Rio San Antonio to FS117, Colorado 20 mi :: 625 mi :: Sunny, warm We have an extra 3/4 mile to walk up the Rio San Antonio because of my mistake last night. It’s a long, gradual ascent up to the head of the canyon and TA Grant fence again. We interrupt many elk having…

Placer Creek to Rio San Antonio 14 mi :: 605 mi :: Sunny, warm, afternoon clouds Placer Creek is truly rocky, but has banks with a flat spot high up. We see the remains of several old cabins, and long piles of rocks. When the canyon opens up we see a couple sitting by their…

Fifteen Springs to Placer Creek 14 mi :: 591 mi :: Sunny, warm We feel like we’re getting the hang of this section. This morning we even do a voluntary bushwhack to save a couple of miles, which comes off without a hitch. Then we encounter our next sort of obstacle – the private ranch.…

Harris Bear Camp to Fifteen Springs 15 mi :: 577 mi :: Warm, afternoon showers Our current road gets easier to follow, then we turn onto an even better road. The wonderful wildflowers continue to blanket the meadows. The road is a little too good, and we miss a turn. It’s not until the terrain…

Ghost Ranch to Harris Bear Camp 14 mi :: 562 mi :: Sunny, hot We pack up and make the breakfast buffet at 7:30 am. This will give us one extra breakfast towards our food shortage. There is a conference going on about memetics. Everyone we ask defines it abstractly and differently. There are a…

NM84 to Ghost Ranch 3 mi :: 548 mi :: Sunny, hot Peter continues our feast and provides for any need we mention. He serves a huge breakfast highlighted by good coffee with real cream in real mugs. We can only smile. Then we pack up and he takes us through the road construction to…

Ojitos Canyon to NM84 13 mi :: 545 mi :: Sunny, windy, warm We look forward to meeting up with Peter Gould from the moment we start today. Ann had made only quick arrangements to camp with him and his son Jesse on the Rio Chama. We have no phone signal, so we just hope…

Cecilla Canyon to Ojitos Canyon 16 mi :: 532 mi :: Sunny, windy, cold We hike a few miles to NM96, then hike four miles east on the highway. It’s memorial day, Ann realizes, and there seems to be some holiday traffic. The dirt shoulder is good though, and the Ponderosa forest is pretty. The…

Circle A Ranch Hostel to Cecilla Canyon 17 mi :: 516 mi :: Cloudy, cold, afternoon rain and snow We’re up early to take advantage of the hostel kitchen for breakfast with hot coffee, toast, cereal, and brownies made by some other guests. Then we take off on small roads and trails through the ranch…

Cuba to Circle A Ranch Hostel 6 mi :: 499 mi :: Sunny, warm The morning is a race to checkout time at 11 am. We hit the Cuban Cafe for breakfast, then I go to the Post Office while Ann starts the laundry. We sort our boxes in the laundromat. We got an extra…