Date: 5/26/2016 Day: 20 Distance: 14 miles start: 4:00 pm stop: 8:30 pm Elevation: 8011ft Others Here: Cloudbuster, Kyros Camp: approach trail to Mount Taylor; tenting Some town days are relaxing; this was not. The nice hotel owner took us back to McDonald’s in the morning and we walked to the post office. My shoes were not there so I checked the tracking and discovered they were sent FedEx. I called FedEx to attempt to get them delivered to the Mumms house (more about the Mumms later) to no avail. Then I called zappos and they worked with the post …
Sage advice?
Date: 5/25/2016 Day: 19 Distance: 30 miles start: 6:45 am stop: 7:30 pm Elevation: 6888 ft Others Here: Cloudbuster, Camp: Grants; southwest motel In the words of Carlton from Silver City. “If you are going to be dumb, you better be tough.” We started off with 7 miles across El Malpais (the badlands) lava flow. I actually quite enjoyed the hike even though it was hard on the feet. There was no tread but the trail is marked by cairns made of lava rocks. One has to look carefully since everything looks the same out there. After the lava we …
La Vantana
Date: 5/24/2016 Day: 18 Distance: 29 miles start: 7:00 am stop: 8:00 pm Elevation: 6888 ft Others Here: Cloudbuster, Tick Tock, Kyros Camp: Zuni Acoma trailhead; cowboy Most of the miles today were on dirt roads. There wasn’t much very memorable until the narrows. We joined the highway and followed it for about 4 miles until we reached the narrows; a place where the highway threads a narrow band between a cliff face on one side and lava flow (El Malpais) on the other. We finally got off the road and took the rim trail above the cliff. The views …
Mr & Mrs Thomas
Date: 5/23/2016 Day: 17 Distance: 24.5 miles start: 10:00 am stop: 7:00 pm Elevation: 7178ft Others Here: Cloudbuster, Tick Tock Camp: Corner Well; tenting I was going to cowboy cap until I almost stepped on a rattlesnake 20 feet from my intended spot. Tick Tock pointed it out and I walked over for a look. She stopped me before I stepped on it. Both of us moved 30 yds away. Cloudbuster is more of a man than me and is still cowboying. So today’s hike was all dirt roads from Pie Town to here. Tomorrow we still have another 3 …
Pie Town Zero or me in my Papillion clothes
Date: 5/22/2016 Day: 16 Distance: 0 miles start: stop: Elevation: 7750 ft Others Here: Cloudbuster, Tick Tock, Kyros, Stumbling Beef, Wes Camp: Toaster House hostel A zero day which is thru hiker jargon for no walking. Focusing on eating, resting my feet, preparing for next stretch. Time to eat some pie. PS. Those were hostel loaner clothes while I washed mine.
Pie Town
Date: 5/21/2016 Day: 15 Distance: 30 miles start: 6:50 am stop: 6:35 pm Elevation: 7750 ft Others Here: Cloudbuster, Tick Tock, Hippie Longstockings, Nobs, David Camp: Toaster House hostel Too tired to write. Almost all dirt road walking. My feet are throbbing.
The merry old land of Oz
Date: 5/20/2016 Day: 14 Distance: 30 miles start: 6:40 am stop: 7:40 pm Elevation: 7995 ft Others Here: Cloudbuster, Tick Tock Camp: Valle Tio Vinces campground, cowboy "Ha-ha-ha! Ho-ho-ho and a couple of tra-la-las, That's how we laugh the day away, In The Merry Old Land Of Oz." This melody has been in my head fir the last 2 days, but I could only remember that it was while they were entering the Emerald City and "In The Merry Old Land Of Oz" Was a dry day today. First water was good at about 4 miles, Second water from cattle …
Thankful for the sun
Date: 5/19/2016 Day: 13 Distance: 31 miles start: 5:50 am stop: 7:30 pm Elevation: 8420 ft Others Here: Cloudbuster, Tick Tock Camp: on a saddle; tenting Mostly two track and gravel road walking End of day entered the mountains. Made me happy and thankful to be here again Met lady and husband. He was very talkative and friendly Met rancher at cox canyon with presumably his grandkids. Soft weathered features, weathered hands. Going to find their horses so they could move some cattle. So friendly. Soft spoken, kindly, down to earth. Both kids like their grandfather had big smiles on …
Privy Bivy
Date: 5/18/2016 Day: 12 Distance: 11 miles start: 7:30 am stop: 1:00 pm Elevation: 7706 ft Others Here: Cloudbuster, Tick Tock Camp: Snow Lake; Umm making good use of the facilities I have always considered myself to have at least a modicum of pride, self respect, general decency, and propriety. Well I suppose even the best of us can fall from his pedestal after a couple days of being cold and wet only to see dark menacing clouds directly over the pass for which he is bound. That's right we decided to camp out in two of the privies at …
Hard day on the Gila
Date: 5/17/2016 Day: 11 Distance: 18 miles start: 7:00 am stop: 5:15 pm Elevation: 6680 Others Here: Cloudbuster, Tick Tock Camp: 11 ish miles from Snow Lake; tenting The grandeur of the canyon walls continued to keep us enraptured for most of the morning. Then the difficult nature of this section crowded out the beauty and all three of us began to struggle. I couldn't understand why I didn't remember this section begin so difficult until the flood of a few years ago came to mind. The Gila flooded and most of the trail was destroyed. Jordan hot spring is …