Friday, March 22, 2013

VL Updates

I have determined my start date for the Vagabond Loop to be April 4th. Sweaty-Z and I, along with Lint, will leave Glenwood Springs on April 2nd and make our way to the Coronado National Monument marking the southern terminus of the AZT.







Yea, that’s right, I said Lint!

Lint has decided to join me for the AZT portion of the AZT, then swoop on over to the PCT after his romp in Arizona with me. Back at it, NERDS in action, mashin’ trail together again!

I am geeked out of my head right now. I want to leave it all behind and go farther away. I have been planning and dreaming and visualizing this VL for months now. I’ve worked extremely hard at CME to fund the adventure and I cannot wait to be a filthy little dirtmonger again. I cannot wait to shit where I want, not shower nor shave/trim; I cannot wait to see the sidelong, suspicious glances of town folk. I cannot wait to not be around fur coats and the snobby rich of Aspen. I yearn to be doused in dirt, re-baptized in the in the simplistic filth, roving overland and baying at the moon. Fuck, I cannot wait to be that dirt-warrior again, to feel the pain, to feel the freedom, to eschew time, to thirst, starve, and then dig deep and push, mash. I cannot wait to endure…



Route planning is venturing along, sometimes at a snail’s pace. The section between the Sangres in CO and Red River in NM, you know, the private land owned by mega-ranches, has hit a stalling point. I’ve been refused entry. But I did have good relations with an ol’ timer down in La Veta who works for the USFS. Maybe I’ll drop by and see him when I am down there…




I am a bit deterred but not thwarted from thinking I can bridge the gap. Something will turn out, just gotta keep it moving forward.

On the other hand, I have had great relations with the San Juan Hut Systems group based out of Ridgway, CO. I will be using there route from Moab to Durango following a series of backcountry huts through isolated and faraway terrain. Joe with SJHS has been an awesome trail-dog to chat with. He knows his stuff and the SJHS runs a kick-ass operation. He has been extremely helpful and will pass along routes and maps as they become available. I think this’ll develop into a very good relationship. He offered placing a re-supply box for me at one of the huts that is roughly the halfway point between the 2 towns.

Shit, he even offered up the food stashed in the huts, for a nominal fee, of course. The huts have water too!! And, they have a wood deck if I am so inclined to whip out the sleeping pad and crash under a secure surface. Backcountry travel at its finest, even for a dirt monger like myself. It’ll be nice to be pampered after being hammered by the Hayduke Trail!

Since I will be in the area as they are starting their mountain bike tours I am sure we will meet up at some point. Trail magic already!!!!

I have bought all my food for the AZT and will be mailing them out next week. My gear is all set, as well.

A trail buddy of mine from the PCT, Rainer, is out hiking the AZT right now and sending me water updates. Valuable information on a tough-ass trail. Check out his blog: http://longwalksanddirtysocks.wordpress.com/

A fellow driver at CME told me he is working in Anchorage, AK this summer. He told me the drive would take about a week and would be roughly 3,500m from Denver to there. I was like, 'OH SHIT!!' That's what I am going to be walking, numbers-wise! A great introperspective on the burtality I will be putting myself through...

I am, I'm sure, not the first one to concieve of hiking the four trails intertwined in the VL. But I may be the first to do all four in one season. Plenty of people have hiked the CT, a bunch fewer on the AZT, even way less on the GET, and a smidge lower than the GET is the HT. I know Swami did 3 last year, and a handful have completed 2 of them. All in, I say, all in...


Quote of the day: 'Stay hungry. Stay foolish.'

7 comments:

  1. Great blog, stay foolish indeed! Good luck with your hike mate!

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    1. Hey, thanks there, simon. Hope you'll follow along when the real adventure begins in a couple of weeks...

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  2. Replies
    1. Thanks webster! Maybe we'll meet up somewheres on trail. Zion perhaps?

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  3. My buddy will be climbing down in Zion for most of April. I would love to come down and get on some big walls at the same time you will be around. When do you think you will be in Zion? April 25ish?

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    1. I answered my own question from your itinerary. My friend will have left Zion before May 10ish but I am sure I could convince another dirtbag to make the trip, and if not Zion, probably Moab.

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  4. Yo webster. Ill keep you posted on my plans esp about 2 wks before zion. I think ill be there nowaround the 4th of may as im pushing my start date to april 3. If not zion or moab, then maybe escalante. Ill email you my digits so we can speak on it...

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