Rivers, Roads, and Volcano Poop

Grants, NM  396.5 miles, 130 switchbacks

This last stretch we have had a bit of everything.  Cold rain and snow hit us in the Gila River area, lots of sunny, warm stretches of road pounded our feet to death, and gnarly lava rock that looked like volcano poop kept things interesting.

Sopillo Creek as it flows into the Gila

From Silver City we took a road northwest into the depths of the Gila National Forest.  The first morning we followed bear tracks in the beautiful Little Bear Canyon, which was just a preview of the Gila River.  From Little Bear we climbed up and around the Devil's Garden with incredible granite formations and apparently a hermit (who we missed) who had been there 14 years.  In late afternoon we dropped into the Gila River.

The next few days were my absolute favorite section of New Mexico.  There were no bridges so we had to cross the river by wading, but the water was warm.  There were high sweeping walls and the river meandered back and forth.  There were a few areas of hot springs, which when we go back we would like spend more time near.

First mile on the Gila River

After a few days of the lower Gila we got to Doc Campbell's where we had a box waiting.  We packed for 9 days of food to get us to Pie Town, only to find out that it takes 7.  We opted to cut our 20+ mile days down a bit so we could eat some food weight.  The Upper Gila seemed a completely different canyon.  The walls narrowed and got higher so it seemed like the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  The last day in the canyon huge thunderheads rolled in.  The clouds were so big that they created their own cirrus clouds on top.  That is a storm.

After a few cold nights, open plains, a fire lookout tower, and brutal roadwalk we made it to Pie Town and Nita's Toaster house.  Nita still lives in town, but in a different house and has left this one open to hikers and bikers.  There was food, clothing and little mementos tucked in every nook and cranny.  We stayed with 7 other hikers that night, and it was fun to swap stories and see some other crazies doing this.

Crossing number 4 of 194

Sara and I left early the next morning on the worst road walk yet.  We made 29 miles of nearly straight ranch road.  Fortunately we saw some mountain lions to break up the monotony.  The lions kicked up a rabbit and accelerated faster than any creature in this, or any other world has a right to be.  After that our only entertainment was a curious donkey at a water spigot and Sara trying to herd cows.

The next night we camped at the edge of El Malpais lava field, which fortunately meant we would be crossing this black surface in the morning.  The first 4-5 miles of it were incredible.  There were huge walls of lava, with ripples and old river beds to break it up.  The last few miles were much tougher walking as it became less of slab walking and more big chunks of cinders.  At the end of that section there was a table under shade though so we were able to get our feet up and let some blood drain out of them.

Flowers that only come out at night

The rest of the way to Grants (20-30 miles) was on roads.  Crossing over I-40 was a fun experience because that is the road to Flagstaff.  Although not technically north of home, it feels like now we are getting to that point.  Grants is also one of the few places that we have been before.  The last time we were here though Mt Taylor was covered in snow and we were about to race up it.  Now we can take our time and there is no snow.  The idea of going up a mountain this weekend is pretty exciting.

My dad just brought over Zeno and some extra gear we need.  Zeno is still looking pretty stiff so we are going to see how the first few miles go out of town, but if he is still limping we will unfortunately need to send him back home.  We will find that out this afternoon.

Now it is time to hit lunch and get back on the trail.  

First Peak, Road Walks, and Silver City

Currently in Silver City, 141 miles and 19 switchbacks.

Night number 5-at the end of the Never Ending Desert

The first day out of Lordsburg involved hiking toward the first hills of the Gila National Forest across another plain that never ended.  This time though it the temperatures were more manageable due to the remaining 30mph winds from the previous days dust storm.  By lunch we had officially made it out of the flat, boring desert into the hilly, interesting desert.  We stopped at a windmill for lunch where we propped up our feet in the shade (yes we actually get shade now) and looked up at the junipers, scrub oak, granite formations, and cows slurping in the trough next to us.

We found our camp three more miles down the road for a total of 18 miles on the day.  This camp was under a windmill that actually had a spigot.  No pumping water for us that night.  It was like the desert gave us a present for making it out of Lordsburg.

Spigot at the co-op windmill-night 7

The next day we hiked past some more abandoned mines on the way to the top of Burro Mtn. (8022').  Along the way we got views of far off hills and crazy granite mounds.  This area was a lot like Granite Mountain near Prescott, AZ: boulders everywhere, juniper and scrub oak, and lots of pokey things.  After lunch we summitted Burro Mountain where we could almost see to Lordsburg, but fortunately could not.  We have officially hiked farther than we can see!

That night we camped next to our first natural water source, Mud Spring, next to which we saw three turkeys and a nervous looking deer coming down for a drink.  Throughout the night we heard strange birds and various turkey calls.

Yesterday morning we booked it down Deadman's Canyon, a twisty, gnarly little drainage that had some water in it, before hitting Tyrone Road.  At this point we had 16 miles of road ahead of us to Silver City.  That last 12.6 were miserable and on Highway 90, which never seemed to end.  We did see some markings from the Tour de Gila bike race that took place this weekend, but after those ended we were left with very little entertainment.

We camped at the Silver City RV park and took yesterday afternoon and this morning pretty laid back with the hopes of recovering a little from the road walk.  Gavin started his hike on the PCT yesterday and both of us got rain throughout the night.  Sara and I certainly did not expect precipitation this early in the trip, but it smells nice and is keeping today nice and cool.

One of many blooming cactus on the trail

On a sad side note, our guide book said there is a Silver City Brewing Co. but the phone book and the address do not.

On a happy side note, Zeno has improved and is now bouncing off the walls at Addie's house.

Our next few weeks will take us through the rest of the Gila National Forest and the Gila River to Pie Town and then up through Grants where we hope to post next.

Good luck to all FHS track athletes at the state meet this week!

Happy trails!

We love the desert....ish

Greetings from Lordsburg! 

Just about to head North!

What an interesting last few days.  We got started from Crazy Cook on schedule and made it to our water cache that night where our parents had left us brownies.  It was a hot day through the Big Hatchet Mountains with two trees.  And one of those might have been a bush.  Sara and I did fine except for a little bit of sweat getting in my eye, but Zeno started having some issues.  He went through some water and was able to cool off some but he did develop a limp towards the end of the day that concerned us.  Aside from that the scenery was bleak, dry and mostly brown.  In far off valleys we could see multiple dust devils that wound hundreds of feet into the sky.  Fortunately both of us remain in Kansas, or New Mexico.  That night we settled down to read a bit and I heard something in the bushes that kept getting closer and then got really, really close.  From the light of my kindle I could see the tail of a small snake disappear under my sleeping pad.  I moved very quickly after that and was able to get out of its way before it bit my jugular, or curl up and fall asleep.  We managed to get a picture that will be posted when we can upload our photos. 

The next day was a rough one for Zeno.  We needed 12 miles to get to the next water and it was all cross country at the base of the Big Hatchets.  He began with a severe limp that occasionally looked better then would get worse after each stop.  We managed to get to the water where we took a two hour break in our 5' by 5' square of shade, but after he could barely stand up.  We were forced to make the tough decision to hitch a ride to Hatchita/Lordsburg and send him home.  He simply would have slowed us down too much to make our next water.  Sara did a great job flagging down trucks and got the first two with one wave.  A rancher took us to Hachita then to Lordsburg when he got off work.  We spent our last night with Zeno at the KOA before our parents dropped us back on the trail in the morning. 

Day three we hiked the length of the Little Hatchets and ended up 21 miles down the trail at our next water stop.  Along the way we tested our water pump in some lovely cow water (we have not died or pooped our pants yet) then found shade in a sweet ghost mining town.  I am fairly sure that my father would get in serious trouble in this town with the open mine shafts.  Towards the end of this day I started to develop some blisters that mole skin was not helping.  By that night the middle of my feet were not in great shape.  I attempted to pop them with my pocket knife scissors, which is not the most comfortable thing. 

The next morning my feet still hurt but Sara set her crusher pace and we took off through the Coyote Hills.  So far this is our favorite area.  We saw a herd of deer and antelope cruise across the trail before we wound out of the hills down towards our fourth water cache.  At this point I was dragging a little so we took a longer break before heading across the never-ending valley of doom (Lordsburg Valley).  Imagine a wide, desolate, sun-baked, horrendous valley, then walk 11 miles across it towards a mountain that never seems to get closer.  That's about what it was.  We made it all but a half mile across for both of our highest mileage days ever, 23, and Sara's first round of blisters. 

Starting walking this morning was fairly comical since we both needed to wake up our feet.  Once we got going we entered the Pyramid Mountains amidst the beginnings of a sandstorm that blocked much of the sun.  We managed the 15 miles through the mountains to Lordsburg where we are now holed up in a motel avoiding the sand and wind. 

So far we are both doing well, aside from the blisters, and look forward to getting back on the trail tomorrow.  Tomorrow we should be camping in an area that has at least 8 trees, 3 more than we have seen so far! We will resupply next in Silver City where hopefully we can upload some pictures.

We are hoping to have Zeno rejoin us in Grants.  Thanks Addie for getting him back in shape for us!

Here We Go: Resupply Dates and Addresses

Listed below are our resupply dates, locations, and mailing addresses where we are sending ourselves boxes. If you need to get in touch with one of us, the phone number to call is: 928.607.6709. We will check messages and email as much as possible, but it is likely we will not be able to get back to you for a couple of weeks. Trail, ahoy!

5/3/2013: Lordsburg, NM
5/6/2013: Silver City, NM

5/8/2013: Gila Cliff Dwellings, NM
Accepts USPS Priority Mail ONLY, include ETA on letter or package
Address:
  Sara Hooker & Forrest Boughner
c/o Doc Campbell's Post
HC 68, Box 80
Silver City, NM 88061

5/14/2013: Pie Town, NM
UPS ONLY
Address:
  Forrest Boughner & Sara Hooker
c/o The Toaster House
Hwy 60 South at Mile Marker 56
Pie Town, NM 87827

5/19/2013: Grants, NM
5/24/2013: Cuba, NM

5/26/2013: Ghost Ranch, NM
Label Hiker Names on letter or package
USPS Address:
Ghost Ranch Conference Center
HC77, Box 11
Abiquiu, NM 87510
 
UPS Address:
Ghost Ranch Conference Center
Private Drive 1708
U.S. Highway 84
HC 77, Box 11
Abiquiu, NM 87510

5/31/2013: Chama/Cumbres Pass, CO
6/9/2013: Silverton, CO

6/17/2013: Monarch Pass, CO 
CALL before sending package: 719.539.4091, UPS ONLY
Address:
  Sara Hooker & Forrest Boughner   
  c/o Monarch Crest Store
24500 Highway 50 West No holding fee
Salida, CO 81201

6/23/2013: Copper Mountain, CO
6/30/2013: Grand Lake, CO & Rocky Mountain National Park
7/5/2013: Steamboat Springs, CO
7/12/2013: Rawlins, WY

7/18/2013: South Pass City, WY 
Put hiker names and ETA on box
Address:
  Friends of South Pass City
125 South Pass Main
South Pass City, WY 82520

--Updated arrival dates listed first, original dates listed second in parentheses---

Brooks Lake Lodge, WY: 8/12/2013 (7/26/2013)
UPS ONLY, Label as hiker box
Address:
  Forrest Boughner & Sara Hooker
c/o Brooks Lake Lodge
458 Brooks Lake Road
Dubois, WY 82513

Old Faithful Village, Yellowstone National Park, WY: 8/17/2013 (7/31/2013)

Lima, MT: 8/24/2013 (8/7/2013)  
Address:
  Sara Hooker & Forrest Boughner
General Delivery
Lima, MT 59739

Leadore, ID: 8/28/2013 (8/11/2013)  
Address:
  Forrest Boughner & Sara Hooker
General Delivery
Leadore, ID 83464

Lost Trail Pass-Sula, MT: 9/3/2013 (8/17/2013)  
Address:
  Sara Hooker & Forrest Boughner
c/o Sula Country Store & Resort
7060 US Highway 93 South
Sula, MT 59871

Homestake Lodge, MT: 9/11/2013 (8/25/2013)
Send UPS or FedEx
Address:
  Forrest Boughner & Sara Hooker
c/o Homestake Lodge
530 Upper Rader Creek Road
Whitehall, MT 59759

MacDonald Pass & Helena, MT: 9/15/2013 (8/29/2013)

Benchmark Ranch, MT: 9/21/2013 (9/4/2013) 
USPS or UPS, Include accurate ETA on letter; NO packages here, please
Address:
  Sara Hooker & Forrest Boughner
c/o Darwin & Shellie Heckman
422 County Line Road
Fairfield MT 59436

East Glacier, MT: 9/28/2013 (9/12/2013)
Waterton Lakes, Canada: 10/4/2013 (9/17/2013)

The Give and Take

Our trek along the Continental Divide is finally upon us, and as we prepare to leave Flagstaff we find ourselves examining the people who have helped us arrive at this point. We are fortunate and speechlessly gracious to have found community support in unexpected places. Every person who has donated to our trip had enabled us to pursue an adventure that will define our lives.

Thru hikes are unique. This will be the longest trip that either of us has embarked upon, and we both recognize its significance. Long adventures carve our souls and deepen our spirits. They help us find a new meaning of wholeness that we never knew existed. At this point, I cannot begin to conceive of the ways in which I will grow from this trek, but I do know that I am anxious to meet myself in five months.

Forrest and I hiking in West Fork of Oak Creek

In the late nights of packing bags of dog food and instant mashed potatoes I have found myself asking, "how does one say 'thank you' to another who has enabled this trip to become reality?" Written words cannot describe the deep gratitude that we hold for those who have donated to our trip. I feel hopeful when I think of the ways in which I will pay it forward as so many have done for me.

Support has come to us in a variety of ways. We would like to thank our parents for their well wishes and incredible support for our trek. In addition, we would like to thank Run Flagstaff and Vince Sherry for allowing Forrest to pursue this adventure with ease. Valerie Caro, the "Monday Night Dinner Club," Kathy Lampros, Ann Montgomery, the Vestals, Jim and Carol Dykes, Gehl Tucker, Joanne Hooker, Kristen Downs, and Trina Painter donated generously to our trip. Because of their kindness the shipping costs will be covered, ensuring that we will have fuel in our bellies to keep hiking! Abe Clark and Janet Cherabon-Bawcom made in-kind donations that will power our legs to continue walking. Coach Kyle Harris has allowed us to coach track and field with Flagstaff High School, despite leaving early in the season. Finally, the time spent with Addie and Eddie packing food boxes cannot be overlooked. Their help and dedication has made it possible for us to start hiking on time with our start date. 

Forrest and I hiking near the Verde River, Arizona

Our first blog post from the trail will be within a few weeks. We look forward to sharing our first experiences from the trail!

-Sara

Food Pack

Here are a few pictures from our first night of food packing.  Big thanks to Addie and Eddie for all the help!

Mess of food

Dividing Jelly Beans

Zeno Food

Dehydrated fruit, chicken, and milk.

Zeno's resupplies

The Stuff on our Backs

Gear for the Trail

With under a month left until we begin our journey North, Sara and Zeno and I have finalized our gear list for the trek. Our pile of gear and food is beginning to take over our apartment, which means we need to leave soon before we run out of room to get from the living room to the kitchen.  Fortunately our house for the next six months arrived in the mail a couple weeks ago, so we have some shelter in which to move.

Home!

It is a weird feeling receiving your next domicile in the mail.  We settled on the TarpTent Stratospire 2 as our shelter for the trip, which weighs about 40 ounces, packs into a 16"x5" bag and, when received in the mail, does not seem like it should house two people and a dog for 5-6 months.  We set it up in the front yard, though, and it seems great!  Despite needing practice with our hiking poles (which serve as the vertical poles for the tent), our pitching skills were decent.  Once we get the hang of it, the set up and break down time should be less than our current tent.

Caldera Cone and K-Mart Grease pot

To cook our food we decided to get the Caldera Cone with the K-Mart Grease Pot.  The cone makes our camping kitchen look out of place as it adds a great deal of shiny aluminum to the landscape typically mottled in browns and greens.  By wrapping the pot and burner in the cone our fuel efficiency is supposed to improve to the point where we will only need 15-30mL of fuel per meal.  The cone serves to keep out the wind and also helps to insulate the pot so the entire thing heats up, rather than an isolated spot where the flame burns underneath.  The burner itself is nifty combination of a coke can and a red bull can with some vent holes popped in the side.  We tested the stove on a couple occasions at the Flagstaff Nordic Center over the winter and it worked great.

For sleeping bags we both settled on the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 15's.  I have been using this bag the last year and have loved it so Sara decided to get one as well.  The bags are right around the 2lb range but are still very warm.  Underneath the bags we will be using the ThermaRest X-Lite NeoAir 2's, which provide a couple inches of air mattress and insulation for very little weight.  We are just hoping that Zeno does not continue his practice of lunging at squirrels while in the tent so our sleeping pads remain leak free.

Water filter and filter bag we will be carrying.

To purify water we will be using a combination of AquaMira and a Sawyer water pump.  In the past I have been wary of pumps because they can get clogged and pieces can break, but this one seems to be much more durable and user friendly.  The pump system weighs in at a measly 3 ounces, is easy to clean with a syringe that can also be used in a first aid kit, and has very few movable parts that are prone to breakage.  This will be our primary system with the AquaMira drops and water boiling acting as backups.  In some instances we may use all three depending on how many chunks of unknown substances need to be removed from the water.  Better to not think about it.

 The gear we will be most familiar with is the pack on our backs.  Sara opted to carry the GoLite Jam, while I will carry the Ultra Light Adventures (ULA) Catalyst.  Both packs are two of the more common packs for thru hikers, lightweight, durable, simple, and roomy.  We tested them on our overnight in Wupatki National Monument and during our four day Thanksgiving trip in the Grand Canyon.  The one thing we wish they did was float like a birthday party balloon so we could just tug on a string to get up the trail, but since that is not a standard feature on the basic models we decided we could manage.

Zeno on a training hike up on Mt. Elden

Zeno will also be carrying a pack that will either contain his dog food or our peanut butter, jelly, and honey.  That depends on how he is affected by the smell of his food on the trail.  His pack is actually the same one my parents' dog, Orion, used when they hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 1985.  It is a lightweight Adventure 16 pack that was originally navy blue, but is now a silver/gray/blue because of all the miles it has traveled in the glaring sun.  The last two weekends Zeno has carried it on hikes of 14 and 15 miles. Aside from pretending to have no energy climbing Mt. Elden, only to chase every whiff of animal once we hit the top, he did a great job and did not seem to notice the extra weight.


We also just purchased dog booties for Zeno to protect his feet on the hot sand in southern New Mexico, the lava fields around Grants, NM and all the snow.  The trial run we put him through last night was hilarious.  He never tried to remove them, but did look like he was trying to walk or run through big drifts of snow by trying to high-step out of the things on his feet.  It only took him five or ten minutes to get used to them though and then he did not mind.

Chicken about to go in the dehydrator

With less than 20 days before we start hiking, our preparation process has gone into overdrive.  We now have the food dehydrator running all day and night to prepare meat sauce.  We are dividing and mixing oatmeal into different packages.  We are mixing trail mix and going on training hikes. But it still seems like there is a lot to do.  Sara is guiding two river trips before we leave and I am working and coaching up until the day before we leave.  Now any free time we have must be devoted to establishing our resupply boxes.  Strangely it has not gotten too stressful yet, but instead every task reminds us that we are about to go on the adventure of our lives. It is just plain exciting.