Zero at Home

  • GET 2024 day 8, Oct 8, Tuesday
  • Start Home
  • End Home
  • Rest and recuperation, no lopping, no sawing

A Zero Day refers to a hiker hiking zero miles in a day, or taking a day off, typically in a town off-trail. Here on this unusual adventure it can also refer to zero lopping and zero sawing.

My family treats me to dinner at La Pasadita in Socorro. Good therapy.

Equipment Issues:

  • My Platypus squeeze bag to my Quickdraw water filter is leaking. I thought this bag would work better than a Sawyer bags, because the material is thicker, but apparently not. Platypus: consider double seams.
  • A buckle and strap on my AtomPack managed to work its way out of its fastener, and is lost on the trail.
  • My shaded safety glasses got lost on trail the last day, but I found them again.
  • The short 6″ Fiskar saw lost its hinge nut on the trail, with photo in a previous post.
  • Numerous rips and tears in shirt and pants. I could not find iron-on patches in time to return to the trail.
  • The plants I am lopping are really tough. Maybe I should switch to a geared lopper. At any rate, my current lopper now needs sharpening.

Tomorrow back to the trail.

Nearly

  • GET 2024 day 7, Oct 7, Monday
  • Start lower Shipman basecamp
  • End town and home
  • Lopping and several large logs cleared

Yesterday I worked on the upper section from Myer Spring to Myers Cabin, but a lot of work remains. Low on food, low on energy, and low on electrons, my goal is to finish this upper section and return home for a town day.

The burned logs up near the cabin, and the spiky plants, have taken a toll on my clothing.

Several logs were cut and cleared today.

It occurs to me that I have not shown any of the plants I have been lopping for a week. The berries on that one bush are unusual; normally none are visible.

A good deal of Gambel oak needed to be lopped on the upper section, slowing progress. Despite my best efforts, I could not complete this section, and 1200 feet of trail still needs lopping. My hope is to come back and finish this remaining stretch another day, hopefully by accessing Shipman via Springtime Campground.

At 4PM I start down from Myers Cabin, recording a track to the trailhead, and reach the car by 6, in time to struggle with Burma Road before dark.

Talus and Cabin

  • GET 2024 day 6, Oct 6, Monday
  • Start basecamp lower Shipman
  • End basecamp lower Shipman
  • Cleared over 40 logs, mostly no-cut

Today the work would be above Myers Spring, all the way to the saddle and Myers Cabin, about 0.8 miles in length.

First a few tangles need to be cleared.

Finally the logs start gettting larger in diameter, and a wedge can be helpful.

Along a talus field, brush still somehow finds a way to grow along the trail, and only along the trail, needing lopping.

The Myers Cabin ruins are burned in past fires and vanished, but a basement foundation remains.

The workday is long, and sleep comes fast.