Drought in NM - Continental Divide Trail

imported
#1

Considering changing start to Columbus related to H2O from Crazy Cook. Any opinions? Also: are there other known trail angels who will shuttle to crazy cook other than sam? Sounds like he is thinking of handing over the reins.

Marti /Swannee

#2

I’ve chosen the Columbus Route for these reasons;
easy access, it’s looks interesting, not hiking the official route the whole way so why start at it, trail angels in Deming and Mimbres. I’ve decided to go stoveless in New Mexico for convienence, weight, and fire issues.

Ruprat

#3

Are you following CDTS maps? I find them difficult to read. I want to cut over to the Gila at Mimbres. This just seems to make sense given the situation in So NM.

marti /Swannee

#4

I will be going to crazy cook on May 1 using a shuttle from Sam. I am driving to hatchita and will be roaming the NM country side leaving water cashes at nearly every road crossing on my way there. That’s my plan but you never know how things will work out. I too am going stoveless in NM.

Very interested to hear peoples thoughts on the drought situation though…

Snags

#5

I’m using the Ley maps and although my eyesight is pretty darn good, I too find the scale to be small. My solution for this was to buy a pair of reading glasses 2.50 strength and viola they’re as clear as a bell. The glasses are super light weight and fit in my top pocket. Yes, I’m planning on hitting Doc Campbells for resupply. I hope to see others out there or at least know there’s someone in the area, 1 day ahead, 1 day behind, or someone to shoot the breeze with walking down the trail.
My take on the water situation is carry plenty, tank up at the source, and hope for the best, I’ll never know unless I go, so I’m going.

Ruprat

#6

If you leave water caches for yourself, just remember to pack them out with you as you retrieve them. There is just no other way of assuring that they won’t become litter, given the different routes that CDT’ers take, and the short functional lifespan of plastic water bottles in the desert, before they crack into a thousand shards or blow away with the wind to points irretrievable. It’s also too presumptuous to think you’re providing public water caches, and that others would benefit from it or clean it up. In all likelihood, they won’t. Most CDT’ers frown on the idea of water caches, certainly those in plain view along the trail. The CDT is not the PCT, and let’s make sure it doesn’t become the PCT. Thanks!

blisterfree

#7

It’s also presumptuous to assume that CDT hikers aren’t aware of picking up after themselves. I know that Snags has a dog who will be in desperate need of H2O. Thanks, however, for making a point.

Marti /Swannee

#8

I’m an LNT guy, so no worries on the litter and with a GPS its no problem placing caches out of sight.

With my dog along water/heat is absolutely a big concern. Tanking up and several strategic caches seem to be the best option for me. We move fairly quickly so I’m thinking about a nine liter capacity. More?

Snags

#9

Thanks Marti. I’m willing to take the hit, as frankly I don’t know what’s presumptuous anymore in 2011.

Snags - cool. In the southern deserts, I’ve been surprised to find out just how fast the water jugs decay from UV exposure. This might not apply if you’re just stashing and quickly retrieving, but maybe try to hide them in some sort of shade, even if it’s just filtered shade from creosote bush or what-have-you. Andy Skurka once went to grab for a gallon jug at a water cache, only to have the handle crack off and lose it all back to the desert. Not fun!

blisterfree

#10

Blisterfree-I could see that being a real shot to morale if you were relying on that cache. Watching it soak into the sand would be brutal. How long do you think a milk jug type container will make it in the shade?

Snags

#11

If you are really worried, I’d put out twice as much water as you think you’ll need. We had 4 jugs of water hidden under a bush, and lost half a gallon in just four days. No obvious holes, but the sun must have hit the jugs for part of the day. I’ve also seen what Blisterfree is talking about - jugs that were in the sun that disintegrated at the touch. I think they had been there for at least a month, but I’m not sure.

On the CDT there are some boxes now to put water in. I don’t know where they’re located since they weren’t available when we hiked, but they may be on the Ley maps. I assume they’re on or close to the roads.

One suggestion - when you put out water, take a picture of the location and take notes (i.e. 30 paces east of the trail under the mesquite tree). When you’re in a creosote desert, it’s amazing how much one bush looks like every other bush. Also write your name on the jugs, so somebody else doesn’t assume that a trail angel put the water out for their use.

They’ve moved the trail away from some of the water sources we used, but there was always water at least once a day. Our cache turned out to be unnecessary, though we appreciated it at the time since we weren’t aware there was a well only a few miles beyond the road. Having a dog does raise the ante, since you’re responsible for a creature that is not there by choice, but remember, he’ll drink water you’d turn your nose up at. Just be aware that dogs can get giardia too.

Ginny

#12

The cache boxes are all in the CDTA New Mexico Mapbook, as are all the other water sources on the Crazy Cook route. It is almost all livestock country and last year we found plenty of water assuming you used the cache boxes and always carried enough for 15 miles or so.

bearcreek

#13

<The CDT is not the PCT, and let’s make sure it doesn’t become the PCT.<

God forbid, lol. Sheesh.

Al H.

#14

Tips:

  1. Clear plastic gallon jugs hold up better than the opaque jugs.
  2. If you can get the labels off, probably a good idea to remove, as they can come loose (and blow away) over time.

(Hmm, well, the text in my prior post went missing when I preceded a quote with the ‘less than’ sign.)

Al H.

#15

Interesting stuff on the caches/water situation. Thanks for the input everyone.

Sorry about highjacking your thread Marti. See you out there. :cheers

Snags

#16

Keep in mind that southern NM has almost no natural surface water; it is all pumped into tanks for the cows. The result of this is you probably wont have to worry about a drought as much.

I took the CC route last year & it was well marked with lots of water in the tanks. We also stashed water in each of the cache boxes & if I did it again I would also stash food. That way I would only need the current day + one emergency days worth.

I recommend buying the new mapbooks as they are the most accurate & include water locations. I found the CO mapbook spot on last year.

30-30

#17

+1 for the CO mapbook. It’s really very good.

Hedrey

#18

There is little to no snowpack in the NM mountains this year so the trail in the higher elevations could be waterless also as the season wears on, unless the monsoons kick in. The stretch between Pie Town and Grants and the sections north of Mt Taylor to Cuba across the mesas could be hot and dry also.

The new CDTA NM mapbook is really good, I really like the scale they used on the topo’s.

Westbrook