Thank You For Your Service...

Scarecrow's latest selfie

"The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree."  ~ Thomas Campbell

This post is actually part two of the latest information that Scarecrow has sent.  As he continues through New Mexico, with hundreds of miles behind him, he is continuing to travel along side other hikers, sharing this amazing experience.  He made it to Pie Town, where he, Ducky and Hikeaholic caught up to a group of thruhikers who belong to the "Warrior Hike".  I have provided a link for further information about these brave men and their mission.   What is the Warrior Hike? He sent a picture of a few of his new hiker friends during an event in Pie Town. As you can see if you click on the link I have provided,

War veterans participating in the Warrior Hike

there are events sponsored by various veteran posts along with the CDTC for these brave, strong men who are thruhiking the CDT.  I believe Scarecrow met them while many of them gathered at a trail angels's house known as the "Toaster House."   According to a 2013 thruhiker, Wired, a woman named Nita owns the home, but does not live there.  She leaves it open for hikers for no charge, and hikers can make a donation which she uses to maintain this trail angel service. I think this picture of the group on the porch is from this hostel.  I am sure I will hear about it if I am incorrect. LOL  This place, along with the Thomas family, were what Scarecrow was referencing when he spoke so highly of the trail angels and trail magic he got in Pie Town.

Ducky & Scarecrow in Pie Town

 

Toaster House

This first stop at the "Toaster House" is where Scarecrow met the Warrior Hikers. Looks like quite a group there - fun was had by all and Scarecrow is once again blessed and grateful for this experience. (I apologize to the hikers if I have these photos mixed up.)

Thruhikers galore! Scarecrow all the way on the right!

 

More trail magic amongst trail angels was had by Scarecrow and the others as they met the Thomas family.  As in other blog posts by hikers, the Thomas' live about 15 miles outside of Pie Town and allow hikers to get water from their tap.  Some may not realize what a huge deal this is, but considering hikers do not have a regular, clean water supply, this is GOLD for them.  From what Teddy described to me, the Thomas' have converted their garage into a place for hikers to convene, eat and even receive a phone call.  I know this from personal experience, as last Tuesday, I called the number back from where Teddy had called, and a gentleman answered.  I asked for Scarecrow, and he handed the phone over to Teddy, and we got to chat for a while, with the kids even getting to call when they arrived home.  Moments like this are priceless for us, as we do not get to speak with Teddy whenever we want, as there is hardly a signal.  So, THANK YOU to the Thomas family for allowing us to connect with Scarecrow while he was at your house.

Thank you Thomas Trail Angels

Thank you Thomas Trail Angels

These are some of the candid pictures that Scarecrow sent of the thruhikers just hanging out, getting a well-deserved rest while receiving TRAIL MAGIC from the Thomas family... THANK YOU.

Grateful thruhikers at Thomas' House

Scarecrow told me he and Hikeaholic were invited to a BBQ that was being prepared for the Warrior Hikers, by the local Veteran post. Even they, as hikers, became trail angels for Scarecrow and gave him trail magic in the form of great food, great company, and he even scored an invitation to a golf outing on Mother's Day.  Apparently, a man who attended the barbecue invited some of the hikers to golf at the local course.  I am not sure if he owns it or works there, and I apologize for the lack of accurate details here. Needless to say, Teddy had a wonderful time.  In researching these fine gentlemen who in their own journey, have reached out and touched Scarecrow in such a positive way, I found one of their blogs, which led me to his facebook page.  A HUGE thank you goes out to The Real Hiking Viking because I located a picture of Scarecrow during his golf outing. I hope you don't mind but I shared it to my blog page.

photo from The Real Hiking Viking :)

  As you can see, it was so windy during their outing.  Teddy said the flags were at a 45 degree angle.  I asked how he did, and he said he did okay in the beginning, and then just had Hikeaholic just put a 6 after each round.  Thankfully, it was not a competitive game, and just one for fun and relaxation.

In closing, I want to thank each of you participating in the Warrior Hike for your service to our country first and foremost.  The sacrifices you have made for our country priceless, and I pray that you find the support and healing in this hike that will bring you peace and health as you transition back to life here in our country.  There is not a time that goes by that my husband, daughter, son and I do not give thanks and appreciation for all you have given up so we can enjoy all that we have here in our lives.  May God Bless each and every one of you.

With respect, love and appreciation,

The Thruhiker's Wife

Great Check In from Grants......

 "Remember that every path walked is walked for a reason, and every day is full of blessings, no matter how big or small." ~ Author Unknown

Road walking...

Finally, after a few long days of hiking, a few brief check in calls with sketchy service, and a minor hiccup at the post office, Scarecrow has reported that he arrived safely in Grants, New Mexico.  He was able to collect the maps and food box we sent, as well as catch up on emails, texts, calls and sending me pictures. This was where he would stay for a few zero days and relax, watch the Ranger games and actually fit in a day of golf.  Yes, I said GOLF - good thing he has a tracker, because it doesn't sound like "roughin' it" to me...The next few posts will have pictures from his last week of adventures, with as much information as I have gathered from Scarecrow for you.

I have tried to piece together based on the date stamp from the picture of where Teddy is and what he was doing.  So it looks as if the hikers entered the Gila National Forest, which according to information from Wikipedia, is a protected national forest covering approximately 2,710,659 acres of land.  It is listed as the 6th largest national forest in the continental United States.

Teddy said it was very dry and hot, which I can imagine would support the habitat for this beautiful cactus.  The terrain in this area ranges from rugged mountains and deep canyons to semi-desert.  Due to the extremely rugged terrain, the area is largely unspoiled.  Scarecrow and his hiker friends became quite familiar with The Gila River while in this area.  I believe he said they had to cross this river 145+ times over the course of their travels.  According to Wikipedia, this river is 649 miles, runs through New Mexico and Arizona, and flows into the Colorado River.

Hikeaholic celebrating Ducky's successful crossing :)

Scarecrow crossing the Gila River

Ducky crossing the Gila River

Looks like successful crossings all around for these hikers...


While in the Gila Wilderness, the hikers wanted to check out the Gila Cliff Dwellings, which were discovered back in 1878 and were established as a national monument back in 1907 by president Theodore Roosevelt.  The people of the Mogollan culture lived in these cliff dwellings 180 feet above the canyon floor from as early as the 1280s through the early 14th century.  There were 5 caves with 46 rooms.

Gila Cliff Dwellings

Gila Cliff Dwellings

Gila Cliff Dwellings

 Archaeologists believe these 46 rooms were occupied by 10 to 15 families, and it is not known why these dwellings were abandoned. It seemed that these dwellings were perfect for human living, as the caves provided adequate shelter, while the wooded area concealed the homes. Some feel changes in the climate may have caused migration away from these dwellings.  It must have been amazing to be somewhere with so much history surrounding its area.

Gila Cliff Dwellings

Gila Cliff Dwellings

Scarecrow also captured some of what they reference as pictographs on the rock face.  Thank you for sharing this piece of history, Teddy.

 

What an educational pitstop this was for the hikers.  As you can see, they were still surrounded by a beautiful backdrop while in the Gila National Forest.

looking good, Scarecrow!

more river crossing! Go, Ducky!

Ducky, Hikeaholic, Samarai & Scarecrow 

 The conditions, the terrain and the weather is forever changing, as you can see here.  It sure does appear to be quite the workout already for these hikers.  So proud of you as you continue on through this challenging yet beautiful portion of the CDT through New Mexico.

And off they go, road walking along the Continental Divide, taking those next steps northbound to the next town, the next campsite, the next mountain, the next experience... Happy Trails to all of you as you continue on with your journey...


More to come after some research,

The Thruhiker's Wife

Hiker Friends...

We have heard from Scarecrow several times over the weekend, as he was in a town called Silver City, and when he is in a town, it means a signal.  He sounds really happy and excited about the trail and his progress.  I feel part of this is because he is hiking with others who have started the trail along with him.  If you remember, when Teddy began the PCT, he left a month later than "the herd" and was walking alone for hundreds of miles.  This time, he left along with others which allows him to share this experience, challenges and high points with them.  We, at home, can only hear and see this amazing journey unfold through Teddy's eyes... I personally cannot imagine what it is like to travel through miles of deserts, snowy mountains, and everything in between.  I am happy he has these fellow hikers to walk with, camp with, and complete this journey with.

 Stopping in for a well deserved meal and refreshments - here is the crowd (I hope I got everyone's name correct)  Theresa Martinez from the CDTC (Continental Divide Trail Coalition), Scarecrow, Buffalo Shuffle, Hikeaholic, Ducky, Ben and Hamburger.  And, yes, the photo bomber is the bartender.  Looks like a great time was had by all.  Thank you to each of you for these fun times along the trail... you are a part of making this experience so awesome for Scarecrow.

Another gathering of hiker friends... From left heading clockwise,  there is Ursula (which I have been told means Bear), Scarecrow, Ducky, Samarai, and Hikeaholic.  Two of these guys, Ducky and Hikeaholic are the ones who surprised Scarecrow with the cake for his birthday.  Just like the memories you have hiking with Straycat and Strider on the AT, Not Ryan, TOG, Evil Goat, and Banana Pants on the PCT, these hiker friends will help create memories that will complete your triple crown experience, Scarecrow.

Before heading out of Silver City,  Scarecrow stopped for a selfie with Hamburger.  Scarecrow told me this hiker is from Hamburg, Germany, hence the name "Hamburger".  Hikeaholic took his turn at photobombing here - you guys have to jump in these pics whenever you can so we, as your family members, can see that you are safe and having fun out there.  Scarecrow shared this blog address with his hiker friends, who then shared it with their families - so here is a shoutout to Cheryl, Hikeaholic's girlfriend, who is now following this story.  I hope there will be over 3,000 miles worth of pictures to share and write about as this amazing journey unfolds.

Scarecrow has now walked over 145 miles and will reach another town within a week.  There is a weak signal where he is, so he has said he may not be able to speak to us again for 12 days.  Until then, we will keep him in our prayers and wish him well.  If you want to see how far he has hiked, please click here:  where is Scarecrow now?

I will continue to send pics as they come.

Until then,

The Thruhiker's Wife

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