Trip SearchNew Mexico Team 9
It's official: the first team of volunteers for the 2007 Backpacker CDT Mapping Project is assembled and ready. They're to head out from the trail's southern terminus (as highlighted in the March 19 post) on April 23rd. Our hope is to equip them with a satellite phone system to keep us posted on their adventure. Here's a breakdown of the team's members:
Andrew Matranga: co-leader, Backpacker magazine staff
Brian Daigle: co-leader, former Eco-Challenge participant,
Navy Search and Rescue experience
Jim Newman: former Eco-Challenge participant
Jimmy McElroy: former Eco-Challenge participant
David German: extensive professional GPS experience,
long-time PCTA volunteer
Judy Rittenhouse: Search and Rescue experience, Sierra Nevada-savvy
And this is an interactive blog, by the way, so if you team members want to expand upon the rather dry experience list above, tack on a comment or two.
They'll be starting out with a pair of thru-hikers who will also be collecting data for the project, Curt Harris and Randy Sackerson. Other New Mexico teams are quickly coming together, so never fear if you feel you should somehow be included in a list--your time is coming. And for all of you applicants still waiting to hear back, keep those phone lines and inboxes ready! We'll be getting out final word on all teams throughout the next month, so before too long the waiting will all be over...
1 comment:
The start is near, Jim is in the motor home making his way to Phoenix to pick up Andy, Jimmy and myself. Dave and Judy will be departing soon to meet us in New Mexico Saturday evening. With us taking on this section of trail with a short preperation time due to high temps and lack of water along the route we agreed to act quickly and make this happen prior to it getting to hot. A lot of credit goes to Scott Gates and the rest of the team as it has been a very self sufficient process. With hiking as our hobby it is nothing out of the norm to just pack up and head out.
Our team will be at the Mexico,New Mexico border on Sunday. The members will be coming from California, Colorado and Montana.
With the distance to travel to the trail head and all of us having full time jobs it has been an action packed couple of weeks. For myself I am a Manager at Blackfoot Telecommunications Group www.blackfoot.com in Missoula Mt. I also own Riverbend Outfitters www.riverbendoutfitters.net so it has been buisy making preperations to head to New Mexico.
Gathering map data, working with the BLM for permits, making travel arrangements, coordinating shuttles and most importantly assessing the shortage of water. Since we are going to be trekking at a slower pace to ensure quality coverage for the map data we will be on the trail longer then if we were thru hiking. So a little extra planning for food and water rations.
When we all get together on Saturday we will definately be posting to the site to share our greetings to one another. We have some excellent talent on this team so be expecting great updates through out the week. Once again thank you to the staff at Backpacker for heading up this project.
Onward and upward
with Team Southern Traverse
Brian Daigle
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