Journey Day 423 | CDT Day 86

Carl Ownby and sheepherder Eloy Trujillo near the entrance to his camp in 1987.

9/8/09

We decide to climb a road east, but when it goes northeast we abort and head for a building, hoping for orientation. But more confusion, argument. Hike cross country to a main private road, quickly meet chicken hunters. They try to direct us, but end up driving us to a road to a road to a road to Twin Groves. "I'm tired of being lost."

Their entourage leaves us, we follow directions. Uncertainty, no markings, long walk in the heat, with no shade. Down to a creek. Carl gets water while I climb to a structure on the ridge. After long climb, decide to go back to it. Find sheepherder's trailer, with a wound clock, other acoutrements of an inhabitant. Walk back to Carl, we decide to camp, wait. We pitch in between sagebrush and rocks, as wind buffets our open ridge site with a nice view of mesa-topped ridges. Up rides Eloy Trujillo, a sheepherder on and off since 1936 (when he was 14 years old) with his two dogs, as we set up.

We end up talking over coffee late into the night. He is 65, from Pueblo. He harangues on "wetbacks," their criminal backgrounds, manipulative natures. He favors the INS. What a world. Here is a fellow with no vehicle, surviving in a small trailer almost as compact as a backpack. During the night, mice chew my Parquay.