by handlebar » Tue Dec 28, 2010 12:52 pm
Also a late response. I can recommend the Crazy Cook route which is now Ley's "red route" or main route. If Sam Hughes is still driving hikers down there as he was last year, it's a good way to get there from Hachita. The way is well marked by large signs posted by the BLM. Sam cached water in the BLM water caches for me and the other hikers starting there. I found the NM desert quite picturesque. Among other things, this route takes you through the lower Gila which was crotch high and quite swift---I went swimming twice, once when I slipped on a rock while trying to avoid yet another ford and another time when the channel was surprisingly deep and swift just as I was reaching the far bank. Definitely got the adrenalin surging. The Columbus route takes you to the Middle Gila so you miss some of the excitement.
To clear up some of the confusion: AFAIK Jim Wolfe and the CDTS were driving forces for getting the CDT designated as a National Scenic Trail. The CDTS is now an advocacy group promoting routes that Wolfe and the CDTS prefers. The CDTA is the "official" non-profit that interfaces with the land managers along the route of the CDT. These are the BLM, the Forest Service, and the National Park Service. The CDTA is the functional equivalent of the PCTA and the ATC.
Handlebar