How are you doing D'Rat? Been over 9 years since we traveled together... that was a fun trip! http://vivabaja.com/van1 with El Camote, Debra, DavidE, my kids and the Humfreville's tagging along... Neal Johns was with us a lot, too.
The adventure begins. Hope all's well on the second night of your long walk to Cabo San Lucas. Wishing you safe and comfortable campsites with your
burro and two dogs. And good luck with all the challenges and tough decisions ahead.
Above all, may the Lord smile on you, may you find kindness and encouragement every step of the way - as I did - and may all your whiskey stashes be
undisturbed.
When Mike Younghusband decided to get his ass moving by hiking 1,500 miles down Mexico's Baja Peninsula, he chose to do it with the help of a burro.
On Oct. 1, Younghusband, a 61-year-old Vietnam vet who lives in El Cajon, Calif., will start a six-month journey accompanied only by his two dogs -- a
Chihuahua-dachshund mix and a Jack Russell terrier -- and the aforementioned burro, whose name is "Don-Kay."
It's a dream trip for Younghusband, who has loved Baja all his life, but only became inspired to take the journey after reading a book by friend and
Baja expert Graham Mackintosh, who accomplished a similar odyssey.
"I know Baja and love it, and when I decided to do the trip, I knew I wanted the burro," Younghusband told AOL News.
But not just any burro would do.
"I could buy a green burro, one that's never been ridden or trained to carry items, for around $300, but mine is trained and that cost me about $700
-- in Mexico!"
However, when it comes to burros, Younghusband quickly discovered it's a seller's market.
"There aren't that many burros for sale," he lamented. "I looked for months and I couldn't find one in San Diego, Los Angeles or Phoenix."
Fortunately, he got lucky about eight months ago and found Don-Kay, a 4-year-old burro at a ranch just across the border near Tecate, Mexico.
Younghusband has been going to visit Don-Kay twice a week in order to bond with the burro before the trip.
"When Graham made his trip, it was on a burro he met the day he started his trip -- big mistake!" he said. "I really want to become friends with him
so that he trusts me. The hardest part will be leaving the ranch. He's the only male among a few females and he has kids and his own stall, so I will
have to coax him along until we're finally away from the ranch."
After that, he says the hardest part will be keeping Don-Kay away from any females he meets on the estimated six-month trip.
"Burros roam free in Mexico, and that's a big concern of mine since he's an un-neutered male. If he hears a female, he goes crazy and ears go back on
his head and he wants to get away," he said. "I've been through it before.
"It won't be easy dealing with that, but I didn't want to [neuter] him before the trip because A) the operation is difficult and risky for burros and
B) there are more females than males, so I am hoping I can barter goods and services from farmers in exchange for letting him sleep in a pen with
their females."
When Younghusband isn't hiking or pimping out his burro, he plans to hunt for quails, clams, lobsters, rabbits and other food found along the coast.
Still, he has been preparing for the trip by visiting predetermined spots on the route and burying caches filled with items like whiskey, coffee,
flavored waters and other goodies.
"I am also bringing along protein bars for Don-Kay just in case there isn't enough places to graze," he said. "I hope he likes them."
Younghusband figures he'll be traveling up to 10 miles per day, but some days, like when he reaches a mountain range or 100 miles of mangrove trees,
he'll be happy if he makes it four miles.
"The hardest part will be the mangroves down near Cabo San Lucas," he said. "They go into the water and they attract lots of mosquitoes and flies."
Younghusband won't be completely out of the loop on his trip. In deference to his three daughters, he will be using a GPS messenger so that his
whereabouts are known at all times.
"I know a lot of people who live in Mexico who plan to use GPS to meet up with me while on my journey for beers and such," he said.
Although Younghusband is taking the trip for his own enjoyment, there is a higher purpose to the journey.
"I love Baja. It has some of the nicest people you'll find anywhere," he said. "But I got a lot of negativity from people when I announced the trip
and I want everyone to know that once you get past Tijuana, Baja's a peaceful, happy place."
Younghusband expects the trip will take six months, but his friend, Mackintosh, suggests it may not work out to schedule.
"My first trip was scheduled for around six month," he said. "But it took me almost two years. I was having so much fun and surrounded by so much
beauty and peace that I was in no hurry to come back."
thanks David for posting his locations...keep it up as I am up to my ears in work backlog plus I cant figure out how to read his spot thingy....wonder
if he got some nice rain so Don Kay will be happy with fresh green shoots instead of power bars!!
That's what I figured Shari... no worries, if I don't post it because I am actually away or not online, go right ahead. I hope he can get the pace up
a bit so he is out of the sierras before winter weather starts!
Originally posted by DianaT
Using a map like that will be interesting to follow their progress, and it will be interesting to see how close David is in marking his course.
How Mike and all the animals are enjoying the journey.
The SPOT data comes to me on Google Earth, so the location is 'spot on'. You can zoom in and see the road they are on, so it is pretty easy for me to
either find that road on the AAA map or add it in.
His Oct. 3 PM location was just outside (southeast of) the big prison at El Hongo. Not shown on the AAA map, but clearly seen from space is a road
that continues south from there then turns east to meet the road running south of El Condor... which is what I added in.
Originally posted by DianaT
Using a map like that will be interesting to follow their progress, and it will be interesting to see how close David is in marking his course.
How Mike and all the animals are enjoying the journey.
The SPOT data comes to me on Google Earth, so the location is 'spot on'. You can zoom in and see the road they are on, so it is pretty easy for me to
either find that road on the AAA map or add it in.
His Oct. 3 PM location was just outside (southeast of) the big prison at El Hongo. Not shown on the AAA map, but clearly seen from space is a road
that continues south from there then turns east to meet the road running south of El Condor... which is what I added in.
DK:
Could you start a map feature in Google Earth so people can view route/dates in Google Earth? Google Earth also allows people to upload georeferenced
photos, so would be nice way for people to follow his progress, check out photos, etc
David, I am swamped with work so it would be great if you could design something like goat suggests and maybe we could get an idea how many miles he
is covering in an average day....Mike is looking forward to having visitors and some cold beer so maybe you could predict somewhat about when he might
reach an area that is accessible to folks who might want to meet up with him...ideas???
In as much as Mike hasn't requested such detail, I am going to stick to posting his approx. SPOT locations and estimated course of travel, on the AAA
map... which has mileages along all roads shown.
You will be able to see his daily progress. On days I get a SPOT email and days I am at home to shatre them.
So far, he has averaged only 4-5 miles per day. However, it is early and I am sure he and Don Kay will get their rythem aligned and cover more ground
daily.
Perhaps if Graham (the all time expert at this) could comment on the daily progress Mike should be making?
Originally posted by David K
So far, he has averaged only 4-5 miles per day. However, it is early and I am sure he and Don Kay will get their rythem aligned and cover more ground
daily.
He's communicated this is a 6 month trip... and as such, 4-5 miles a day is probably all he needs
to cover each day (on average), no?
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
We know we must go back if we live, and we don`t know why.
– John Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
Yup... I guess I need to re-read Graham's second book ('Journey with a Baja Burro') to get a feel for the pace Graham made?
He did want to touch base with as many missions as he could, follow the Camino Real, etc.
The El Niño year of 1997 just poured on him and Mision the burro. He was stuck for days at places like San Isidoro trying to get up to Mision San
Pedro Martir... never made it.
Graham also couldn't get 'Mision' from the Santa Maria mission down to the Gonzaga Bay desert and on to Calamajue, because the trail was just too
dangerous for the heavily packed burro... He returned to Hwy. 1 and followed it to San Borja... again stuck there because of the heavy rains.
I probably averaged about ten miles a day. I seem to remember getting off to a slow start leaving Tecate, mainly because I was carrying, or rather my
burro was carrying, a case of beer that the brewery donated. And then I had to learn all the ropes with packing and dealing with an ornery burro that
was more interested in grazing and chasing burras than eating up the miles.
Mike is better equipped than I was, with state of the art gear, but then again he has two small dogs to care and look out for. So I'm sure he's
dealing with quite a learning curve and will probably have to make some tough decisions in the days and weeks ahead. I think he'll be giving away some
of his gear.
Having followed Mike's preparations for so many months I know how absolutely determined he is to do this. And if he makes it to Cabo it is going to be
one heck of a story.
So glad you're posting on this David as I'm up in the North Woods and will be out of touch for a week or so.
"If it were lush and rich, one could understand the pull, but it is fierce and hostile and sullen.
The stone mountains pile up to the sky and there is little fresh water. But we know we must go back
if we live, and we don't know why." - Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
"People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." - Theodore Roosevelt
"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them or to them." - Malcolm Forbes
"Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others
cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you." - Jim Rohn
"The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer." - Cunningham's Law
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