[Cdt-l] The Payphone Report

[Kristina Sullivan]

Hi!
We are hiking without pones as well and it's been tricky at times when you want to make a longer call, but I found that for quick calls people are usually willing to let you borrow theirs. And yes, starting with "I have a phone card.." makes it easier.
Anyway, i wanted to add to your list:
Salida- outside Wal-Mart, and inside the Visitor Center (shorter calls). There use to be a couple downtown and people will direct you there, but they are all ripped out. The hostel doesn't have a phone but John will usually help you if he's around.

Be well,
Kristina

Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2012 07:00:37 -0600
From: michelinie at gmail.com
To: Cdt-l at backcountry.net
Subject: [Cdt-l] The Payphone Report

Greetings from Atlantic City, WYO- Home of a new Obama funded high speed internet community center!  This makes Atlantic City even more of a "Must See" destination for us hikers.  

I wanted to write a blip on the absence of payphones along our beloved trail.  I am a self-imposed Luddite out here and choose not to walk with a cell phone.  Looking through Yogi's guide I assumed I would be able to find phones easily along the way, but in our current age these things are being ripped out of place left and right.  So far here is the list of phones I have found (and I've been looking for them in every town!):


Deming, NM- in the breezeway of the Wal-MartDoc Campbell's- outside the store
Ghost Ranch- courtesy phones everywhere!
Wolf Creek Pass Ski Hill- if you opt to x-country down the ski slopes hoping to find treasure from Winters past- hiding in this little alcove that houses a massive electrical box on the uphill side of the front parking lot there is a phone, just dial 9 first

Steamboat Springs- there is a courtesy phone in the visitor center- dial 9 first.  The phone is available 24/7

I'll report when I find them north of here, and if you have found some lately please chime in! Of course motels are great, and a couple times I've asked motorcycle repair shops to use their phone.  There seems to be this great unspoken comradery between bikers and hikers- a shared wanderlust of sorts.  If you begin your long awkward request with "I have a phone card" it usually smooths things over when asking.


I have also used other hikers phones in a pinch, but try to abstain from that.  Wouldn't it be great if Yogi's guide said things like, "ALCOHOL/HEET:  Maybe someone around you will have extra."


And if anyone is looking to drop 3 or 4 oz. from their pack and make trail life a little more complicated try Pindance.com as a phone card.  For all of the PCT and half of the CDT I've only used about $30 of time.  



That's it from here.  Stay well-
'Nitch


Pete E. Michelinie, Furniture Maker.
   | http://www.michelinie.com |
              503.803.2150



_______________________________________________
Cdt-l mailing list
Cdt-l at backcountry.net
http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/cdt-l 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/cdt-l/attachments/20120718/e3839819/attachment.html