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h3>Seven Million Steps on the CDT (Part 1)

by J. Willis 'Whoa' Jarvis

Ed. Note:The following is the editor’s compilation of e-mail notes which Willis sent during his 1999 CDT journey.Rather than a straight narrative of events, they reflect the necessary changes in logistics and mindset over a 6 month period of time, both requisites for a successful hike. For these reasons they are presented relatively unedited, but with Willis’s review,approval and additions prior to publication.Let’s hope we can get him to the next Gathering!

See'Distance Hiker's Gazette Vol 4 #1 1998 'Mail Bag' for Wilis' preliminary trip plans.

February 15, 1999

On the advice of experienced CDT hikers, and on conversations with family, and on considering the problems of a northbound crossing of Colorado in June (rain and snow), I decided to change my CDT thru-hike to a CDT flip-flop with a twist. Starting just a few weeks from now I will set out from my winter camp in the Sonoran desert near Organ Pipe National Monument, walk across the Papago and Apache lands of southern Arizona, including the site of Geronimo’s surrender, to intercept the Divide in New Mexico.  Then, after a possible quick detour to the Sierra Tarahumara in Chihuahua, I will wander up the Divide to reach the Colorado border in early June.My revised itinerary then calls for a flip-flop up to Glacier Park to join a southbound convoy.The safety of numbers in a convoy will defend against the twin dangers of grizzly bears and spring runoff stream crossings. South of the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat Wildernesses, I will throttle down into my personal travel mode of solitary early-morning departures, long midday rests, late afternoon walking into twilight and stealth camping.

In July/August my nephew may join me for a stretch of Wyoming/Colorado, but in this revised scenario, a slowdown to accommodate a novice hiker will not be a problem. Time works in favor of a southbound CDT hiker.  No longer under pressure to cross the northern passes before winter’s advance, a southbound hiker can linger on the high Colorado trails well into September, leaping lightly over the flowers.

March 17, 1999

On my way to meet the CDT in New Mexico, I reached the remote Arizona border post of Sasabe after walking across the Papago Indian Reservation from Lukeville in 6.5 days, a moderate pace, in windy weather forecasting rain. As I woke up the following morning on a grassy slope near the border gate, my down bag was wet with dew and I saw rain coming in from the west. Nothing beats the threat of rain to get one up and moving, not even the roar ofwild animals. Rain is an implacable natural force which can not be talked down like a bear or a skunk.So I packed up fast and hurried over to the gate. On the Mexican side, a guard welcomed me with coffee and cake while the storm broke.He told me about a van coming up from Caborca which could take me back down, so I decided to rest up in a hotel room to get over a nagging cold.

The other passengers in the van were six illegals from Sinaloa who were turned back at the border. They were going to try again at Organ Pipe. They listened with interest as I explained how to cross a desert without much water, by avoiding heavy food and alcohol, by resting in shade at midday, and by walking all night to keep warm. In Caborca I was pleasantly surprised to find Internet access in the TELMEX building, just like in Tepic last winter.

My walk across the Papago Reservation was an experience of great open space and solitude. For as long as two days at a time I saw no one nor heard any vehicle except an occasional sonic boom. The Indians have abandoned their land. The old trails have disintegrated beyond recognition.  When Tucson pumped the water table down, the wells dried up. Now the Papagos subsist on government subsidies and their Tucson casino, leaving the backcountry to coyotes and birds.

The hardest thing about the Papago hike was not the physical stress, although a nagging cold lingered on and the narrow leather strap of my huaraches cut into my heels, nor was it the fences of thorny mesquite trees lining the dry washes, so destructive of soft clothing that it is necessary to remove pants and jacket to slip through.The worst part was to feel lost in a vast plain without water. I was following my compass carefully, triangulating recognizable mountain peaks, even correcting for magnetic declination. In retrospect, I should have trusted my compass more by setting a direct course to hit the Papago Farms water tank, instead of aiming for a road line.Doubts arose because of not finding any of the roads printed on the BLM topo map.Little did I realize then that the Papago had abandoned their land. Actually I was sailing through Papago Farms without a clue. In a crisis of confidence, in the late afternoon I veered due south towards a line of tall green trees in the far distance. At sunset I stumbled upon a barbed wire fence line flanked by a dirt road, straight as an arrow bearing 20 degrees south of east, unmistakeably the international boundary. Then the following afternoon a border patrol agent gave me a miraculous gift of two precious gallons of water, saving me from having to make an exit south of the line into unmapped White Land.

In summary, this first leg of my CDT 99 hike was a good introduction to navigating cross-country by compass.  I learned to trust my instrument.I learned that my huaraches should probably be replaced by running shoes and that it might be time to replace my down bag with a synthetic one more resistant to wet weather. The walk established a foundation broad enough to support a tower 3,500 miles high, which, however, will be climbed one step at a time, all7 million of them.

Heeding the snow warnings of Jim Owen and Bob Ellinwood, I’ll probably flip-flop to Rawlins from Cuba instead of Chama, to return later.As for the Wind River Range, maybe stall a few weeks in Wyoming.

April 6, 1999

Nine days out of Tombstone, I have reached Hachita, NM, first mail stop northbound on the CDT. "A necessary and sufficient condition for a life to become an adventure is to tell someone about it" (Jean Paul Sartre). I am not sure if I want my life to become an adventure. I might wish it to become nothing at all, to evaporate like an evening mist to reveal a star-spangled heaven beyond. The problem with progress reports is that the mind gets caught up in a thicket of word symbols, when it might be better for spiritual practice, for example, to focus on breath awareness. So this might be my last CDT progress report for a while, but a milestone has been reached.

My CDT northbound hike proper is underway, after a 25 day preliminary walk across southern Arizona from Organ Pipe National Monumentto Antelope Wells, NM, via the Papago Reservation, Sasabe, Nogales, Sierra Vista, Tombstone, Apache, Geronimo’s Surrender Site and the Animas Valley (Gray Ranch).

Worst problem: Chronic shortage of water everywhere.Ironically my water purifier was seldom used, and for its weight and volume may not be carried much farther. Alternatives are boiling water, treating with iodine, or for Giardia taking metronidazole bought over the counter in Mexico.

Worst moment: Staringat the black bore of an insolent gun while seeking water on ‘No Trespassing’ private property.

Best moment: Receiving two gallons of water from Joe Papas, US Border Patrol, when lost south of Papago Farms.Also reaching gentle San Luis Pass on the Continental Divide under clearing skies, following a shivering morning of sleet and cutting wind.

Some comments about Antelope Wells:Having done the 45 mile walk from Antelope Wells to Hachita, I can compare it with the alternative CDT route Columbus-Deming, favored by Jim Wolf of the CDTS. Like Jim, all things considered, I agree the Columbus-Palomas terminus might be better.True, Antelope Wells is closer to the Divide, but it is not ON the Divide. The Divide is owned by the Gray Ranch which has put up large white "No Trespassing Private Road" signs all around its vast perimeter. Antelope Wells-El Berrendois difficult to access, although a long hitchhike up from the Agua Prieta-Janos highway is may be possible or ferry service by Mr. Pat Harris of the Hachita Egg Nest (theeggnest@vtc.net) might be available sometime.The region is so remote that the Antelope Wells Animas school bus route happens to be the longest in the United States. In fact the state of New Mexico pays parents a gas mileage allowance to drive their kids to the nearest bus stop. The lonely 45 mile hike past zebra-striped Big Hatchet Mountain on coursely paved straight highway may be too tedious for weary southbounders who have already seen it all.  The clincher: Antelope Wells/El Berrendo has no services of any kind except a water faucet, whereas Palomas has some tasty restaurants, and after all, a Continental Divide hike warrants some celebration.

 April 28, 1999

Approaching Grants from Pie Town, I threaded the strange, claustrophobic maze of the black glassy Malpais lava fields.It was uncomfortable but more interesting than shortcutting along the Interstate.

Afternoon winds bedeviled my hike up from Chihuahua almost every day. My rest and resupply in Albuquerque is now complete; I found a pair of 9EEEE New Balance shoes.Back to Grants tomorrow, $11 on Greyhound. My intent to combine sitting meditation with walking has not worked out yet; instead I find myself just pushing on ahead all day long. So essentially my entire hike is a walking meditation so far. The way or style of doing this hike is important to me. Still looking for the groove.

May 5, 1999

This message is from the Cuba public library, where I am waiting for a bus later today to ABQ, then up to Denver, a city I would like to explore for a few days.My hike this early in the year has been windy and cold, but at least (fewer) problems with water.The wind has kept the many windmills pumping furiously, frequently spurting or gushing pure water from pipe to tank. My canteens froze solid on Reed Mountain (10K feet). Most of NM has been a road walk, but the winding CDT in the Gila National Forest and Wilderness would take at least two weeks to do it justice, with resupply stops in Quemado or Apache Junction or Winston. Pie Town has no groceries but delicious pies and milk, 5 days a week.The pink road south of Torreon has to be seen to be believed; it is straight out of Oz. If you head for Antelope Wells instead of Columbus, don’t miss the Carter House youth hostel in Silver City, the best one I have ever stayed at.Someone donated a carton of colored Easter eggs to the community refrigerator; I must have eaten 10 eggs in two days, delicious with salt and pepper.  The subject of food seems to be coming up more often.

May 6, 1999

Today finds me at the Albuquerque public library. Tonight or probably tomorrow night I plan to take a Mexican bus up to Denver, before resuming my northbound hike from Rawlins. Every day on this hike has been different: I haven’t been able to watch a rose grow in my sister’s backyard. Changes happen slowly.Take watching clouds, for example.I don’tusually have time to watch them, because while walking my eyes are focused on the path, and seldom do I stop moving.For various reasons such as water supply or food supply or inclement weather, there has not been much leisure time so far on this CDT hike, unlike my winter stays in the desert.But if I do stop to watch a cloud (another more apt example might be the changing profile of a mountain range which I might be approaching), I don’tsee the changes happening until I look again after an interval. So it is that we don’t notice our lives getting older. Change is around us all of the time, but we don’t notice it.

J. Willis "Whoa" Jarvis
P.O. Box 744, Lukeville AZ 85341
williswhoa@hotmail.com

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