Tag Archives: Steven “Blast” Halteman

Day 27, Miles 750 – Cheated Death Again!

(On the CDT – May 23, 2018)

Well, everything was going along fine.

Which always should be a warning.

And then the wheels came off.

An irresistible side trip was to occur…wait for it…
Bearing points.

Home for the night. So far I’ve only set my tent up once the very first night because of threatening rain. Since then all dry and stargazing.

 

 

Morning trail

A valley to look forward to.

Sand river

A collared lizard. So wild and unused to humans that I put the camera about 3 inches from its head. The only cannibal lizard in the States. Eats other lizards as well as its own.

 

I dubbed it camel rock.

Even the cactus is in the swing of spring.

 

 

Windmill fallen from grace

Typical water source. This one is actually a spring. It was one similar to this that was to take me down.

Following the top of the Mesa

 

Excellent irony

 

Spacing out on a break

Old Indian sweat lodge on the way out of Ghost Ranch

My ambulance (see below).
Note my pack strapped to the top.
Here’s the abbreviated story. So about five days ago I came down with Giardia. Picked up from one of those water sources where I figured it was OK not to treat the water.
Giardia is an intestinal parasite that basically tears you apart inside.
Your belly swells, you constantly burp sulfur. And you projectile shit mustard incessantly. You can’t sleep or hold any water or food in.
After a couple of days wasting away by a stream I began to doubt my ability to hike forward. Which was unfortunate because there was still 70 miles to go to civilization.
I got a little gloomy about my future.
And then I heard a chainsaw in the far distance.
Managed to get up the mountain where two guys were cutting up fallen logs.
In exchange for loading up the trailer and truck with wood I got a ride to Espanola 80 miles away.
Five logs in and then out behind a tree. The two guys couldn’t stop laughing.
In Espanola an urgent care doctor confirmed my diagnosis and the fact that I had dropped 20+ pounds.
But all good now.
Antibiotics, multiple large pizzas and HBO have nursed me back to health.
Back on the trail tomorrow.

 

My ambulance.

 

Avoided.

 

But in Espanola I found my dream camper van. You can still make out “Bus” on the side. Going to make an offer this afternoon. Drop a 350 in it, five speed, 4 Wheel Dr. and put a bed and a little stove in the back. Would be the sweetest touring sugar shack on wheels for Klaire and I.

Found my dream camper van in Espanola.

 

This is Steven “Blast” Halteman, signing off.

See you soon, from somewhere on the CDT.

Day 18 on the CDT, 553 Mostly Solo Miles and Some Interesting Podcasts

(Somewhere in New Mexico, on the CDT, May 10, 2018) Hello all. Still cruising along making good time. Everything seems to be holding together. Physically anyway. Mentally though things have slipped a little. I’ve noticed hours on end where I don’t have a thought. So I’ve taken to late afternoon podcasts. Now listening to a 20 hour dialectic on the origins of World War I. Yes indeed. Have hiked solo the whole way. So far. Haven’t met anyone that matches my approach/pace. But that’s just fine. Hope all is chipper wherever you are.

And, no, I’m not captioning these yet…just some memorable moments along the trail. Enjoy!

This is Steven “Blast” Halteman, signing off till next time. Happy hiking!

 

Day Six of the CDT and a Line for the Bathroom ?!?

It’s Day Six on the CDT and I’m 165 miles in. Only 3000 more to go.

As some or most of you know I’m tackling the Continental Divide Trail.

Heading northbound from Mexico through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. Should take 4 to 5 months depending on a whole hell of a lot. As 3000+ miles is a long way to walk. Took an Amtrak to Lordsburg, New Mexico, and the starting point.

Already seeing some interesting sights:

First hurdle on Steve Halteman’s CDT hike. 3000 more miles to go.

Old school fence on the CDT.

An Italian immigrant living in New York had a vision to come to the desert and hand build a church. Sometime in the 1950s. He picked Hachita, New Mexico, population 36, from a map. Then made his way there. The visionary then spent many a year constructing his stone homage to Christ solo. Christ’s reception was not as anticipated. For three days before the first service was to be held in the almost finished cathedral, our visionary climbed under his truck to check on something. Then was run over and killed when the truck mysteriously slipped out of gear.

In the busy morning hours, there was a line for the outdoor bathrooms on the CDT.

This is Steven “Blast” Halteman on the CDT, signing off!

 

 

Steven “Blast” Halteman – Off Again! This time hiking the CDT.

(Continental Divide, Southernmost Point, April 25, 2018) Decided to step away for six months or so. Maybe try to visit a couple countries I haven’t seen before. Also, try to get in a good hike.

Started the hike part four days ago. The trail is called the Continental Divide trail lasix sin receta. I’m 85 miles in and have 3015 miles to go.

The trail starts on a part of the Mexican border called Crazy Cook. Which is so named because an early surveying party was marking the border circa 1907 when one of the crew gave an unflattering pre-Yelp review about the food and was promptly murdered by the cook.

 

The photos above is of a fairly questionable water stop which didn’t work out well for my friend got there before me. But I found to be quite palatable. Sometimes it’s nice not to have a choice.

My sleeping quarters and some interesting views (below):

Until next time!

Steven “Blast” Halteman, from the CDT. See you on the trail.

Iceland Photo Gallery Pt. 1

Isafjorour, Western Fjordlands, Iceland 1 PM

Isafjorour, Western Fjordlands, Iceland 1 AM

A cruise ship contemplates life ashore. Grimsey Island, Iceland.

A friend of animals contemplates a meal of puffin and seal. Grimsey Island, Iceland, just above the Arctic Circle.

A bad mood breaks. Summit of Haverfell Volcano. Myvatn, Iceland.

A happy melancholy. Reynisfjara, Iceland

Free camping. Reynisfjara, Iceland

Sea ballet off the coast of Husavik, Iceland.

Men as sluts.

Definition of a wingman. Husavik, Iceland.

And so, it begins anew. Dad and Daughter Explore Iceland

(July 17, 2017, Somewhere in Iceland on a speeding train)

Goals

 

If the afternoon hike was to be free of complaint she needed sleep. As really all growing 14-year-olds do. But Iceland rushing by her window swarmed her eyes with stimulation. Making a nap seem far from possible. I explored some obsolete dad databases. And came to a dusty solution that had been planted during the earliest of her years. Would it still work?

 

The scenery was supportive. As sheep were in every foreground. But being a father often demands indirectness. Which is just another word for trickery. So I changed my sleep tactic into a game.

 

“Hey daughter of mine, how many sheep in the next 10 kilometers?”

 

“I don’t know, maybe seventy five.”

 

“I’m guessing you’re way low. Ninety five is my thinking. Chocolate bar to the winner.”

 

A pivot of her head began the counting. She made it to seventeen before subconscious memories flooded and her eyelids dropped. Counting sheep giving new and old meaning to sleep like a baby.

The Death Q, My Guide to an 811 Mile Mojave Desert Hike, is Published!

It’s here!! After a couple years of writing, The Death Q is finally up and available on Amazon. The book is about a hike I created that circles Death Valley following abandoned railroads. The book is a mix of history, guide, detective work, how to, character biographies, fiction and memoir. Admittedly it as a labor of love about an obscure topic. But, hopefully, both the hiker and non-hiker will find it entertaining. Regardless, it is something I set out to do and did. And sometimes that alone is plenty.

Feel free to share the word if you know anyone that might have an interest in such endeavors. Here’s the link to the page on Amazon where you can buy the Paperback or a Kindle version. Share. Post. Click. Repeat. Oh, and get some good boots if you are going to try the hike.

Thanks!

 

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