May 14th--- Grants to Horace Mesa Trailhead

Carole and Hugo Mumm

     In the morning after a delicious breakfast, the Mumm's received a call informing us all that Wyoming had made it into town and was waiting at the McDonalds on West Santa Fe Ave.  Wanting to take advantage of the opportunity we had to slack pack, we met Wyoming and set off, without the burden of our backpacks, along the roads which led through Grants and out towards the trailhead for Horace Mesa.  Minus the load we usually hauled, we had finished the 7.4 miles in good time, well before noon and the onset of the heat.  Carole picked us up at the small, dirt parking area and drove us back to town, depositing those of us who wished it at the library.  Shroomer had to work on another installment of his CDT journey for his local e-paper, while I only needed to forward an e-mail to my sister letting her know all was well.
     In the afternoon, Carole drove Wyoming and I to the Wal-Mart across town so we could reprovision.  We also assisted her in filling up her shopping cart with 24-packs of bottled water.  She and Hugo were planning on taking a trip out to their water caches to restock for the next wave of hikers coming through.  While wandering the food aisles in search of a delectable morsel or two to add to my usual fare, I actually ran into D.J. and Kerrie, the biking couple from Pie Town.  Must have hiked pretty fast to stay in relative proximity to folks on cycles.
     In the evening, as we sat at the dinner table cleaning the meat off some fine barbecued ribs, we learned more about how Hugo and Carole got into this whole business of helping Hiker Trash.  If I remember correctly, it was some time after moving to Grants that they came across some thirsty hikers.  It was from this chance encounter that they learned that the Continental Divide Trail actually passed through the community in which they were now living.  Being hikers themselves, they knew how dry the surrounding region could be and worried for the well-being of hikers taking on this arid stretch.  After contacting a few people associated with the trail, they established four water caches that bridge the gap between available sources.  Three are on Ley's route while the one remaining is on a less travelled purple alternate.  Hosting hikers in their home soon followed and currently, Hugo is planning to convert one of the bedrooms into a true bunkroom in order to more conveniently house larger groups.  They have a wide knowledge of the area around Grants having spent countless hours exploring the region on foot during weekend hiking trips.  In process of time, they have become quite the amateur archaeologists discovering unknown sites atop mesas and petroglyphs on concealed walls.  They've even unearthed some interesting items like pottery shards and obsidian blades.  There enthusiasm for the history of the ancient people's that once lived here is infectious.  If we'd had the time to spare and the Mumms had the inclination, we'd have all been on a mesa tomorrow scouring the ground for relics. 
     As the food from dinner settled in our stomachs, the conversation continued.  We weren't sitting around a campfire, but with all the talk of hikers, hiking and the great outdoors, we very well could have been.  The ticking of the clock eventually led to the witching hour and the realization that it was time to wrap it up.  Our dreams tonight will be filled with scenes from ancient hunts and tribal dances.

7.4 Miles