Re: [pct-l] Ultra Tricks

[Owen <jim_ginny_o@attglobal.net>]

Damn - I owe Jardine an apology.  

Owen wrote:
> 
> Hate to pop your bubble but Ray did do the CDT - sorta.  


There's an implication in there that Jardine didn't *really* do the
CDT.  
And that's NOT true.  

I didn't mean to imply that his route was any less valid than ours -
only that it was different. In fact, our route differed from the
"official" route - and even from Jim Wolf's routes. There are no "blue
blazes" on the CDT - just lots of alternate routes.  I don't believe any
two CDT thruhikers have ever used exactly the same route - and Jardine's
route was just not the same one that we took. 

As for "road walking" - even today a lot of the CDT IS road walking -
usually jeep tracks, some of which may get one truck a week, some that
haven't been used for 20 years, some that are *really* hard to find and
follow. When Jardine did the CDT there was even more "road walking" than
there is today - or you did a lot of cross country. But the route that
Jardine followed (even though some people call it "Jardines route") is
one that was followed (in parts) by a lot of the previous thruhikers -
so it isn't really his - he just documented it.  What comes to mind is
the route across the Plains of San Augustin in New Mexico - a lot of
previous thruhikers have used this - if you go straight south from Horse
Springs to the Black Range, it cuts off a big loop of the Divide. Now
there's somewhat of a "trail" that goes down through the mountains - but
that "trail" consists of axe-cut blazes every couple hundred yards. 
There is no treadway, there is no real trail. And I think a good part of
the "trail" isn't even marked yet.  But I don't know - where the
"offical" trail turns east to meet the Black Range, we cut out to go
south into the Gila by way of Mogollon Baldy.  Once you get in the Black
Range there's supposed to be trail - but there have been fires there -
and now there are blowdowns - lots of them.  It ain't a fun trail to
hike through there. We caught a part of that mess when we crossed from
the Gila into the southern part of the Black Range to go south toward
Deming.  

Enough rambling - I apologize to Jardine for the implication.  My only
excuse is that I was really tired and got my tongue tangled around my
eyeteeth so I couldn't see what I was saying. 

Walk softly,
Jim

PS - not to worry Monte - if I ever say anything untrue about you - I'll
apologize to you too.  :-)
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