[cdt-l] Mt. Taylor

[Ginny & Jim Owen]

Dick - 
The CDT has never been officially routed over Mt Taylor - they procrastinated on designating the trail that way because the mountain is one of the 4 sacred mountains of the Navajo.  I lost respect for that argument in 1999 when we were sitting at the top of Taylor and a group of Navajos topped the mountain - on their bigass ATV's.  I've since gained a little knowledge about the Navajo - and lost a lot of respect for the gutlessness of the Forest Service - and the gubmint in general.  Of course, since I worked as a contractor for da gubmint for 40+ years, I've had lots of time and opportunity to lose whatever respect I ever had for the bureaucracy.  
 
In any case, last year they routed hikers along the road around Taylor when they closed the Forest - and allowed Tom B to put out water caches.  Suspicion is that they did that as a test case as much as for the fire danger represented by the hikers.  But then - I'm a cynic, too.  
 
Yes - the Mt Taylor route that we walked in '99 had springs - and in '06 there was a rumor that the springs were still flowing.  But with the Forest closed, only a few hikers managed to go that way.  One question that occurs is - how many of the SOBO's went over Taylor - and what was the water situation later in the year?  
 
Walk softly,
Jim-----------------------------------------------------------http://www.spiriteaglehome.com/Hi Jim: I must have missed something. Did the Forest Service route the trail around Taylor? I remember Gooseberry spring at the base and two others just the other side of Taylor (within a days walk) that were flowing water so cold you could chew it. Does the CDT still use T77 up and over Mt. Taylor? --Dick E. Bird 
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