El Malpais/C of C Info

Great resource for geology, culture and Fed planning within our area.

http://www.nm.blm.gov/aufo/el_malpais_feis/chapters/MALPAISCHAP3.PDF

Deader Than A Bag of Hammers

This site needs some activity!

Up and At 'Em Team

Working on my gear list tonight and getting excited about the trip. Looks like the area is still rainy and cool. I am predicting we will have great weather! Inasmuch as it looks like we will be no more than 5 people, what do you think is an adequate water cache? I want to pick up water containers this week from our supply chain guys and want to get enough. Think four 5-gallon containers is adequate? Any additional thoughts on chow? Communal meals for all or just heat water and let each guy be responsible for his own cuisine? I am thinking the latter as it allows the most flexibility for individual taste. With no more than 5 people I would think two stoves to be adequate. I will bring one, who would like to bring the other? Finally, I have one and two men tents. Unless someone has a different idea I will bring the two-man tent for maxium flexibility.

Meteorology

FYI

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/87020?locid=87020

Software needs?

I was looking at an example of what our end product should look like at this link: http://backpacker.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripID=29024&mode=TripSummary

I was particularly looking at the trail notes and pictures attached to GPS coordinates under the "Trip Details" header. I'm wondering how our team will be able to keep track of this data if we're using different model GPS units, cameras, and smaller split teams? Is there a preferred software that Scott Gates wants us to use for their processing and publishing?

A low tech solution is for each sub team to keep a field book with all the data collected listed by the coresponding coordinate. Unfortunately, we'll most likely need to send everything we collect ellectroniclly via the internet, and books don't travel well that way.

Anyone got any ideas?

Hellooooooo....................

Anyone out there?

Road Access in C of C

The Chief Ranger at El Malpais called me this morning and I had a great visit with him. Although he is not responsible for anything at C of C, he is intimately familiar with the the whole area. I explained what our team was about and he confirmed that CR 42 is indeed in good shape, and absent any gullywashers, will be easily passable when we are out there. He said that basically any road in the area that is physically accessible is ours to utilize. The area is crisscrossed with many logging, ranching and hunting roads and he said that the chief problem will be mud immediately following rains.

Inquired about the weather and he said that we could expect 40 degree nights and 60 to 70 degree days. Good chance of rains during mid-May as well.

I asked if we could come by and visit and but unfortunately he is retiring at the end of April and said that he would not be around.

It would appear that we can cache supplies and water pretty much anywhere we choose.

A Very

Happy Easter to all. The site has been quiet so I thought I would do something.
Enjoy the weekend.
Doug

Pete

Did you get in and find this thread?

Routes?

Reviewing Scott's map, it seems as if we are responsible for finding a route from Junction 117/42 (02NM Start) to Junction 53/42 (02NM END). As Scott also said in one of his early emails, this is not the most hospitable part of the CDT, but we have a very strong team. I certainly agree with Doug, water is good, and I personally need alot of it, about 1-2 quarts per mile in the heat.

I think that any route between the Start and the End should include the "Chain of Craters" region. With that, it seems to me that there are three likely routes.

Route 1: Get on County Road 42 and walk from the Start to the End.

Route 2: Get on County Road 42 at the Start and walk to the trail head by Cerro Brillante, hike the trail to point 0143, then get back on County Road 42 and walk to the End.

Route 3: From the Start, navigate using available roads and trails to the trail head by Cerro Brillante, join the trail at Cerro Brillante, hike to around point 0143, then again navigate to the End point using available roads and trails that we might find. I would envision the first part of this hike to be potentially bushwacking a route South of and parallel to Road 42, and the last part potentially bushwacking a route west of and parallel to Road 42.

Route 1 does not appeal to me. Route 2 is the most reasonable, and fairly easy to do. But again, hiking 15 miles of dirt road is not really great. Route 3 is more of an adventure but I am concerned with potentially bushwacking 10 miles of desert at the start. On the other hand, Road 42 would be just to the North if we had to bail out.

Just some thoughts. I look forward to other ideas.

Bob

It looks like it is working. I have never done this blog thing before. Sitting here in the Hilton catching up email and thought I would give it a shot.

I did hit the Backpacker weblog and suggested that instead of Team 2 we call ourselves the "Cinderheads". Or maybe the "Coneheads"?

First Post

This is a test to see if the blog works