Journey Day 501 | CDT Day 164

The right direction was blocked by a gated “no trespassing” sign.

11/25/87

Frozen morning again. I break camp, noting fresh bear scat near where I was pitched. Road leads to a T, in one direction a "no trespassing" gated option in the right direction, the other clear. It seems to be a road I left the morning before, so I walk back, into beautiful unattended ranch of 60 sections, according to Andy Carrejon, who I meet soon after exiting the ranch.

Apologize for trespassing, but he's cool. When I ask about a phone, store at the highways, he ends up inviting me into his house. Wife Elayne interviews me for the local paper, but I turn the conversation. Then a relative from Alaska comes, they go and inquire about jobs with the VLA (Very Large Array), a telescope or radio antenna for the universe.

Andy and I talk long about his life on this property sandwiched by National Forest Service land. His family's lived here for four generations. He's always cowboyed, but ranching is down. So he's a truck driver for the state, hunting on the side, now only with bow. Horns, pelts and skins everywhere, including a cactus buck rack (lost testes, funky horns).

I move to leave, he proposes lunch. So I munch, he gives me jerky to go. We talk more, I get tour of the house. But I must go. Hike out to road, cross fence as Andy suggested. Something's not right, I'm headed too far west, almost north.

End up on a ridge, spot landmarks, road, but steep and rock descent looks too rough. So I try several things, walk one way, then the other, on road. This gets me down lower, to where I can slide down to the lake and road.

Follow road up canyon, get impatient for red-topped building, walk into field. Spot it from afar, determine southerly road, which takes me up into woods, down to a park and sign for Road 545. Success!

Hike on back into the forest. Cook, although my stove seems to be broken, read and crash, prepared to push to Reserve to meet Dave Reinker coming from Los Angeles.