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
10 comments:
I didn't ask for anyone in particularl I just called the main number and inquired on the road ststus.
I would consider atacking this in parallel. I think that such an approach would allow us to perhaps map botht he main and alternatte routes and utilize cached supplies.
We could cache supplies at intermediate points along the route sufficient for our needs. One team could start on the main route while the other would work the alternate. The alternate route team would do a section, camel up at a cache point and then head west to the main route to do a section. The main route team could head out at the same time and resupply at the cache and then do a section of the alternate while the other team performed on the main route. By breaking the project into smaller sections we would give every one an opportunity to do parts of the main route and provide a mechanism for resupply at the same time.
An alternate is to come down CR 42 and make fast trips west to establish caches along the main route so that we can stay on the main trail until finished and then come back and do the alternate along CR 42 where we can more easily support ourselves.
By the way I am not totally illiterate. I am hurrying and as usual not looking for typos until after I have sent the message.
I would love to do a little bushwhacking. I’m not very interested in doing much road walking, but if we have to at some points, so be it.
I am also more than happy to do a few extended legs and maybe split into smaller groups to cover alt routes, I’m getting a topo map of the area will study it for some familiarity.
I think with the teams’ qualifications, our only major issue will be water.
I just talked to Gale, the receptionist at BLM. She was my earlier contact (I asked for a name this time). She said that CR42 was just graded and is in good shape. She also indicated that as far as she knew, as long as we could physically access a road, we could use it. She also gave me the number for the chief ranger at El Malpais and said that he is the person most familiar with road and trail conditions in C of C and EM. I called and left a message and hopefully he will call back soon.
I also noticed on the quad that part of the Indian reservation extends into the area west of Chato and Chatito. It appears the route misses that. I also asked the BLM for a land use map that would show ownership. I have a small 8.5X11 land pwnership map that I found in a document prepared by the Natural Resources Law Center in support of the EM conservation area.
EM has closed and no word from the ranger. Perhaps Monday?
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