Tag: GET2024

• GET 2024 day 9, Oct 9, Wednesday
• Start home and town
• End near San Mateo Spring

I drove to  Springtime Campground in late afternoon, and was pleased to see the facilities in good shape. Sometimes a high water event will flood the normally dry creek running through camp, and mess up the road, but today all looks fine among tall Gambel oak and a few ponderosa.

Hiking up Apache Kid Trail, it was surprising how much oak was on the trail, considering that we lopped this section in 2021 with NMVFO.

Approaching the ridge, fine views to the east reward the climb.

At the intersection with Shipman Trail, a fallen tree hides faint tread on Shipman. This is unfortunate, because NMVFO worked to make the trail clearer here on their last project.

My goal for today is San Mateo Spring, which I have seen with good water, and completely dry. Today the trough is dry, but a slow leak at a pipe joint going to the trough may be enough to keep me shupplied with water.

Camp is at a nearby saddle we used on a backpacking trail project in 2021. Cell reception there is possible, though spotty.

There are enough blowdowns to keep me busy for days. Sorry, loppers, you will have to wait.

• 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.

• 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 Myer 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.