Beginnings and a birthday!

Okay, so after days of not hearing from Teddy, he finally made it into a town over the weekend and was able to send some pictures.  I will post them in order of how he encountered the trail.  The long-awaited pose at the monument fills me with such pride - it is this one and the final monument pose that will make this whole journey complete.  The southern most point on the trail is marked by the monument, including the coordinates of where he is located.  He is looking happy and determined.

The picture of him at the border is quite interesting.  There is only a broken, chain linked fence separating New Mexico from Mexico.  As you can see, he is putting his foot through the fence to touch both sides.  What a difference from the huge wall that was bordering Mexico and California back on the Pacific Crest Trail.  That wall was so high.  I posted a picture above and to the right to show the difference.  The wall behind Teddy in that photo was the border.  This one appears to not be a restraint for anyone, however, Teddy said there was a high presence of border patrol in the area, because drug smuggling is a big issue here.  Regardless of the wall height, as you can see, Scarecrow is just as excited to move North on this trail as he was back in 2011 on the PCT.

As previously mentioned, Teddy said the desert was dry and filled with sharp things.  The bushes and sharp branches are protruding everywhere and it looks like that for miles and miles. When I asked where the trail actually was, Teddy told me there really isn't a worn trail because of the dry weather conditions.  Even if there is foot traffic, after a rainfall, the tracks disappear.  He has to rely heavily on his GPS Garmin to keep him on track.

no shade here

beautiful desert sky

not so beautiful desert floor

Although the desert sky is beautiful and not littered with pollution, the desert floor was scattered with remains of wildlife, as well as some critters larger than I have ever seen.  At first I thought this was a frog, and was so grossed out.   

fat and happy spiky lizard

So, without a beaten trail, signs became important.  Teddy said these are posted along the way to keep hikers on track, as well as little medallions on the railings, etc. to indicate you are going the right way. 

 If you remember back to his PCT hike, Teddy's selfies became quite impressive as the trail went on.  We also got to see the progression of his facial hair as time went on.  Below, you will find the first official "selfie" of the CDT.  Still clean shaven and smiling bright - I look forward to seeing Scarecrow's transformation over the next 5 months.

first selfie of the CDT

 The desert would not be complete without a snapshot of the first rattle snake greeting Teddy on the trail.  There was not a scary story to go along with this photo, although I would have been scared to death seeing it up close.

Scarecrow began the trail on the 17th, and met two guys named Hikeaholic and Ducky, who are also hiking Northbound seeking to complete the CDT as thruhikers.  The first town stop was 80 miles from the monument, so they have been together for that first stretch of the trail.  They found out it was Teddy's birthday on Tuesday, and when he went out to retrieve something from his room , he returned to find a delicious birthday cake waiting for him - topped with candles marking his 45th birthday.  Boy was that a nice treat for him... THANK YOU to hikeaholic and Ducky for helping Scarecrow celebrate.

Happy Birthday Scarecrow!

Scarecrow took a zero day in town, packaged up his next few stops of food supply, caught up on emails, texts and facebook posts, and had a restful, comfortable night's sleep before heading out Wednesday morning for his next 4 to 5 day walk until the next town.  If you would like to see where he is now, click on this link:  where is Scarecrow now?

Teddy did want me to mention, this map link shows the crow's flight of where he is walking.  The mileage posted is for that straight line, not the actual mileage of his daily hiking.  I will try to keep an accurate record of his actual mileage.

For those of you who asked, the next town Teddy can receive mail/packages is listed below.  He will be arriving there around May 3-4th.  If you are interested in sending a note of encouragement, a card, or a package of treats, please label your mail as listed below:

TEDDY "SCARECROW" WARREN

GENERAL DELIVERY

PO 87827

PIE TOWN, NEW MEXICO  87827

Of course, none of this is expected or required, but appreciated greatly.  Thank you to those of you who have inquired about this. 

Until next time,

The Thruhiker's Wife