Trail Projects – Page 35 – Sagebrush Trails

Apache Kid Wilderness 1 2021

NMVFO volunteers met Friday evening for a car-camping project based at Springtime Campground near the Apache Kid Wilderness in the San Mateo Mountains (not the other San Mateo Mountains in New Mexico), Cibola National Forest near Monticello. We worked Saturday and Sunday on Apache Kid Trail #43 and Shipman Trail #50, clearing deadfalls and lopping, with some tread work.

Christina and Nick excelled as crew cooks.

The trails were often faint and overgrown, with several recent burns, and need a lot of loving care. We made a good start.

Many thanks to Anna and Julia for their first co-leader project, and Nick, Christina, Don, Dave, Jim N, Patrick, Lynne, Sharon, Catlin, and Dominic.

Soda Springs Trail #306 2021

NMVFO hiked 3 miles from Old Buckman Road on 2-track along the Rio Grande to Soda Springs Trail for a 3 day unsupported backpack project in the Santa Fe National Forest. The trail climbs from the river up to Sagebrush Flat, about 800 feet elevation change over 1.6 miles. Our campsite was up from the river a few hundred feet, to avoid the worst of the “lake effect” tent condensation at night.

We filtered water from the Rio Grande, pretty muddy looking, but our group filters worked well.

Segment 86 September 2021

My adopted segment of the Continental Divide Trail welcomed me with an overnight backpack visit, after parking at the northern terminus at Surprise Tank. Most of the first day was spent clearing from the tread a low-growing opportunistic shrub, rabbitbush, currently in bloom, using a pick-mattock and hand pulling.

Hiking to the southern end by early evening, I observed that short sections on both ends of the segment were being hidden by grass growing in the tread. Perhaps not enough hikers are on trail here– most thru-hikers take the road alternate into Pie Town.