Re: [pct-l] Peru or Bust etc

[Birgitte Jensen <bjensen4@juno.com>]

Dane Hartwell
Horseback America writes:
>My wife and I will continue south from the PCT through Mexico to Peru on
>horseback. We will ride from Campo through the Sierra Madre of Mexico.
>Wouldn't it be neat if they would make a trail from North Pole to the
South!
>[snip]. We are going to try and promote a continued PCT to the
Governments 
>of the countries we ride! 

    That's a great goodwill-between-nations idea, Dane - good luck to
you! I've not hiked (and never ridden) in Central America for a long time
now; I think it was kinda foolish of me then, even tho there were a group
of us, and I wouldn't do it now. Be real careful, stay clear of Chiapas
<g>, etc etc. I know many Latin Americans are wonderful horsemen and will
give you the shirt off their backs - I can't begin to tell you all the
amazing kindnesses we encountered. OTOH, there's alot of poverty, and the
sight of all your high-tech gear and well-bred horses might be a big
temptation, you know what I mean....

    Some of my most-valued horsemanship I learned from an old-school
charro. This should appeal to you: one of the things he insisted I
practice was how to "fight off bandits" with the saddle machete - he was
from Chilapa, where apparently one needs to know such things, phew. I was
always terrified of cutting off one of his horses' heads by mistake, but
I assure you, I was the terror of the bridal path! <LOL>

    Will you be tacking your Pasos traditionally, or riding with North
American-style saddles, etc?      

      Speaking of our south-of-the-border neighbors: Tom R.'s illegals
may have the right idea (hitting the desert sections right now). I just
got back from the San Jacintos/San G., and had absolutely no
travelproblems; the vegetation is dry as in autumn (!) and there are only
short/shallow snow patches. Water's about as plentiful as it'll probably
be this La Nina year and the temperatures are mild - now. I think if I
were starting a thruhike (especially if I were slow, or skipping about,
or wanted to rest up a bit before tackling the Sierra), I'd start hiking
_now_, before the desrt gets any drier/hotter. 
       Don't even think about carrying ice axes etc before Forrester
Pass, my $.02.                                   bj       


     

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