A FAT OLD MAN'S

CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TRAIL

ADVENTURE

                                                                TRYING TO FIND THE TRAIL SO I COULD

                                                                STASH WATER AND HIKE PART OF TRAIL,

                                                                I GOT LOST AND WANDERED AROUND A LOT.

                                                                THAT LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF

                                                                VEHICLE ACCESS INFORMATION FOR THE

(detailed, field verified and with GPS coordinates)

                                                                CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TRAIL IN NEW MEXICO.

Fat Old Man heading out on the ancient

Zuni-Acoma Trail.  The CDT follows the

ZAT 10 miles across the Malpais' lava beds.

Background

Approaching 70, I set out to hike the Continental Divide Trail in New Mexico.  Being old and fat, this is being done a segment here and there until all 770 miles have been tramped.  Even for one day pieces, I am carrying a full pack as I would if on the trail for several days.  Since 10 to 12 miles per day is about all I can do under easy trail conditions, stashing water along the trail is essential to keep the pack weight manageable.  So, trail access at about seven mile (i.e., one gallon) intervals was desirable plus another gallon for each night on the trail.  There are some segments where access for this is not possible.  Where the distance isn't too much more, I'll just have to cowboy it and pack more water.  For the longer no access sections, I'll figure out how to deal with them providing I survive and get in better shape.

Problem

I soon found that locating the points where the trail crossed major roads, finding back roads that would lead to the trail, and seeing the trail as it sneaked across those back roads, was frustrating and very time consuming.  On an early 2009 trip to Lordsburg, I expected to knock off 50 miles over five days; two-and-a-half of the days were spent searching for trail access points.  Many of the roads shown on a variety of maps do not exist or are private with locked gates.  Something needed to be done so I could spend time hiking rather than driving around the country side.  There are probably others who may, or will, encounter, the same problem.

Solution

A spread sheet was developed which provides specific driving directions to the trail all along its New Mexico route.  GPS coordinates are included for each critical point along the driving routes (and for the trail/road intersections) to eliminate the need to wander around a multitude of two-track roads in the boonies, taking the wrong road fork at the obscure junctions, and not being able to spot the trail as you pass over it.  The information is being field verified (about 80 % complete as of August 2009 and expected to be completed by the end of 2010).  The verification status for each reference point is provided on the spread sheet and the information will be periodically updated.  It is hoped that others using this information will provide field verifications, updates and other access observations as they tackle the trail so this information can be improved.

Obtain your own copy (it's free)

If you want to look at the spread sheet                                click here

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If you want to download the MS Excel spread sheet       click here

          Spreadsheet last updated September 1, 2009.

Contact me at                                              Ralph      -      nm5rc at msn.com

Viewers since April 1, 2009