Description of our road trip west begins with the blog entry "Go West Old Man (Woman)" - scroll down to the the Label 2010 October 15 Western Road Trip on the right side of the screen.
Well, here it is Monday, May 3, and John has completed the first 42 miles of his trip, (this was our first 'meet up') and he doesn't look too well. In fact, neither of us feels well at all. I am convinced for me it is the altitude. At 6,000 feet, and very dry, we are not used to this. We both are very tired, and I'm sure John is dehydrated. We came back to the motel room (yes, I am still 'cheating' with the motel room and not camping) and took a nap. In fact, I took two. Then, John drank a quart of milk, had a snack and started feeling better. We both felt good enough, in fact, to go out for a steak dinner. Feeling better now! We have lived in two deserts before, and need to get back into the habit of realizing how much more liquids you need to take in. You don't even realize you are getting dehydrated, as the sweat evaporates as soon as it hits the skin. We're learning.
On the Trail with John
The gradual grades and well maintained trails make it easy to enjoy the beauty of this superficially desolate region. Sweeping vistas capture your 'far distance' eye while wildflowers abound all around you: yucca, creosote, brittle bush, and cactus.
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Hiking alone, I find myself talking to myself (who else?)in conversations limited usually to one word. "Wow!!!" I whisper repeatedly as I crest another ridge and glimpse the mountains and deserts melding into a distant haze.
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Given the fact that I did nothing fitness wise to prepare for this adventure, I am pleased with being able to make reasonable mileage. By 3:00, I am about 17 miles north of Mexico, seeing less discarded clothing and litter left by undocumented workers crossing the border, fewer air patrols, few other hikers. Having descended a steep ravine to a pleasant, tree lined creek, I face a steep ascent, beyond which is a commercial campground. I'm tired, hot and have no one to disappoint by stopping early, so I decide to call it a successful first day and camp by the stream.
As I'm setting up my tent, I hear the low rumble of a car. Soon a Border Patrol vehicle appears and stops. I exchange pleasantries with the Border Agent and, then, the he asks, "Have you seen anybody come by here?"
"No, except for a couple of backpackers. Why?"
"We spotted 3 men crossing border awhile back and are trying to locate them. Are you planning on camping here?" (I guess the pitched tent gave me away.)
"Yeah, I was thinking about it. Will I be okay here?"
A long pause. "Yeah...you'll probably be okay. They usually don't bother anyone. Anyway, stay alert and I'll check back with you later." He drives off.
"Probably be okay"..."probably." I think to myself. "They USUALLY don't bother...." Well, "probably" means "probably" and "usually" means "usually. They don't mean "will" or "never".
Now I look around and think, "You know, it's early yet and maybe it would be a good idea to get the steep climb out of the way this afternoon. Actually, I'm feeling much better, a bit rejuvenated." And so, I press on to the top of the ridge, find a great spot just off the trail and set up camp...again.
Soon, I hear a hardy "Hey there!" I turn and see a healthy looking young woman, late 20s, introducing herself as "Moonshadow", a fellow Thru-hiker. (I will now be plagued with the refrain "I'm being followed by a moonshadow...moonshadow, moonshadow" running through my head for the next several days.)
"You planning on camping here?" she asks. Apparently, it doesn't take a trained government agent to penetrate the obvious.
Glancing back at my tent, I say, "Yeah, I was thinking about it."
"Nice spot....You think it's safe?"
"Yeah, I think so," I respond (assuming she's concerned about border crossers).
"So, you're not worried about mountain lions?"
"Mountain lions?" Surprised...."No, no, I don't think so."
"Well, good, that's good. I think I'll find a spot nearby if that's okay."
"Sure, sure. I saw a pretty nice spot just a couple of hundred feet up the trail."
"Alright, I'll check it out...Listen, if I see a cougar and scream out, you'll come running right?"
"Sure, sure thing, but I don't think we'll have any trouble." I say reassuringly.
That night, I slept soundly, no cougars, no screams. In the morning, I pack up and head out. Moonshadow has already broken camp. I catch up to her and another Thru Hiker, Miguel, from San Diego, later in the morning. We hike along together, sharing life's stories (Moonshadow recently resigned her position with the Appalachian Conservancy and Miguel just lost his Medical Engineering position and is using the hike to reassess his future). Soon we separate, each hiking his/her own hike. The next morning, I catch up with Miguel shortly after passing through some kind of old artillery range, posted with scary warnings.
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| From Western Trip |
Miguel and I hike through beautiful pine woods to the Laguna Mountain Lodge where Pat awaits.
This last day has been really rough. I haven't been able to eat hardly anything over the 2 and a half days I've been out. I don't feel well at all. Maybe it's the altitude, although we're "only" at 6000 feet. Other than that, I'm doing pretty good, a few blisters but nothing serious.
1 comment:
that last part sounds like dehydration and a lack of calories.
Caleb
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