a friendly driveway and of course we got much more than just water.  Ann and John are a very sweet older couple that very much enjoyed telling us their stories and adventures and clearly loved just taking care of the hikers coming through and making sure no-one needed anything.  Plus it's all part of the hiking experience to meet the locals and learn a bit about what it's like to live here =-)  THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

 

Happy Trails!

~beads

 

Prickly Pear Cactus Flower

Going off trail a bit (oops) allowed me to find this weather transceiver from NOAA!  (on top of my pack). They send these things up in weather balloons to learn about our atmosphere and then they come back down to earth when they're done.  By sending the device back to them they may be able to use it again =-) Glad to help NOAA!!!!

double rainbow on the Gila River

Amazing Sandstone Cliffs at the El Malpais National Conservation Area just south of Grants

Gila River and Snow in the desert

It's official, it snows in NM in May! The past few mornings have been below freezing and sure enough it snowed on us two days ago. What an adventure! We did our best to keep our shoes from freezing over night and i was SO thankful for my big down jacket. Being on or near the divide means we have been hiking between 7 and 9000 feet in elevation. The temps have been quite mild so far and the ecology has included lots of Alligator junipers and Douglas pine. Lots of elk north if the Gila river, even some Pronghorn antelope already. The Gila Wilderness was an awesome and challenging segment. The actual Divide is up in the Black Range but this river route is a commonly accepted alternate. A true gem of NM it also gives hikers a chance to check out the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. The Gila river is wild and remote. Encased by towering canyons the "trail" has no choice but to cross the river each time the water zigs and zags across the narrow canyon floor. I'm sure someone has counted how many times we ford the river... Let's just say it was well over a hundred in about 45 miles. A flood washed out most of the trail and keep in mind our days of wading thru a very cold river started at 645am and went until 8 pm to take advantage of as much light as possible. Putting on those shoes in the morning was quite a challenge but it was long days of ankle crushing cobbles, sand, and very wet feet. It was a good thing the canyon was so spectacular! Lion Heart and I strolled into Pie Town late yesterday to find a fabulous hostel called the Toaster House and excellent pie. With aching feet and sore legs we are resting a bit today before moving on to Grants next. With 340 miles behind us we still have quite a bit to go but after 16 days on the trail we're really starting to settle into our trail routine and our bodies are getting stronger. It feels good to be out here exploring New Mexico on our own 2 feet. For more details of our days I encourage you to check Lion Heart's blog that I previously posted. Our journeys have differed a little but for the most part it is not dissimilar to my personal experience... Enjoy!

Happy Trails!
~beads

Gila wilderness

Lion heart and I are still going strong. I have had some blog issues and won't be able to fix it until I get to a real computer so apologies for the short posts and lack of updates. On Saturday we relaxed in Silver City NM and enjoyed a cycling race that was going on in town. Good times with great company! Sunday we got an early start heading into the Gila Wilderness. WOW! dry desert has made way to steep canyons and countless river crossings along the head waters of the Gila Diver. Truly an oasis. Being so remote means little connection to the outside world. In about 6 to 7 days we should be rolling into Pie Town and hopefully give you all a better glimpse of this world down here in NM.

Happy Trails! Beads