Any recommendations on which southern terminus to chose on the CDT? The Deming/Columbus route seems easier to get too…anyone know of any shuttle services to the bottheel?
undecided terminus
Which terminus?
system
#2
I belive sam huges is the name of the guy i used last year to start at the crazy cook monument.Crazy cook is hard to get to but well worth it if you dont want to road walk.Not sure but i think he picks people up at lordsburg or columbs.Good luck which ever way you choose.
reststop
system
#3
If you are hardcore to do as much of the divide as possible, then you do the western antelope wells area thing; & if you are NBd, it's spring & there's no hurry to get up to snowbound colorado anyway & there may be more water... if you are SBd, you will probably be in a hurry to get to terminus & head for Columbus which is an ez hitch back to Deming. Columbus state park near the border is a good place to drop gear (if you are at the end & not worried about if it's stolen) & you can look at some old military equipment from the Pancho Villa times as he attacked the army base where the park is I think. On the MX side PV is quite a hero & get ur picture taken with his statue & get some cheap dental work done like the retirees do & have lunch at the Pink Store Restaurant just a few blocks in down the main drag if u r not worried about narcotistas! (morning to afternoon is safest time to go into MX....do so at ur own risk!)
I hiked the western side of the Columbus-Deming highway making my own way thru the hills on dirt roads in the footsteps of illegals, but didn't see any.... ironically, as I rejoined the CDTsociety route it crossed over to my side was when I had to bushwhack out to highway in 04 as it didn't look nothing like guidebook said. I had fun making my own route using various maps.
Deming had lots of cheap motels, restaurants, a historical walking tour, small healthfoodstore, walsmart, used bookshop, amtrak, greyhound, bars, & some kind of weird rabbit/duck celebration or something. Dewey & crewey went over the Floridas past the rockhound state park & I think I will visit it as itseems a more appropriate way to go being higher!? gung ho fat choy!
gingerbreadman
system
#4
Most people will recommend whatever terminus they did… why? I don’t know… If I had the trail to do over again, I’d start at cRaZy CoOk… mostly because the route has been defined/improved a lot over the past few years. yes, it’s logistically harder to get to, but that remoteness is part of the appeal.
Jonathan
system
#6
I did Columbus and enjoyed it. I can’t comment on the other option(s) but Wolf is the kind of guy who tries to take you to the best parts of the Wilderness so that makes me think Columbus is a good route. I think he does a pretty good job based on what Southern NM has to offer which isn’t going to be the trip highlight.
Brian