Alpentrekking - Wanderreiten Alpentrekking

Cuba and Chama

31/5/2018

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John drove into the Coral at 6 02, and explained he loved to be punctual. We loaded our gear into the front compartment of his trailer and the horses into the back. It was a big comfortable trailer, and the horses, seamed to be glad to get in. It was a 3 hour drive on a dirt road to Cuba, and when we got there, we had brackfast at the Cuban coffe shop.. Other CDT Hikers where there also and the news spread fast, that the Trail through Santa Fee National Park was closed, because of fire danger. Riding another 50 miles next to the highway, was not what we had in mind, so we desided to trailer on and drive up to Chama. Johne was telling us, about all the different jobs he had had, and that he owned property here and there and that he was married close to 55 years.
In Chama we found a coral at the Elk Ridge Lodge and unloaded the gear and the horses. We went shopping and the woman at the Lodge organized a forest officer called Marry, to come down to talk to us, about the trail up to Chama Pass and further to Wolf Creek Pass. We where informed that snow was not going to be a problem, till the big bow in the trail, and water and feed should be plenty. Beetle damaged forrest with lots of treefalls would be the bigger concern, and we should just try our luck. We invited Mary to our Grill steak Dinner and enjoyed her Company till bedtime.

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Fresh Start At Grants

30/5/2018

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30.5. In the morning I tried to reach the Ranger (Alvin Withehair Navajo Indian) and the Sherriff, to find out who could trailer us, when I happen to call a Coffee Shop, that was owned by the local Rancher to get a Cellphone number. Jerry was at the phone, and he was the owner of the Ranch, so he got me in Touch with his Brother Mark, who had to send a cowboy up to Antelope wells anyway,
so he would give me a lift.
Dan Graham, the Cowboy / Schoolteacher is picking me up at the lodge and driving a different faster way up to antelope Wells. We find Mark and Szolt right away, and they did not have any problems with the horses, like I imagined in my sleepless dreams at the lodge. Dan told us, that both the American, the Colorado and the Antelope Well had never dried up before, but he knew of another hidden Well, (Escondito) that still had Water last week. He said it was only a mile away, it turned out to be an 1 hour ride each direction, while he was telling us, he had to come up here to look for a bull that had jumped the fence. So after returning he took off, looking for his bull, which to me seemed a pretty hard task given the size and the hilly shape of the landscape. But alas a couple hours later, he returned without bull, but with the info, that it belonged to another neighbor. We loaded the 4 horses to his own and trailer down to Grants again, where he took us to the feed store so we could get some hay and to the Gasstaion to get some Beer. We stayed at his Barn, where John a Friend of Dan showed up and promised to organize a Trailer for the next day, and call back in 10 minutes.
I couldn’t believe it, as my phone was ringing in the given time and he telling me, that tomorrow at six am we would be picked up by John. We had to fight of Dan s Dogs, while Cooking our meal, and went to bed, knowing that we had done the right thing

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Grants.... and no Water....

29/5/2018

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In the Morning we take the road up to the hights, where we run into the CDT and here it is pleasant to walk in the shade of the big pine trees. The gates are all open and there is even Water at a well.
As we go on, the cattle drafts are all empty and even the tanks (künstliche Weiher) are all dry. After another 30 km without water, and having checked out several tanks, we realize there is a problem at hand. We take a break and let the horses feed, hoping to get to another well about 15 km down the trail. We just hit the road again following it north when a pick up appears and we stopping him. We inquire if he knew where to find water. As it turns out, he was hired to inspect all the water sources to the north, and he told us, that the next 35 mls was no chance of water, as far as registered Tanks or springs where concerned. American Tank and Antelope Tank, where the last two on his program, before returning to Grants and Albequerque, so we had to make a quick decision about what to do.
It was decided that I would drive back to Grants organize a trailer and Water for the next day and
we would have to return to Grants. At 10pm I arrived with the watermen at Grants and checked in at the local lodge.

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in the morning after leaving Grants

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the same day in the evening...

Up To Grants

28/5/2018

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28.5. Rose trailered us up to Grants, since there again was a stretch of desert without water for about 50 mls. We went shopping at the Wallmart in Grands and I bought some presents for the children. They where amazing nice kids and Rose working as a teacher was making sure they had excellent grades. The daughter had made a cross from string for Zsolt and me and we where happy for them to select some summer cloth. At Hwy 17 we drove up to the trailhead where the cdt starts after Grants and found out there is no water, just barren rock there. We drove on to the Coal miners Campground hoping to have water there, but no luck. So we returned and just a little further south we see a corrall at a house and we drive up to it. Lee and his wife Barbara just had moved in 3 month ago and they are happy to let us stay. Barbara does not feel well, so Lee is the one doing all the talking and as we get settled, he takes us into town to pick up some feed for the horses and some medics for his wife, wile Keeyle is bring Mark to the Place.

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Zero Day at Pie Town

26/5/2018

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The Toaster house is run by some locals and is a free sleeping possibility for the CDT hikers.
Showers and kitchen included. We run into about 5 people doing the cdt and exchanged information with them. For breakfast we headed down to the Pie Town Restaurant and there Pam was already up getting information about hay and where to grase the horses for another day. Mark hat to go back to Albuquerque, to take care of some papers, but his first job was to get the car fixed, that had caught a problem, while driving to Pie town. Bob and Rose, two Cowboys with 3 grandchildren, they had custody off, where living on Elk Ridge Ranch north of Pie Town. They have been cowboying all their life and they had amazing stories to tell. We enjoyed their hospitality for two days and got to eat very delicious meals. Bob happens to be the cook at the Pie Town Restaurant. The horses all rested up, where loaded onto the trailer and driven up to Grants, cause their again was no water for the 50 mils ahead of us, through dry land.

Pie Town

25/5/2018

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25.5.
We get up at 4 next morning knowing it to be a long tretch to Pie Town, where we would meet with Keeyle, who would bring us some supplies. It took about 15 mls before we had water again and at 12 we had done 45 km. It took another 7 hours and 35 km before we finally reached Pie town at the end of our energy. We walked up the very first house and the lady we talked to, (Pam) turned out the be the server at the restaurant in Pie Town. She told us the Restaurant was closed at 5 for the evening, but we could def. have some water for the horses, while she was making some phone calls about hay.
Another neighbor came checking on us and offered, we could have our horses grase right behind his house. There was water and a drought and so we set up camp at their place. They brought out beer in a cooler and as Keely arrive she had brought some pizza and all the requested supplies. It was a very enjoyable evening with Mark and Keeyle spending the night at the toaster house.

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tHE dESERT TREATENS AGAIN....

24/5/2018

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We rode all day through flat and rolling hills, passing some wells , where we could get water for outself and the horses and the day seem to stretch into Eternety. The Smoke cover was still there, but the air was ok to breath. After about 40 km we found an other well, with running water and let the horses drink, shortly after the rancher showed up and asked if we needed some help. The Valley was filled heavily with the smoke of the fire and we asked if he could get us a lift up to the Hwy 12 cutting the last 15 km off the day. He agreed and 40 min. later we where at a cowboy church at Hwy 12, where the owner of an other corrall permitted us to stay, and even supplied us with some hay.

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2018 05 CDT up to Pie Town

23/5/2018

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We want to get to Pie Town, to restore our food level. Realising we have to much hot food, and to little cold like sausage and Chees. The weather is just to hot for 1 meal a day so we need to change the approach to our eating. We take the forrest road, which helps to get the horses moving and is better on the shooing of the horses. The Duplos and also the groundgrips are doing fine, best yet are the heavier version of the Duplos, that Apache is wearing. We will have made close to 500 km in these two weeks and are doing fine when you look at the trails we traveled. We decide to take the road since a big fire is sending its smoke cloud our way. We travel nicely, but the smoke or better the fire worries my two collegues and as we meet some firemen in the middle of the forrest, we discuss the different possibities of getting around the fire that is spreading. At the time we are not finding any water, so the firemen let the horses drink from their 10 gallon drums. We following the road but must Akzept to make a big detour, making sure we are avoiding the burn area.

As we proceed the next day, we see lots of smoke rising at the horizon and to make some progress we want the horses to trott, but hey are not exited about it. So it take some urging on my side, to get them going, when the road we are taking, brings us constantly closer to the smoking pillar in the distance. Mark kind a gets worried and wants to know, how we are going to proceed and I can not give him an answer, except to say, not to worry. Cause the fire is long distance away. We come to a fire station in the middle of the woods, and it seems as if all the firefiters had parked their cars there, but nobody was around. We rode on and where looking for a well or a spring, and on the CDT map it said, there was one in about 5 km disdance. As we got close, we run into a forrest service truck, and they where garding the road, making sure nobody would ride into the firezone, which had spread 4 fold during the night. As I discussed road and direction with the chef of the forrest people, who came from all over the states, and did not know the area any better, than I did, Mark and Szolt proceeded to the well, returning after about an hour without having found any water.
The forest men offered some water they had for the horses and they trank it happily. We agreed to
travel on the forest road east in a big curve bevor we would hit Hwy 12 in the north. This added about 22 km to our trip of the day. We trotted on and arrived south of the Hwy 12 at the st. amariollo plains, an empty and very uninviting place. We found a corall and at the road there a Sherriff was watching out again, nobody would drive up the road to the fire. We had an interesting discussion with the second Sherriff, who had to spend the night, holding watch over the road.
He was very sure of the fact, that there was going to be a war, between the Dems and the Reps in the forseable future and he explained why he never would give up his right to own a semiautomatic wapon.

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2018 05 CDT Gila River to Snowy Lake

22/5/2018

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The Terrain opens up and the walking gets easier. The horse have a good pace and we are making good headway this morning. It has gotten dryer again, the river beeing smaller and the vegetation returning to cactus and the likes. At about lunch time we reach Snowy Lake, where we are greeted by 3 fisherman who want to help us out with food, water, camp fire and Beer. We agree to stay and having a chance to double up on Waterkat, geting a fone connection with the ranger Station to inform the family about the Spot.
In the afternoon the Scoutmaster drives me over to the ranger Station and i can call Larkspur to let the family know. Returning the Batteries are all charged and we are ready for our dinner. Then i find out that horses are not permitted on the campground and we have to find another spot for them to grase during the night. It kind of gets Hektik, till we have the horses fenced in again, eaten dinner and then go up to the
3 men from les Cruzes, who have taken an other European couple on bord, that got lost without gasoline
out here. We have a great evening with all the campers and go to bed late.

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Gila River Canyon

21/5/2018

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The horse where fenced in at the river and had fresh tall Lucerne feed for the night. Their bells where singing all night and i had to walk through the river twice in my bath trunks at 6 in the morning to gather the fencing.. Refreshing, to bad you can not save to cold for later in the day. We had a good start at about 7.30 after having breakfast and saddled the horse. While on the trail we passed a set of rappids, and the trail took us over a small mountain cause we could not get through. At a given moment, Guairini decided to go by himself and after that i was missing my Spot Satelite, with which i had let everybody know, that we are well and alive. Kind of frustrated i walked on, not knowing where we lost ist. Fortuantely Water Kat,a hiker from Anchorage came down the trail and we asked if she could look out for the Spot on and also inform my family that we wont have comunication for another 4 days.2 She promised and delivered, even found the Spot on, at the camp, where it must have slipped out of the bag while packing.Today we total 110 crossings bringing the numbers up to 245 Gila River Crossings in 3 days.The trail is hard on the horses and they dont proceed at their normal speed, so the day grows on us.We come to Trotter camp and on the ample field we fence the horses, put their bells on and start cookingour evening meal. The horses dont need to be ground tied any more and the are happy to relax and eata s much as they can.