Wolverine Hikes

People who know me know that I belong on the Trail. I've thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail (three times, now),the Pacific Crest Trail and the mighty Continental Divide Trail. I've hiked many of the long trails here in Michigan including being the first to hike both the Ironwood Trail and the Great Lake To Lake Trail. In 2017, I hiked the Israel National Trail and the Golan Heights Trail. I was the first to hike the Baja Divide Trail in Mexico but failed miserably to thru-hike the Bruce Trail in Canada. In 2019, I hiked the TEMBR in Ecuador and 1,150 miles of the North Country Trail as it runs through my home state of Michigan.

The purpose of this blog is to keep anyone who is interested informed of my progress and to encourage those who are able to support me in these endeavors.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

The Baja Divide Trail: Pinned Down By Rain and Snow!




Despite the security warnings (and the concerns of friends and family), I made it out of Tecate with no trouble. In fact, I found Tecate to be a very friendly town with lots to see and do. All the same, I was eager to make big miles and get as far south of town as possible. 

By about 2pm, I found myself safely in the middle of nowhere and really enjoying the trail. By 4pm, I started to keep an eye out for a good place to camp. For both security reasons and out of habit, I wanted to be far enough off the trail so as not to be seen. This was easier said than done because of that stupid cart; I had to ‘park’ it on the trail while I went cross country looking for a spot. Then, I had to come back for the cart and push it through the thick scrub to get back to the spot. Bike riders, I suspect, deal with this all the time. 

I finally found a great spot to camp, enjoyed a good meal and another beautiful sunset but soon the temp started to drop and it got pretty cold. I slept under my quilt that night with every stitch of clothing that I brought with me. Then came the rain...



Only my sixth day on the trail and I found myself pinned down by wave after wave of heavy rain, sleet and snow. I had plenty of food and water so I just sat tight and let it pass. It turned out to be a good decision. 

The next couple of days I put in some big miles to make it to Ojos Negros.

 
It’s a cool little town with a campground, a decent store for resupply and several restaurants where you can get an authentic Mexican breakfast. 


That’s a bowl full of shredded lamb with gravy, beans, tortillas and coffee. Fantastic!

Next was a quick stop into Santo Thomas to load up the 24 liters of water (that’s almost 53 pounds of water!) that I would need to get me to Colonet. 



It was a steep climb out of Santo Thomas but I was rewarded with a beautiful view of the town from above. 



After a couple of days of dusty dirt roads, I finally made to the beautiful and rugged coast of the Pacific Ocean. 



Found a great place to camp with my own private beach. 



Enjoyed an amazing sunset and a good night’s sleep. 


I’ll post more soon but, for now, I’d love to see some comments below!




29 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow, this is a great adventure. Thanks for sharing,

Jerry Patterson said...

Great pictures and commentary. Glad you are safe and enjoying yourself. Looks like you are making good progress. There is Beauty everywhere in nature, if you look for it. Keep us posted

Unknown said...

OMG! Awesome!! Why am i here and not there?

Martha said...

Awesome pics and descriptions!
Did you bring anything to read?

Suzanne Hollyer said...

Snow in Mexico? Glad you stayed put. Did you get your tent at Moosejaw? I'm in the market for something.

lilfroggiebrown7 said...

We miss your smiing, happy face. Be dafe and hurry back!!! Beautiful pics by the way.

Chris Hillier said...

Thanks for following along, Becky!

Chris Hillier said...

Thanks, Jerry! You know I appreciate the comments!

Chris Hillier said...

Because you have a wife and kids that need you. And a good job. And, as much fun as some of it is, some of it is also long, dusty dirt roads with nothing to see for miles and miles.

Pete Taylor said...

Looking good Wolverine "Be Careful and Be Safe Out There"! Hardcharger

Chris Hillier said...

Just picked up a paperback: Unholy Child by Catherine Breslin. I have no idea of it’s good or not. But it was free.

Chris Hillier said...

Plenty of snow up at 5K feet.

I’m using a Big Agnes Fly Creek 1 Platinum. Really solid gear. And, of course I got it from Moosejaw!

Thanks for asking, Susie. You know I appreciate it.

Chris Hillier said...

Thanks, Dar Dar! I’ll be home soon!

Chris Hillier said...

Thanks, Hardcharger! It’s been a lot of miles since we met on the AT back in ‘11!

Unknown said...

This is so exciting..pictures and story. You need to write a book....

TigerLily said...

Awesome pics Chris. Have fun & stay safe!!

Richard Smith said...

24 liters of water? Yow. Memories of the Negev, except you would have trouble hauling that cart up cliffs and ladders. This Baja journey seems very different. Thanks for the report.

Ruth said...

Yummy,looking food!

Anonymous said...

Love the pics Chris!Look forward to the updates as I'm now hooked and checking daily. It's amazing what your doing! You should write a book! Stay safe plz!
Angie

Chris Hillier said...

Thanks, Roberta, but I can barely write a blog post (see above)!

Chris Hillier said...

No way I could push this stupid cart through the Negev. Only way I can do it here is because this is a bike trail. No cliffs and ladders.

Chris Hillier said...

Ruth from work?! Good to hear from you! And, again, huge thanks for your support!

Chris Hillier said...

Thank you so much for the kind words and I’ll write more. Stay tuned!

Anonymous said...

Wolverine, at first I was jealous I wouldn't be making this journey with you, but now I am so happy for you brother! You look strong right now. The cart idea is genius, does it have a break on it? Pinecone wishes you well!!

-Nightmare

Unknown said...

Loveee the pictures! wish I was there to tag along! be safe!! hope all is well, we miss you... well I definitely do!

Chris Hillier said...

Nightmare! Miss you, Brother! The cart was a TERRIBLE idea. I hate that thing! But, it’s a necessary evil, I guess. It gets the job done. It does have a disc brake which really helps with going downhill.

Hi! To PCM!

Chris Hillier said...

Diamonique! I miss you guys, too. Thanks for leaving a comment!

Gen Tsuzuki said...

Chupacabras! I guess they put the Narcos into perspective. Good luck and be safe my friend. Looking forward to your posts

Chris Hillier said...

Thank you! And thanks for leaving a comment - always appreciated.