BajaNomad - 100 Day Walk Around the Baja coastline: San Felipe to Rosarito

100 Day Walk Around the Baja coastline: San Felipe to Rosarito

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Curt63 - 5-14-2012 at 07:21 PM

They are on the move again now the sun is gone. It is only a brisk 97 in San Felipe. No more worries about the dog. Segunda stroller is brilliant.

Any Nomads have a large wheel jogging stroller to loan em? Im sure DavidK will come up with just the right tire configuration.

They covered maybe 10 miles? today so far.

I'd say they are learning and adapting.

Maybe they'll spend tomorrow afternoon soaking in the ocean to their necks.

Who knows, they may make CSL in 100 days. Thats an honorable goal!

Desert night hiking

Skipjack Joe - 5-14-2012 at 07:32 PM

Couldn't find anything really valuable on the web about hiking at night except that a headlamp is really useful.

As I recall scorpions come out of their holes at night (Sonoran Desert). Be extra careful when you finally bed down.

Hopefully you'll reach cooler shelter by morning somehow.

I checked the hourly forecast for San Felipe and you will have temperatures in the 70's (73-80) between midnight and 7AM. Even 8AM is 81. So that may be of help to you.

Best of luck

sanfelipeweather.jpg - 46kB

Desertbull - 5-14-2012 at 09:28 PM

This would help...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150818108318081&am...

David K - 5-14-2012 at 10:31 PM

That's funny Tim... and then they should drop the air pressure 50% once off the pavement, right? :lol:

Ateo - 5-15-2012 at 07:45 AM

They started bright and early today. Smart!

Taco de Baja - 5-15-2012 at 07:58 AM

I see they skipped walking for 3.5 miles yesterday.... :rolleyes:

Walking at night may not help much. One of the hottest times in my life was trip to San Luis Gonzaga in June just after school let out for the summer in the early 1980s. It was 110 at 10:00 at night with a 20 mph wind blowing from the west. It was like a blast furnace. The days were a little hotter. This was one of the only trips we cancelled early as a kid because it was just too darn hot.

walk baja 5-14-2010-sm.jpg - 45kB

goldhuntress - 5-15-2012 at 08:00 AM

Or else they forgot to turn it on.

[Edited on 5-15-2012 by goldhuntress]

Skipjack Joe - 5-15-2012 at 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Taco de Baja
Walking at night may not help much. One of the hottest times in my life was trip to San Luis Gonzaga in June just after school let out for the summer in the early 1980s. It was 110 at 10:00 at night with a 20 mph wind blowing from the west. It was like a blast furnace. The days were a little hotter. This was one of the only trips we cancelled early as a kid because it was just too darn hot.

We experienced that same thing in Gonzaga 2 summers ago. Although it did stop and cool down by midnight.

On the other hand right now you get mid 70's at night and mid/upper 90's during the day. But the humidity is in the 30's. After June the humidity will be in the 90's and the night temps won't be much lower than day temps.

Anyway, they're still not really walking at night. Last night they walked 7PM-9PM and the temp was still 90 at 9PM. I suppose it may feel cooler if the sun's rays are not on you. Today they started at 5:30AM but it's 80 by 8AM (they also took a 45min break during this prime time). It'll be 90 by 10AM. So, they could make it easier on themselves by quite a bit.

Another point is that there must be little joy in walking in darkness. Survival , yes. But I'm sure they want to see the landscape as well.

But, you're right. Once that humid air arrives into the gulf it will be over. Perhaps they planned to be in Cabo by then. That ain't gonna happen.

[Edited on 5-15-2012 by Skipjack Joe]

Graham - 5-15-2012 at 12:44 PM

I'm not sure why anyone thinks I've been encouraging this trip. These are my first three posts on this thread....

"Wow! There's no way I'd ever want to do anything like that.
I'd take the short route over the mountains and enjoy a few cold beers on the way."

"I've got to admire the charitable intent and also wish them well ... but as described it sounds like it will be utterly miserable... even dangerous.
It would be challenge enough in the winter. Hope they consider amending that schedule."

"And actually, John did email me to ask my advice for a walk from San Felipe to Rosarito. I misunderstood... I thought he was suggesting a more direct route. I only just found out how ambitious this will be.
I survived my trip because I was flexible enough to change coasts when temps got too brutal, and learned to sit up to my neck in the sea, take a few days off when necessary, do my walking early and late, and avoid the midday sun like the plague. Even so I had my brushes with heat exhaustion and semi-delirium."

Doesn't sound very encouraging to me. I hope they now switch to the Pacific and take two years if necessary. Whatever they do, I still wish them the best of luck. And I'm so glad that Cai has been sent home.

[Edited on 5-15-2012 by Graham]

Insanity is in the eyes of others

John M - 5-15-2012 at 12:54 PM

In two months I will be heading into Death Valley to support, and run with a woman who is taking part in the annual 135 mile Badwater to Mt. Whitney foot race. And for the elite it IS a race, have no doubt about it.

These athletes prepare for and endure daytime temperatures above 120, pavement over 180 degrees. The winners finish under 24 hours of near-continuous running.

There are extensive and scientific ways to prepare one's body for these temperature extremes.

The biggest challenge in Death Valley, and I would think to a greater degree in the summer in Baja is training your body to be able to process more than 16 ounces of fluids per hour. It is not hard to ingest more but without training, the body cannot utilize these extra ounces and that alone can cause severe problems. I do not know how much fluids they carry but I would venture to say that issues with a lack of fluids, such as blisters and high heart rate will complicate this walk. We've studied heat stresses on the body, facts readily available via the internet, and I hope these folks have done the same.

Best with your adventure.

John M

goldhuntress - 5-15-2012 at 01:40 PM

I've figured that they have gone 9.3 miles so far today. Puertecitos is 15.4 miles from where they are right now. It's around 101 in San Felipe according to a couple weather sites.

[Edited on 5-15-2012 by goldhuntress]

[Edited on 5-15-2012 by goldhuntress]

Skipjack Joe - 5-16-2012 at 08:42 AM

They should be reaching Puertecitos within the hour. They started at 5AM this morning and doing quite well. Didn't walk last night at all.

It looks as though part of the journey is being done by car. Another gap appeared yesterday like the one Taco de Baja illustrated. A lot more miles and it was during noon to 5PM. Perhaps they're afraid of falling off schedule too much.

[Edited on 5-16-2012 by Skipjack Joe]

bajawalk3.jpg - 48kB

goldhuntress - 5-16-2012 at 08:59 AM

I don't see a gap. To me it just looks like they turned off tracking and just did a check in. There will be a straight line then from point A to point B, it won't look like it's following the road. If they turn it off then on again at a certain point it will show a gap without any line to the point where they turn it on again. It's confusing and hard to follow at times.

Edit spelling

[Edited on 5-16-2012 by goldhuntress]

David K - 5-16-2012 at 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by goldhuntress
I don't see a gap. To me it just looks like they turned off tracking and just did a check in. There will be a straight line then from point A to point B, it won't look like it's following the road. If they turn it off then on again at a certain point it will show a gap without any line to the point where they turn it on again. It's confusing and hard to follow at times.

Edit spelling

[Edited on 5-16-2012 by goldhuntress]

The gap is after #22 at the very top, a mile or two past El Coloradito... and then the tracking begins again at Arroyo Matomi...

[Edited on 5-16-2012 by David K]

Skipjack Joe - 5-16-2012 at 09:29 AM

They did a checkin at 10AM and another checkin at 5PM followed by tracking. There was no tracking between the 2 points even though they covered about 5 miles in temperatures well over 90. That's unlikely. There has been no previous tracking in that kind of heat at that time of day. It's very unlikely they walked those 5 miles. I'm not judging them or making any conclusions. Just reporting on what's likely happened.

Taco de Baja - 5-16-2012 at 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
The gap is after #22 at the very top, a mile or two past El Coloradito... and then the tracking begins again at Arroyo Matomi...

This is probably their walk last night between ~7pm and 9pm. But, at a little over 5 miles that is a fast walk.

Forgetting to turn on the Spot several nights in a row is troubling....We'll see if this is a pattern. Perhaps this is a small sign that "desert madness" is setting in. Although, desert madness usually manifests itself after being in the heat too long, not after a rest period; so who knows.

Skipjack Joe - 5-16-2012 at 10:09 AM

The Matomi checkin was at 5PM (the end of the gap). There was no walking that evening. This morning's walk starts from last night's 5PM checkin spot.

Looks like their (they're. I seem to be making this mistake regularly now) continuing right past Puertecitos this morning.

[Edited on 5-16-2012 by Skipjack Joe]

goldhuntress - 5-16-2012 at 10:33 AM

I was just looking at the spot manual and it looks like the tracking stays on for 24 hours at a time then I assume you have to reset it. Also, when you send a check in it suspends tracking then resumes automatically. The batteries last 4.5 days with the tracking on. So maybe they walked when it was hot and the tracking went off. Just me being optimistic. They are doing very well today! So far it is much cooler then it has been.

Skipjack Joe - 5-16-2012 at 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by goldhuntress

They are doing very well today! So far it is much cooler then it has been.

Yes, they are. I think they've hit their stride. Gotten the kinks out of the system.

As you say it is cooler today. Normally it reaches 90 by 10AM but today it may be 11 or even noon. Today's high is 93 and tomorrow and day after will be 91.

There were some marvelous coves just south of Puertecitos that I was sure they would choose as camping spots but they're still walking.

goldhuntress - 5-16-2012 at 02:04 PM

Looks like a well deserved break at the beach. Good for them. They are approx. 4.8 miles south of Puertecitos. They walked 14.4 miles so far today. San Felipe is 102 to 106 right now, depending which site you look at, ouch!

[Edited on 5-17-2012 by goldhuntress]

David K - 5-16-2012 at 02:28 PM

I posted the link back near the beginning of this thread, here it is again to make it easier for viewers to click on.

LIVE SPOT TRACKING

They avoided Puertecitos and walking along the new highway, above town... now resting on the beach under the palapa seen in goldhuntress' image above.

Skipjack Joe - 5-16-2012 at 03:04 PM

Goldhuntress,

Which site are you looking at? I'm seeing 90 at 2:45PM on accuweather. Are you using their RealFeel temperatures?

http://www.accuweather.com/en/mx/san-felipe/231755/weather-f...

sftemp.jpg - 48kB

DianaT - 5-16-2012 at 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Goldhuntress,

Which site are you looking at? I'm seeing 90 at 2:45PM on accuweather. Are you using their RealFeel temperatures?

http://www.accuweather.com/en/mx/san-felipe/231755/weather-f...

Just a side note

I don't know about the San Felipe area, but I know that Accuweather reports the weather for Bahia Asunción and it is not based in reality. One of the homeowners in BA who really likes to follow the weather, finally contacted them and they said they took the readings from somewhere else that was not close to BA.

Good to see they are making progress and wish them well. Did they mention anywhere as to how much water they are carrying?

[Edited on 5-16-2012 by DianaT]

Skipjack Joe - 5-16-2012 at 03:22 PM

Wundergound gives almost identical temperatures. See below.

http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/76055.html

There is a slight cooling trend starting on Friday. 90 and 96 may seem almost the same but I think that's significant because those are highs. They could walk in 70's and 80's all day when the high is 90. But when it's 96 virtually all day is unwalkable (10AM to 9PM).

sfelipe2.jpg - 46kB

Mexitron - 5-16-2012 at 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by goldhuntress
Wow! I just checked the weather in San Felipe and it said it's 107 right now on Yahoo weather and 104 right now on Accuweather. The forecast had been 96. Maybe that's why they have been staying put for the last few hours.

I can verify the desert heat that day---I was out in Borrego Springs building a little shack for getaways and camping there at night---it was 108 during the day with blast furnace evening winds until midnite or so. They've got the ocean to jump into which should help but that was hard work in that kind of heat!

goldhuntress - 5-16-2012 at 03:42 PM

These were both actually higher earlier when I posted.

[Edited on 5-17-2012 by goldhuntress]

Curt63 - 5-17-2012 at 06:03 AM

Looks like they hit the trail at 3:18 am!

Suerte

David K - 5-17-2012 at 08:06 AM

They are just a bit north of El Huerfanito now.

Skipjack Joe - 5-17-2012 at 09:17 AM

They're about a mile north of Huefernito now. They gone through the roughest terrain between San Felipe and Gonzaga this morning.

They're taking a break at that first arroyo just north of huefernito. It's a really nice spot. Perhaps the uphill climb out of the arroyo going south (see bottom of screen) also encouraged them to take a break.

huefern.jpg - 48kB

tripledigitken - 5-17-2012 at 09:26 AM

At about 10 miles covered in 5 hrs they have had a good morning. That's a good pace for what they are trying to do.

Skipjack Joe - 5-17-2012 at 10:08 AM

Yes, but it looks like they may be done for the day. There's been a checkin at 9AM in that cove up against the base of the nothern cliffs and that usually means it's over for the day.

Sprocket - 5-17-2012 at 03:20 PM

They are going to need to find some bikes at the segunda in LA Bay if they plan on making it on time!lol....
Best of luck to them.

woody with a view - 5-17-2012 at 03:26 PM

it seems like that detour to the coast and back will add up (+/- a mile or so daily) by the end of the trip. that's alot of extra miles. i'd be looking for something nearer the road mostly, but then a gain, i wouldn't be walking unless my life depended on it.....

David K - 5-17-2012 at 03:36 PM

Woody, yesterday and today they were only a 100 yards or so from the road to the beach... and the temperature is so much nicer on the water than along the pavement.

Photobucket was having a problem the past 24 hrs., but all is well now... Here is yesterday's rest stop:

David K - 5-17-2012 at 03:51 PM

They have remained in this spot for 7+ hours today...

That is Little Orphan (El Huerfanito) island...

[Edited on 5-17-2012 by David K]

woody with a view - 5-17-2012 at 04:20 PM

okay, i didn't see a scale and ain't familiar with the area. that wouldn't be too bad then. it sure would be nice to know what kind of support they have bringing them water and necesities (sp?).

goldhuntress - 5-17-2012 at 04:41 PM

I'm not sure what the exact temp is but it's hot. I think they have walked 72.5 miles in total right now.

Text

mtgoat666 - 5-17-2012 at 05:02 PM

it sure seems like it would be more pleasant journey to bike or kayak,... just saying.... :light:

wonder if they considered that?

David K - 5-17-2012 at 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by goldhuntress
I'm not sure what the exact temp is but it's hot. I think they have walked 72.5 miles in total right now.

Text

Six Days and 72.5 miles = 12.1 miles each day, average.

David K - 5-17-2012 at 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666
it sure seems like it would be more pleasant journey to bike or kayak,... just saying.... :light:

wonder if they considered that?

Even more pleasant in an air conditioned SUV! :lol:

Ateo - 5-17-2012 at 05:18 PM

I'm gonna do this same trip in an air conditioned jet someday.

mtgoat666 - 5-17-2012 at 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666
it sure seems like it would be more pleasant journey to bike or kayak,... just saying.... :light:

wonder if they considered that?

Even more pleasant in an air conditioned SUV! :lol:

i would find a kayak or bike a lot more pleasant than an AC SUV. nothing more depressing than being cooped up in a car when you could be doing same travel in self-propelled fashion.

Skipjack Joe - 5-17-2012 at 06:22 PM

If they keep starting at 3AM they should make good time to Gonzaga. It's mostly flat the rest of the way.

3AM - 8AM. That must have been so much better than the 3PM - 7PM first day. The high each day is around 3:30PM. Evening walks make no sense. They've figured it out now. They're only walking the first part of the day.

I thought they would continue until 10AM today but that cove is so enticing. We always think of pulling off the hwy at that spot on the way home but there is never any time left. All the time is budgeted for the dash home.

Curt63 - 5-17-2012 at 06:55 PM

It must be flat out torture! laying around all afternoon and evening in that heat... no picnic

Seriously, I hope they switch coasts, make CSL their final destination and call it a 1000 mile trip in 100 days. That would still be very respectable and realistic (if all goes perfectly).

[Edited on 5-18-2012 by Curt63]

goldhuntress - 5-17-2012 at 06:57 PM

Wow, they're on the move again. They walked only a few feet where there are 2 trackings from the same spot. Probably readjusting the packs or fixing boots or something, who knows. Now they are at the road. I'm very impressed!

goldhuntress - 5-17-2012 at 07:47 PM

Hummm, not sure what going on. They were moving much faster than usual, went off the road and then the tracking stopped.

Skipjack Joe - 5-17-2012 at 10:11 PM

goldhuntress,

My theory is that the new paved hwy was not built directly over the old road. As long as they walked on the hwy that was paved when google took the images they walked on the hwy. Now they're walking on the paved road that is shown as a dirt road and it appears that they're off the hwy when in fact they are on a paved hwy that's next to the old dirt hwy. Are you confused with the explanation/theory?

[Edited on 5-18-2012 by Skipjack Joe]

goldhuntress - 5-17-2012 at 10:29 PM

When it tracks on the Spot page it just goes straight from one point to the next right? It doesn't follow the road, only if I put the coordinate in Google Maps does it do that. So if they go around a curve and you zoom in on the Spot page it can look like they cut straight through instead of staying on the road. There is no curve in the road between 48 and 49, both points are west of the road so to me it looks like they walked in the wash and the old road area. I thought they may have walked up what looks to be a hill at 47 to get a look down that way. So hard to speculate.

Skipjack Joe - 5-17-2012 at 11:02 PM

My theory:

1) #47 is just off the hwy as they prepare to resume their journey.

2) The new hwy now crosses the arroyo on a bridge. It no longer drops to the bottom by looping along the left.

3) #48 and #49 are now directly on the new hwy.

4) The new hwy no longer follows the dirt hwy to the right of 47 and 48. It may partly overlap the old hwy but does not fully because the 2 points are not on old hwy.

As you say it's now hard to tell where the new hwy lies other than the spots that have been sent.

bajawalk4.jpg - 50kB

Skipjack Joe - 5-17-2012 at 11:22 PM

Another example of our hikers walking across open desert.

The old hwy is clearly to the right. Our hikers are walking on a paved road that appears to be open country.

If you zoom in on #20 you can see both the hwy they're walking on and the old hwy next to them. This was the end of the new hwy when google made it's map. But as you move further down the new hwy has not yet been constructed and the spots are now on open land.

bajawalk5.jpg - 48kB

goldhuntress - 5-18-2012 at 08:56 AM

Skipjack, I am not familiar with the road there so you would know. They had a later start today than yesterday and have gone 4.5 miles, but that would be if they were on the road shown on Google which I guess is the old road? Still close though.

David K - 5-18-2012 at 09:13 AM

Igor is correct, the new highway is their path and not 'open desert'. In the above image, they are passing Cerro Prieto volcano (see the crater?)

#21-#24 is the new highway, but on top of the previous (1986) graded road... The dirt road you see parallel to the right is the old original 4WD road to Gonzaga, but graded during highway construction, as a detour.

[Edited on 7-8-2012 by David K]

David K - 5-18-2012 at 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by goldhuntress
Skipjack, I am not familiar with the road there so you would know. They had a later start today than yesterday and have gone 4.5 miles, but that would be if they were on the road shown on Google which I guess is the old road? Still close though.

They are definitely on the new highway... It runs parallel to the older road, to the west (inland) of it.

LIVE SPOT TRACKING

old hwy vs new hwy

Skipjack Joe - 5-18-2012 at 09:56 AM

Quote:

Yes, they started at 7AM today vs 3AM yesterday. I can't understand why unless they just didn't like the darkness. It's 10AM and they're still moving whereas yesteerday by 8AM they were done, having hiked in cooler temperatures and more miles.

One of the interesting things below is how the new hwy was constructed. The old hwy follows flat level ground that can be seen to the right. But the new hwy has been clearly built to avoid this area and follow the hilly part right next to it. Since this construction is more expensive than on flat ground (the blasting and the bridges) I can't understand why this was done. The only thing I came up with is that a road on such flat ground degrades faster due to storm runoff, like the section north of Puertecitos.

Either way our intrepid explorers would have an easier time if they had followed the old road in this section.

bajawalk6.jpg - 46kB

David K - 5-18-2012 at 10:08 AM

Exactly... Along the base of the hills to avoid flash flood washouts, and nice big bridges instead of vados.

If they stayed on the dirt road, not only are they closer to the sea (cooler), but safer from motorists (not that there may be many).

Maybe they have a support vehicle that comes to them periodically?

goldhuntress - 5-18-2012 at 12:56 PM

Yes it seems it would be easier to use the old road, and maybe slightly shorter. They have their own reasons why they make the choices they do and and I'll be interested in hearing why they've done certain things during the trip that don't seem like the best thing to do or that we can't figure out at all. Not to much of that yet but they have a long way to go.

Cypress - 5-18-2012 at 01:21 PM

Hang in there!

tripledigitken - 5-18-2012 at 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by goldhuntress
Yes it seems it would be easier to use the old road, and maybe slightly shorter. They have their own reasons why they make the choices they do and and I'll be interested in hearing why they've done certain things during the trip that don't seem like the best thing to do or that we can't figure out at all. Not to much of that yet but they have a long way to go.

Perhaps he's choosing the pavement/ newly graded roadbed because of the stroller he is pushing. (I am assuming that the new roadbed is a better surface than the detour/old road) That said, they are about to run out of the new alignment. I'm sure they will be replacing the stroller with a better suited vehicle for the job (not many babies in strollers weigh 80#'s).

:lol:

Ken

[Edited on 5-18-2012 by tripledigitken]

tripledigitken - 5-18-2012 at 01:44 PM

Igor,

They did leave the cliff/coast rest spot last night and hiked up the ridge and camped. I wouldn't want to face that first thing either.

Ken

David K - 5-18-2012 at 02:17 PM

At this location, north of Okie's Landing since 10 am:

goldhuntress - 5-18-2012 at 02:27 PM

Quote:

Ken

I believe you may be right! I'd totally forgotten about the stroller!

David K - 5-18-2012 at 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K
At this location, north of Okie's Landing since 10 am:

They are still here since before 10 am, now 5:45 pm.

Stroller

Skipjack Joe - 5-18-2012 at 06:22 PM

Good point, Ken.

Unless they solve the problem of the stroller they may not go much further. Since he can't carry his belongings and since the stroller is useless on the gravel road that is just coming up, they have to come up with a different solution.

I checked the net for all terrain strollers and found them to be really expensive and not suitable for baja. The ones with inflatable tires seemed to be most promising. But pushing something like that along baja's washboards makes the trip much harder.

http://joggingstroller.com/2169/featured/schwinn-m3-double-j...

Perhaps they've thought of a solution by now. I'm curious. Perhaps their supply vehicle should carry everything but water. There are these hydration packs that sit comfortably. A gallon weighs 8lbs. Surely he can carry 16lbs on his back.

Curt63 - 5-19-2012 at 06:08 AM

Hmmm ..... Whats up?

They walked until 9:40am on Fri and made camp.

I could be mistaken, but it looks like they took a ride to Gonzaga.

Medical? Supplies? (hope everyone is OK)

Then, they hit the trail at 3am today.

Keep up the great work team!

mtgoat666 - 5-19-2012 at 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Curt63
Hmmm ..... Whats up?

They walked until 9:40am on Fri and made camp.

I could be mistaken, but it looks like they took a ride to Gonzaga.

Medical? Supplies? (hope everyone is OK)

Then, they hit the trail at 3am today.

according to spot, they took a long car ride between yesterdays camp spot and this mornings beginning of walk. i guess the walk is over, they drove their first section -- and it wasn't a spot mistake, that was a large gap, larger than their average daily walk.
sad to see them give up so soon, but probably sane decision given the heat.

tripledigitken - 5-19-2012 at 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote:

Would be nice if their website would do some updates, none yet since they started.

Yea, it was a 20 mile gap from their campsite into Gonzaga that transmitted at 3 am, then an hour later their back on the road southbound. ???????

goldhuntress - 5-19-2012 at 07:18 AM

From yesterdays last check in then this mornings 3am check in is 22.9 miles. Then the 4:41am track back to the road was 2.4 miles. Now they are back to the normal intervals. Is there internet in Gonzaga? Would be nice to hear from the hikers, they did check in here once.

Skipjack Joe - 5-19-2012 at 07:40 AM

I thought it was gonna take them 2 1/2 days of walking to get to alphonsinas. Problem solved. I guess the felt they were just falling too far off schedule.

Let's see where they turn after Coco's (2-3 days from now).

mtgoat666 - 5-19-2012 at 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I thought it was gonna take them 2 1/2 days of walking to get to alphonsinas. Problem solved. I guess the felt they were just falling too far off schedule.

Let's see where they turn after Coco's (2-3 days from now).

the adventure challenge aspect is gone. they are "cheating" -- no longer should anyone consider it a "challenge"

Taco de Baja - 5-19-2012 at 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote:

the adventure challenge aspect is gone. they are "cheating" -- no longer should anyone consider it a "challenge"

They've been cheating on other days as well, with little 3-5 mile "hops" between the end of the previous day and the beginning of the next. Maybe they figured what the heck 20 miles is "only" 1% of the challenge, it's not that big of a deal....... :rolleyes:

mtgoat666 - 5-19-2012 at 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Taco de Baja

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666

Quote:

the adventure challenge aspect is gone. they are "cheating" -- no longer should anyone consider it a "challenge"

what a scam and a sham.
are they hitchhiking?
or do they have an RV sag wagon for rides and hotel-style camping?

dtbushpilot - 5-19-2012 at 08:43 AM

I knew this thread would head south sooner or later....dt

David K - 5-19-2012 at 08:47 AM

Well, maybe they will walk 2000 miles in 100 days, and ride in a car any other miles... Graham said his coastal walk was 3000 miles (following the coastline, with only a couple exceptions). Since this couple is using roads to walk around Baja, at least they have a support vehicle or they are hitch hiking some parts?

Just now:

goldhuntress - 5-19-2012 at 08:54 AM

So is it impossible that they walked during the night and that the tracking after the 24 hours turned off automatically, they forgot to turn it back on and so it just didn't track that part? They have support in that area maybe someone took their packs so they could move faster. I've walked 21 miles in 5 hours before. They seem so dedicated it just seems hard to believe they would take a ride. I mean that would defeat their whole purpose. I'll wait to find out before I pass judgement.

Skipjack Joe - 5-19-2012 at 08:58 AM

I don't think they're cheating. Although I can see how you would think that. It all depends on what you define as doing it the right way.

If the only correct journey is one that is totally unaided, then it still hasn't been done. Neither Graham nor the man with the burro did it. Yet they're still accomplishments due to the difficulty involved and the tenacity required.

These people are redefining their goals as they go along based upon what they're encountering. I can't remember if Graham's decision to break up his trip into time periods was done at the start of the trip or was the result of the heat encountered.

For those who pooh-pooh this endeaver: you try to do it.

----------------------------

Basically, it is what it is. You start with certain intentions and you are forced to modify them. At the end you are left with something you've done. Some will admire it and some won't. Not every journey is Lindberg crossing the Atlantic.

[Edited on 5-19-2012 by Skipjack Joe]

desertcpl - 5-19-2012 at 09:05 AM

well it didnt take long, for this to unravel

like I said earlier, just to hot to try at the pace that they wanted to

Graham was right the only way possible was on the other coast

David K - 5-19-2012 at 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I don't think they're cheating. Although I can see how you would think that. It all depends on what you define as doing it the right way.

If the only correct journey is one that is totally unaided, then it still hasn't been done. Neither Graham nor the man with the burro did it. Yet they're still accomplishments due to the difficulty involved and the tenacity required.

These people are redefining their goals as they go along based upon what they're encountering. I can't remember if Graham's decision to break up his trip into time periods was done at the start of the trip or was the result of the heat encountered.

For those who pooh-pooh this endeaver: you try to do it.

Any adventure in Baja is worthy... as I said, they may walk 2000 miles, and just take rides the rest of the total miles (as it may easily be more than 2000).

The man with the burro (Mike Younghusband) did get a couple car rides (kidnapped almost)... from Vizcaino to Asuncion and from Constitucion to Lopez Mateos. It was no secret and they were both rides to points west, didn't take away from the south movement walk.

mtgoat666 - 5-19-2012 at 09:06 AM

Quote:

they said they were going to walk, called it a challenge. i consider logistical support fair, but getting car rides eliminates the challenge, makes it something else, not sure what you should call it...

but no longer as interesting, they set a challenge of self-propelling themselves, now they are driving,... really much less interesting to follow along as an arm chair traveler.

David K - 5-19-2012 at 09:13 AM

Walk Dates:
•San Felipe – Sat, May 12
•Puertecitos – Mon, May 14
•Gonzaga Bay – Wed, May 16
•Mision de Calamajue – Fri, May 18
•Bahia de los Angeles – Mon, May 21
•San Ignacio – Tues, May 29
•Santa Rosalia- Thurs, June 1
•Mulege – Sun, June 3
•Loreto – Thurs/Fri, June 7/8
•La Paz – Thurs/Fri, June 21/22
•Los Barriles – Mon, June 25
•San Jose del Cabo – Fri, June 29
•Cabo San Lucas – Sat, June 30
•Todos Santos – Mon, July 2
•Bahia de Magdalena – Mon/Tues, July 9/10
•Laguna San Ignacio – Fri/Sat/Sun July 20/21/22
•Guerrero Negro – Fri, July 27
•Santa Rosalillita – Tues, July 31
•(El Rosario) – Thurs, Aug 9
•San Quintin – Sat, Aug 11
•Ensenada – Thurs/Fri, Aug 16/17
•Puerto Nuevo - Click-On, Sun, Aug 19

WELL... they are keeping to their schedule... It will be interesting to see IF they do indeed go to Calamajue mission or out to Chapala instead (depends if their support vehicle is 4WD or not, I would think).

Skipjack Joe - 5-19-2012 at 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by David K

The man with the burro (Mike Younghusband) did get a couple car rides (kidnapped almost)... from Vizcaino to Asuncion and from Constitucion to Lopez Mateos. It was no secret and they were both rides to points west, didn't take away from the south movement walk.

Yes, but he didn't follow the coast as strictly as Graham. He was always on dirt roads. So you could argue that it was less of an accomplishment due to the degree of difficulty.

In fact, his journey was the easiest of the three in my opinion.

Instead of treating a hike in the heat as an act of stupidity I could just as easily treat it as an accomplishment and give them a lot of points for walking as far as they have in 100 degree weather.

So cheating and succes or failure is all how you define it. And, I would argue, it should be defined at the end of the journey.

Also, don't forget that the whole purpose of this is to get charity money. The only failure is if money is not garnered.

Skipjack Joe - 5-19-2012 at 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mtgoat666

but no longer as interesting, they set a challenge of self-propelling themselves, now they are driving,... really much less interesting to follow along as an arm chair traveler.

I agree.

When I saw the map this morning with the obvious ride I, too, lost interest.

But there are enough challenges coming up that it still is the most interesting thread on the website. And it's so positive (think of ramuma's 120 pages of drek).

The fact that they're using this spot device which is sending signals every 10 minutes is perhaps the best thing about this trip. None of the others did this. It's like we are there. You can look and surmise each thing they do on the journey from the map and where they stop and when they stop and how long they stop. In fact even this discussion of cheating is brought about by the transparency of this device. They are exposing their own cheating. Who knows whether the others didn't get rides. There is no verification.

So the spot device usage goes into the pros column.

Curt63 - 5-19-2012 at 10:06 AM

One possible reason for the rides and adhering to the schedule/map is they have an inflexible re-supply schedule.

They could find themselves in a lot of trouble in this next leg to BOLA.

I'm losing interest too.

I hope like hell they switch coasts.

Skipjack Joe - 5-19-2012 at 10:21 AM

The problem is, curt63, that when you make the venture too safe and too easy - that's when you lose interest.

It's solving and overcoming challenges that has the greatest interest value.

The fact that Graham almost passed out from dehydration north of San Evaristo and was found by a boy from a fish camp, made the book hard to put down. Without the challenges and "the sergeant" telling him to press on the book would have been uninteresting. In fact Graham's current baja celebrity status would not exist.

tripledigitken - 5-19-2012 at 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
The problem is, curt63, that when you make the venture too safe and too easy - that's when you lose interest.

It's solving and overcoming challenges that has the greatest interest value.

The fact that Graham almost passed out from dehydration north of San Evaristo and was found by a boy from a fish camp, made the book hard to put down. Without the challenges and "the sergeant" telling him to press on the book would have been uninteresting. In fact Graham's current baja celebrity status would not exist.

Igor,

You know the area they are about to face, as I do. Do you think it is probable that he can push/pull a stroller with 80#'s on it turning left at Coco's? That scenario has simply got to change. I would not be surprised if we see a change of route to Lake Chapala then Mex 1 to BOLA.

think I'd rather have this "all terrain" unit.

(about 10#'s air???)

Ken

[Edited on 5-19-2012 by tripledigitken]

Skipjack Joe - 5-19-2012 at 10:59 AM

Ken,

I'm curious to know how they solved their stroller problem. There has been no posts by them. It's hard to believe they're using it today on that gravel washboard road.

I have to say that I will be disappointed if they don't turn left at Coco's and proceed to Chapala and the main hwy. It's the first really challenging section they are facing. They have learned much up til now and I think they can do it.

I spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out the route then would take and I just can't see a way to get from the calamajue plain to the large plain just southwest of punta remedios. There are mountains in between and google earth shows no trails through this area.

-------------------------------------------

My mistake. They never intended to go through the mountains and agua amarga. They plan to go through calamajue canyon and out to main hwy - a much easier route. In fact they're skipping all the challenging parts of the gulf coastline (South of San Francisquito and Agua Verde to San Evaristo).

No need for Graham to look into the rear view mirror. :lol:

Planned Route

[Edited on 5-19-2012 by Skipjack Joe]

sancho - 5-19-2012 at 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
The fact that Graham almost passed out from dehydration north of San Evaristo and was found by a boy from a fish camp, made the book hard to put down. Without the challenges and "the sergeant" telling him to press on the book would have been uninteresting. In fact Graham's current baja celebrity status would not exist.

G Mack is THE ORIGINAL, especially not having any of the communication
of today, not that the recent treks are not noteworthy

Curt63 - 5-19-2012 at 01:40 PM

Joe, I spent some time looking at the Baja Good Life website and Facebook page. It only reduced my confidence in their chances of actually making it.

They seem like very nice people that got bored and cooked up this unbelievably irresponsible, poorly advised Eco adventure. I sinceerly hope they have learned a lot in the last week and make significant adjustments.

I found nothing describing their support team. Their gear and packing list leads me to believe they are new to camping/hiking. Her footwear on their first day of training was a joke. They even took a solar shower. with them :rolleyes:

I hope no one gets hurt

Natalie Ann - 5-19-2012 at 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tripledigitken
Do you think it is probable that he can push/pull a stroller with 80#'s on it turning left at Coco's? That scenario has simply got to change. I would not be surprised if we see a change of route to Lake Chapala then Mex 1 to BOLA.

think I'd rather have this "all terrain" unit.

(about 10#'s air???)

Ken

[Edited on 5-19-2012 by tripledigitken]

When pushing 80 pounds over rough terrain I always go for my trusty wheelbarrow.

nena

Cypress - 5-19-2012 at 02:24 PM

Was a good idea, walking around Baja etc. But? And this is a big but. You better be in very good physical condition to attempt a mega mile walk in desert country. They were not. End of story.

Skipjack Joe - 5-19-2012 at 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Curt63

They seem like very nice people that got bored and cooked up this unbelievably irresponsible, poorly advised Eco adventure. I sinceerly hope they have learned a lot in the last week and make significant adjustments.

I think that most people agree with you that they were woefully unprepared for the hardships of this journey. I guess the biggest surprise for me was that they didn't make a more significant preliminary journey, say 7 days, to get all the kinks out. The first day of this journey was 8AM-3PM and 5PM-7PM in temperatures that never dropped below 90.

I also think that they are reading this thread on almost a daily basis. So any suggesions that we may have are greatly appreciated. It's not too late to change. Graham and Youngblood did as well. If you had been monitoring Graham in his dash to BOLA when he couldn't decide whether to use the stills or keep moving you probably would have advised him to head for the Pacific and not deal with the heat and dehydration.

Personally I'm glad that all 3 of these trips are/were done by amateurs. I would find it far less interesting if some young professional stud who's climbed all the major peaks would be doing the trek.

Again part of the appeal of Graham's journey was that here was a fair skinned couch potato that had no desert experience who took on baja in the most difficult manner. The story to me was not about circumnavigating baja but of the perseverance of a man against the odds.

I see much of the same here so far.

Skipjack Joe - 5-19-2012 at 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Cypress

You better be in very good physical condition to attempt a mega mile walk in desert country. They were not. End of story.

No, not end of story.

By now they're in great shape. The walking brought them into shape.

I was looking at google earth of a sierra trip I had done in my mid twenties. We went in at Mammoth and came out a week later at Rock Creek. The first day I just about died climbing up to Duck Lake (4 miles). The last day I virtually flew over 12,000+ foot Mono Pass and dropped down to the pavement below (12 miles).

Cypress - 5-19-2012 at 03:18 PM

Skipjack Joe, If you say so? But? :yes:

goldhuntress - 5-19-2012 at 03:47 PM

Skipjack, I think the key phrase there might be "in my mid twenties", lol.
I do agree though, they are in better shape now than when they left. That's why I think they may have walked and just messed up with the Spot. 9:51am yesterday to 3:03am this morning are not accounted for by tracking, that's 15 hours, and that is plenty of time to go 22 miles with support. They could have left at 3:00 pm had a car take the packs and someone with water and food sticking by them and made it in 7 hours, by 10:00pm. This morning from 3:03 to 4:41 they went 2.4 miles, no tracking because as you know I think it went off and they forgot to turn it on and finally realized it when they hit the road at 4:41 and turned it on. Maybe they just decided to try and kick it up a notch. After all they only went 6.6 miles on Friday morning. Maybe the plan was to rest all day and push to Gonzaga in the late afternoon. I guess we just have to wait to find out. It just does not make sense to me that they would get a ride then continue walking, why? That would so not be worth the credibility they have lost with some people and it didn't put them hardly any closer to where they supposed to be at this point either.

woody with a view - 5-19-2012 at 04:03 PM

i think it's cool they are trying. odds are stacked but they are still at it.

goldhuntress - 5-19-2012 at 04:17 PM

Also, an example to support my theory that they forget to pay attention to the Spot is today they stopped and did not check in for almost 3 hours, all the time the tracking going off in the same place, 16 times, until they remembered to do a check in and suspended the tracking.

shari - 5-19-2012 at 04:20 PM

both MIke & Donkay were pretty out of shape when they started their trek...but got whipped into shape along the way. I was thinking that it is overkill to have the SPOT device track every few minutes...wouldnt that take more battery power? Mike forgot to turn his on sometimes too.

I wonder what ever happened to that french canuck who was walking the continent in short shorts along the highway with an off road stroller?

Skipjack Joe - 5-19-2012 at 04:38 PM

I see you remember the short shorts.

Skipjack Joe - 5-20-2012 at 08:20 AM

They should be reaching Coco's oday in about 2 hours if they keep walking at current rate.

They started at 4:30 this morning.

tripledigitken - 5-20-2012 at 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
They should be reaching Coco's oday in about 2 hours if they keep walking at current rate.

They started at 4:30 this morning.

will they turn left (as it appears on their route map) or head straight to Chapala?????

David K - 5-20-2012 at 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe

Quote:

Don't forget that between Punta San Carlos and Puerto Santa Catarina he and Don Kay DID walk the coast... until they ran out of land and tried going around... That is the one time he hit the help button and Nomads (Ron) went into action to help him. He stayed on roads after that!

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