[cdt-l] New Mexican Border

[Francis Tapon]

Thanks everyone for the info! 

I like starting at Antelope Wells because it is the southernmost point in
NM, but I like the idea of doing the official CDTA route through a marked
trail. 

So here's a wacky idea and tell me if it is doable: 

1. Start in Antelope Wells
2. Hike cross country to the Crazy Cook Monument 
3. And then walk north from there. 

Would I be walking through private land to do that? Seems like it's possible
according to Ley's maps.

By the way, is there any monument at Crazy Cook? I've never seen a picture
of it.

The SpiritEagle page that Disco mentions has good pics and a map, but it's
not clear if any of the pics are of the "monument."

Happy Trails,
 
Francis Tapon
Check out my 2 minute video: http://tinyurl.com/yyzdbo  
Learn about my book, Hike Your Own Hike: 7 Life Lessons from Backpacking
Across America, at: http://www.FrancisTapon.com  

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lawton Grinter [mailto:lawtong at hotmail.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 11:28 AM
> To: cdt-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: [cdt-l] New Mexican Border
> 
> FT, I had the pleasure of hiking the signed . . . I repeat signed . . .
> CDTA
> route to the Mexican Border (Crazy Cook Monument) this past November when
> I
> finished the CDT with 5 others.  We were southbound so we walked from
> Hachita via the paved road (State Road 81) to the 12-mile windmill where
> the
> newly signed CDTA route heads southeast 28 miles towards the east wall of
> the bootheel to finish at the Crazy Cook Monument.  This 28-mile section
> of
> trail goes thru the Big Hatchet Mountains and was a highlight for me not
> only for New Mexico but for the entire trip.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.  And
> in
> November of 2006, the entire 28-miles of trail had CDT signs the whole
way.
> 
> That being said . . . you'd need someone with a vehicle to get you back to
> the starting point.  When we hiked back there the gravel/dirt road to the
> border had just been graded and was in stellar condition.  A 2-wheel drive
> car could have easily made it back there.  I've been told though that the
> road can get in bad shape though.  And apparently there are 2 roads back
> to
> the starting point.  The CDTA Guidebook for New Mexico along with Jon
> Ley's
> most recent map of the area recommend taking a road that is just south of
> the Big Hatchet mountains back to the starting point.
> 
> The gravel/dirt road that I referred to above is just NORTH of the Big
> Hatchets and it coincides with the trail for a number of miles before the
> trail heads up Sheridan Canyon via a sandy wash.  Jim & Ginny Owen have a
> great map of this road and trail route on their website here:
> 
> http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/Crazy%20Cook.html
> 
> Sheridan Canyon Windmill provides water in this section, but I HIGHLY
> RECOMMEND plugging in the GPS coordinates of this windmill (they are in
> the
> CDTA NM Guidebook) since this windmill can be a bit tricky to locate.  Jim
> &
> Ginny also have GPS coordinates for this windmill and others on their
> website here:
> 
> http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/watersource.html
> 
> And then approximately 2 miles from the Mexican Border there is a windmill
> that is reported to have good water when it is spinning.  When we were
> there
> it wasn't spinning and the water in the tank looked less than appetizing.
> 
> One thing I can say for sure is this.  The Columbus route and Antelope
> Wells
> route are on paved roads.  The CDTA route is not.  I for one prefer
> anything
> but paved roads on a long distance hike.  The CDTA route is very scenic
> and
> well worth the effort to get back to . . . to start the CDT or finish the
> CDT.  If you choose to take the CDTA route, at a minimum carry the Jon Ley
> maps or Jim & Ginny maps for this section.  And don't freak out about
> water,
> there's water back here and there's also Border Patrol monitoring these
> roads.  Go for it!
> 
> Bryan Martin, Field Operations Manager, at CDTA is also a good contact
> about
> this route if you need additional questions answered.  His e-mail is
> bryan at cdtrail.org
> 
> Best, Disco
> 
> www.trailjournals.com/darkness
> 
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