From Desert to Deluge: The Continental Divide Trail in My Own Backyard

The August Mountaineers meeting will feature a talk by Marion DuBeau entitled “From Desert to Deluge: The Continental Divide Trail in My Own Backyard”, on Tuesday evening, August 24.

Marion writes “After COVID interrupted my Peace Corps tour in Fiji, and feeling at loose ends like everyone else in the country, I decided a long hike would be my next adventure. I had previously considered the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail because so many people said not to hike the Continental Divide Trail as your first long hike due to its difficulty and unique challenges. As I looked into my options, I couldn’t justify traveling to either side of the country during COVID when the CDT is so close to home. The New Mexico section of the CDT, a distance of about 750 miles, seemed like the perfect solution. A solo trip of this magnitude would be difficult and scary but I felt compelled to try. I knew I wanted to surrender myself to the trail and see what I was made of while getting to know my state more intimately and challenging myself in ways I had never done. It took months of research, planning, preparation and equal measures of self-doubt and stubbornness but I did it!”

Mountaineers’ meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of every month. When held in person, they take place in the planetarium of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC), 2600 Canyon Rd, Los Alamos, NM 87544. Recent meetings have been held electronically starting at 7:00 PM; the Mountaineers are considered when and how to return to in-person meetings. Registration details for this meeting can be found at https://peecnature.org/events/details/?id=37348.

Watch the video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYZYwYxv2ss