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Continental Divide
Hiking and Biking
Trail Southern
Terminus Columbus,
New Mexico Links
 
American Long
Distance Hiking
Association West
Wikipedia for
Bikers:
Great Divide
Mountain Bike Route
Wikipedia for Hikers
Continental Divide
Trail
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blog entry from:
dan and anna's
adventures
¡Mexico!
Posted on November
15, 2010 by Anna
 Finally,
the long overdue
blog on our finish:
We had a nostalgic
and easy 2 days from
Deming to Columbus.
On OCTOBER 27th, we
reunited with Yas
(he’d done the
hard-core cacti
bushwack through the
Florida Mountains
that we’d bypassed).
Yas said the
bushwack wasn’t too
bad, but we also had
to pick a dozen
cactus spines out of
his back from when
he’d fallen on a
cactus. In Colombus,
New Mexico (a town
known for its 1916
attack by Pancho
Villa) we
breakfasted before
setting off on our
final 3 mile road
walk. Dan had made a
star as a monument
for our finish since
Jonathan Ley’s maps
use stars to mark
out segments on the
trail. (Rather than
going point to
point, we go star to
star… and we were
approaching our
final star!)
The finish was the
in many ways the
complete opposite of
our Pacific Crest
Trail finish in
Canada. Instead of
endless trees, there
were cacti. In place
of a strip of clear
cut trees, there was
a strip mall with a
Family Dollar.
Rather than
solitude, Mexicans
and Americans alike
(along with plenty
of Border Patrol
Officials) milled
about the streets.
But the best part
was rather than an 8
mile walk to
civilization and
food, we just had a
8 minute stroll into
the town of Palomas,
Mexico.
 We’d
debated whether or
not we should enter
Mexico since Palomas
is nearby Juarez
which is in the
midst of a dangerous
drug war. But in the
end it seemed safe
and we were so glad
we decided to enter
Mexico. At The Pink
Store were treated
like celebrities.
The owner shouted
out to everyone (in
Spanish and English)
that we’d just
walked from Canada
and treated us to
margaritas. We dined
on muy ricos
burritos and fajitas
as a mariachi bands
played. It was the
perfect way to
celebrate our
(approximately)
2,800 mile journey
on foot from Canada
to Mexico. Naomi,
Mike’s wife, had
flown in for the
occasion too. Yes,
The Pink Store is a
total tourist trap,
full of handcrafted
Mexican folk art and
retired American
couples, but it was
heavenly! (Besides,
of those retired
couples bought us a
round of drinks!)
It had been an
amazing journey…. it
was hard to believe
it was actually
over.
Click to read more
of dan and anna's
adventure's
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The
Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
(in short Continental Divide Trail) is a United
States National Scenic Trail running 3,100 miles
(5,000 km) between Mexico and Canada. It follows the
Continental Divide of the Americas along the Rocky
Mountains and traverses five U.S. states — Montana,
Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. In Montana
it crosses Triple Divide Peak which separates the
Hudson Bay, Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean
drainages.
The trail is a combination of dedicated trails and
small roads and considered 70% complete. Portions
designated as uncompleted must be traveled
roadwalking on dirt or paved roads.
The CDT in New Mexico is about 700 miles (1,100 km)
long and some portions have very limited water.
Local volunteer groups place water caches (usually a
pile of plastic gallon jugs) at strategic points
along the trail. Three southern termini of the trail
exist: Crazy Cook Monument, Antelope Wells and
Columbus, all in New Mexico's boot heel. Columbus,
New Mexico, is also the northern terminus of the
annual 250-mile (400 km)
Cabalgata Binacional Villista. |
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