Journey Day 474 | CDT Day 137
New Mexico Skyline, 1987.
10/29/87
Up in gray light, cook and pack, get good start on less chilly morning. Sunny start as I climb ridge, then follow road down to a point on guidebook writer Jim Wolf 's route. From here I bushwhack along the Placer Creek bed.
Into meadow, follow bed as I near woods, spot a coyote scurrying into the trees. As the bed rounds treeline to meadow, there's more water in the creek. A jeep road cuts in. Spot logging operation, good road. Decide to avoid it, follow the creek, canyons up, climb around, drop to new logging road.
Decline that route, no one in camp, so I drop down a muddy bank, follow the creek over to Route 64. Climb up to the roadway. One car passes. Cross the road, up ridge to view of Hopewell Lake. Round lake to dam, take a spill on the spillway. No damage, just a little wet. I cross to campground, take a break and assess the situation.
After break, bushwhack according to Wolf's instructions up ridge, find old road to an open top. Fence boundary heading the right direction, so I follow it to the top and meet the road again.
Follow road a while southeast, but when it starts dropping off, I bushwhack back up, but it's less rewarding. Choose to drop to road beginning long, circling climb to Burned Mountain's high point in forest. Never see Turkey Lake. Confused and concerned, I push on down as it seems to be right route except for the absence of the lake. Finally cross Rock Creek, where I stop, weary, but relieved.
After a nice break, walk a short ways, noting horses. Bushwhack down along creek, hit road, horses come out to greet me, follow me a ways. Then I encounter a dog pack at a big house. I admire what is now a private wildlife refuge owned by Harvey Mudd. I luckily find Shem and Waters, the caretakers, struggling with a 1954 bus unwilling to start.
Discuss my route and mission. I try to help them. They invite me to stay, they head to town to get the bus out before snow, following Waters' intuition. The bus starts, I help load their truck, close both hoods, disconnect jumpers, jump in with Waters. At caretaker's cabin, meet more dogs, get orientation from Waters. She leaves, I set the fire, update my journal.
Make coffee, relax with the dogs, especially Viejo. Update back to Chama, eventually cook a big meal with pudding. Read on wolves, prepare to crash. Dogs keep me up, plus the cabin is too hot due to the fire. One dog takes a dump inside. Another escapes the cabin and I can't get her back in.
