G.E.T. Guidebook

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Segment 26: Dolan Peak  19.1 miles

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Segment Length	from PHX	to ABQ	Segment Status	Season
19.1 mi.	447		finalized & accessible	spring, summer, fall
Resources
OVERVIEW MAP ELEVATION PROFILE G.E.T. Topo Maps 67-69 Town Guide: Winston Water Chart Image Gallery: Album 7				Additional maps: Gila National Forest (USFS) visit PLIC website Land management agencies: Gila NF Black Range Ranger District: (575) 894-6677

PLEASE NOTE: THIS CHAPTER REMAINS UNFINISHED. SEGMENT OVERVIEW AND ROUTE DETAILS INFO BELOW ARE IN DRAFT FORM AND HIGHLIGHT ONLY THE ESSENTIALS NEEDED FOR NAVIGATING THIS SEGMENT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TOPO MAP SET.

SEGMENT OVERVIEW

The GET's 40+ mile tour of the Continental Divide Trail across the Black Range reaches its conclusion in this segment, as the two routes part ways, bound for different destinations. The CDT nearly reaches the northern limit of the Black Range here and, running out of both mountain and Forest Service land, is soon forced westward where it remains with an increasingly arid Divide - BLM country - skirting the southern bounds of the vast Plains of San Agustin. Instead, the GET ventures easterly out of the Black Range, journeying by and by toward more well-watered country along Alamosa Creek and the San Mateo Mountains ahead along our route. That initial descent from the Continental Divide serves to conclude this segment; it also represents one of the more sustained descents in a number of miles (or rather, sustained climbs, more to the point for westbound hikers in search of the Divide). Otherwise, this segment is a mostly mellow walk, on par with the latter portion of Segment 24.

Eastbound hikers, trending north of late, will find more good tread along the CDT in this segment contouring at or near the physical Divide, more peek-a-boo far-flung views through the ponderosa pines, more remote walking and solitude, and yes... more potential drinking water concerns as well. Adobe Spring - over 11 miles in from the trailhead, and upwards of a half mile off-route - is a fine source in a bedrock drainage but may not be reliable in drier times. It's certainly a better option than Dry Time Tank farther along, which wasn't named for its resiliency so much as its Achilles' heel: it sometimes goes dry*. And as a former stock impoundment of sorts, now watering more elk than cows, it's typically quite silty whenever it does happen to be wet. (*The author, hiking in the fall, has actually never seen either of these two sources dry, but a trio of reports from spring '09 indicated no water at either location by late April, so perhaps summer rains are more beneficial than melting snowpack in this area.) The good news for thirsty hikers is that a solar well feeding a large metal tank is located just beyond segment's end. (It's located in Segment 27 near the start, and is also the first of several likely developed sources in that segment.) Westbounders: check the weather. If it's been dry for some time, consider camping within reach of one of Segment 27's sources, then tanking up; it's a long uphill push to the Divide and the walking may well prove droughty up there.

ROUTE DETAILS

From the large CDT trailhead half a mile west of the physical Divide along NM 59, walk north across the highway to find good CDT singletrack, which heads leisurely across a ponderosa-pine-dotted meadow. The trail then bends east, winding gently up along a shady north-facing slope, then leveling out as it crests the broad Divide. Singletrack ends at a junction with a 2-track road at 0.8 (waypoint 756), onto which the CDT route turns left (northeast). (Westbounders, following the 2-track, look carefully for a pair of small cairns flanking the trail where singletrack discretely diverges right off of the road. If you reach a car camping spot at right along the 2-track, you missed the turnoff.) At the Divide, a dirt road forms a loop on the north side of the highway.

The tree-blazed CDT continues northeast via 2-track initially. Within a half mile watch for where trail tread (more like a wide swath) splits from the 2-track at left, possibly not well marked or marked with flagging tape. The trail passes through an open area, recently burned. Before long the trail becomes better defined as it exits the burn.

The current maps don't always reflect the exact location of the CDT along the Divide, and some of the waypoints are arbitrary, but navigation is quite straightforward. After dipping to cross a little flat, where a 2-track road may be visible heading south, the trail - itself somewhat wide at times - resumes a gradual northeast ascent along the broad forested ridge. The trail eventually meets a fence corner, passing through a gate here. Perhaps a half mile beyond it meets another gate in a north-south oriented fence, and crosses it where this fence meets a corner, passing through both fences via gates. The north-south fenceline now becomes a frequent companion for the remaining at-Divide tour. The trail, which occasionally joins and leaves various 2-track roads as they come in and head out from the fence corridor, at intervals crosses this fence back and forth via gates, and never strays far from it. The CDT often runs along the Divide proper, ill-defined though the physical Divide here sometimes is. Other times, as at Dolan Peak and its northern cousin, the trail skirts an otherwise unnecessary climb via contouring tread. Following the trail - marked with i-blazes and metal markers on trees - through its various changes is not difficult.

As the trail descends northeast from point 8215 (waypoint 766 or thereabouts) plan to drop into the next drainage, which the trail skirts the head of (11.4; waypoint 765 or thereabouts), and detour west cross-country in search of Adobe Spring. The spring is located near the intersection with the next main drainage to the north; if no pools are noted in the bedrocky drainage just by the junction, head down-canyon a bit farther in search of any wet spots or flow, especially at a 10-foot pour-off which is probably the official spring source. To return to the CDT/GET, you can cut off a half mile of the main route, shortening the detour, by walking up the other drainage, then leaving it within a few tenths of a mile, x-c north to a paralleling 4WD road. Follow the road east to find the trail at our familiar fenceline atop the Divide. (Westbounders, to visit Adobe Spring keep right (west) on the 4WD road where the CDT continues south as singletrack by the fenceline at 11.9. As the drainage just south draws nearer to the road, head x-c into it and continue west to the junction with the next drainage south. Look for pools here or below, then return to the Divide via the other drainage.)

The trail is mostly on 4WD road north to 12.8. Here pass through a swinging metal gate by a powerline swath to find the continuation of trail tread, which parallels the 4WD on the east side of the fence, sometimes closely. Tread is occasionally vague or non-existent to 14.7, but i-blazes, metal markers, and cairns are never far away for guidance. The trail runs well away from the 4WD when ascending the flanks of point 8365, where a careful eye is sometimes needed to spot trail markers. At length it descends to meet another 4WD/2-track (mapped "Trail 59"), with a CDT sign here (14.7, waypoint 770). Continue across the road to find resumption of tread. Dry Time Tank is just north along the east side of the 2-track, a smallish earthen impoundment with shallow murky water in the best of times (no cows noted). Good, bad, or ugly, this is the only potential source in this area, as the "former location" of Dry Time Tank impoundment as mapped must have been washed out by flooding a number of years ago. (The drainage heading south, via Trail 59, has also been verified dry.) Camping is possible in the vicinity.

The vague-ish trail continues east in wide open forest, but occasional cairns guide the way. Ascending a bit, the trail bends briefly south to begin a short section of switchbacks up a steeper slope, with good tread. The switchbacks terminate at another wire fenceline, (around waypoint 733) where the CDT / GET turns left (east) along its swath, ascending the fall line gradient to the top of the rise. Here (15.3, waypoint 774) a prominent cairn marks the point of eastbound hikers' departure from the CDT; the CDT turns left (north) while we continue east with the fenceline corridor, which is known here as Trail 60, though is unsigned throughout. (Westbounders, from the cairned junction with the CDT at 15.3, continue west with the fenceline swath downhill and look for trail tread soon departing at right, where the CDT / GET begins a switchbacking descent toward Dry Time Tank environs.)

Trail 60 is virtually treadless, but easy going enough, as it follows the north side of the fenceline eastbound to a saddle then over another rise. At the next saddle the fenceline jogs left with an open gate at the jog; keep straight, such that the fenceline is now on your left as you follow its south side. (Westbounders, continue straight at the fenceline jog, such that the fenceline is now on your left instead of your right. Keep to the same side all the way to the CDT junction.)

Climb to the south shoulder of 8800' Wahoo Peak at 16.8, ignoring an opening in the fence. Still the fence remains on your left as the trail now descends eastbound in earnest with only brief reprieves in the 15-20% gradient. (Westbounders pause to catch their breath, and to take in the expansive views through the open forest, back toward the Apache Kid and Withington wilderness areas.) The vegetation is predominantly pinyon-juniper by the time the fenceline-hugging trail reaches a flattish area along the ridge near 18.5. Do not continue with the fenceline beyond here. Instead, bear right (south) away from it, cross-country, and toward a prominent knoll along the ridge just southeast. Trail 60 supposedly tracks east along the north side of this knoll, but tread is non-existent and the way is not obvious. Instead, turn west near waypoint 777 (west of the knoll) and look for use trail traversing down the rocky north slope of Duck Canyon (or find any easy way into the canyon from here). The use trail will deposit you at a dry earthen tank in the drainage. Turn left (southeast) at the far end of the impoundment's berm and walk down the forested drainage with some semblance of unofficial trail tread. We'll continue to call this Trail 60, as indicated on the topo map set. The trail ends at the mouth of the drainage by a vehicle turnout, at 19.1. (Westbounders, head west up Duck Canyon from the trailhead on unimproved use trail aka Trail 60 and keep right as the drainage forks. Reaching a dry earthen tank, walk along the top of its berm to the east end of the drainage, where another use trail aka Trail 60 traverses northeast to a pinyon-juniper saddle. Now walk north, x-c, until reaching fenceline. Turn left, following the fenceline northwest. The fenceline swath is Trail 60.)

Segment 25

Segment 27