<div dir="ltr">If you like desert as in cactus and mesquite desert, you will be missing some gorgeous country. This is really the only section of that kind of desert on the CDT. You'll see lots of prickly pear from here to Montana at different elevations, but this section of desert is different and not repeated. At least not on the route I hiked. The ocotillo will be in bloom and they are beautiful and very strange to walk through. Don't brush against them or you're dead, or at least your shirt will be. <div>
<br></div><div>I like desert and found the Hatchet Mtns lovely and fun because there's often no "trail" and we had to find the route between large cairns set on the horizon. In 2012 we rebuilt them as we went. More than 20 had been knocked down by cows scratching against them. We camped in the gap between the Little and Big Hatchet Mtns. and a full on dust storm blew up overnight. We couldn't hold anything down by morning. When we hiked into the lee of the next range, we could see the great dust cloud blowing through the gap all day long behind us. It shut down all the freeways in that part of NM and AZ and was really something to see. <div>
<br></div><div>From Lordsburg north it is very different terrain, grasslands and then desert mtns and conifer forest up higher. <br><div><div><br></div><div>The area from the border to Lordsburg is not the most spectacular on the trail, later the scenery will knock your socks off, but was beautiful and well worth walking in. A great way to start the trail. </div>
</div></div><div><br></div><div style>I'm not a purest, but I wouldn't want to miss sticking my foot through the fence into Mexico as I start on a summer's adventure.</div><div style><br></div><div style>Shroomer</div>
</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Jan 10, 2014 at 1:08 PM, Dan Bedore <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mr_dan_bedore@yahoo.com" target="_blank">mr_dan_bedore@yahoo.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">I'm thinking of taking the train to Lordsburg and heading north, thereby skipping the section from Crazy Cook to Lordsburg. I'm not so purist In my view point that I'd feel bad about skipping a few official miles. But I would be interested in hearing from former hikers if I would be missing some great scenery, wildlife, etcetera.<br>
<br>
I'll be hiking starting in early April. In 2011 I took the Wolf route across New Mexico, so this year I will hike the official route to Silverton, Colorado. I plan to spend a lot of extra time taking extra side trails in the Gila NF, in the fossil beds south of Cuba, and in the San Pedro Parks area. Any other areas with outstanding side trails I need to see?<br>
<span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><br>
Dan Bedore<br>
<a href="http://www.bedore.org" target="_blank">www.bedore.org</a><br>
_______________________________________________<br>
Cdt-l mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Cdt-l@backcountry.net">Cdt-l@backcountry.net</a><br>
<a href="http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/cdt-l" target="_blank">http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/cdt-l</a><br>
</font></span></blockquote></div><br></div>