Cowboy Trail

[Seajatt]

Hey all, I know the website is soon shutting down, but I have gained a lot from reading what you have written, so here is my attempt to give back a little something while the forum is still up. I've been keeping a record of my thoughts and pictures which I'll share below.

Well, today is my first day on the trail. I actually stayed an extra day at the hotel partly because I was sore from the bus ride to Nebraska, but partly because I was nervous to begin. I really haven't done anything quite like this since my time in the military 13 years ago.

It's really beautiful out here. There really isn't any other way to describe it. I've seen flocks of butterflies, rabbits, all kinds of birds and hordes of grasshoppers leaping out of the way of my cart.

Lunch was interesting. I've never used those little sterno propane tanks with those camp stoves before so after a little fumbling, got that figured out. I'll have some more fumbling to do later on with the tent.


But I don't mind. I feel alive.

Before I set out for this trip, I really felt like I was waiting to die. Death by the mundane. Work, eat sleep, rinse and repeat.


I'm still nervous with many miles before me, but also feeling like I made a good decision.

 

[Seajatt]

Well, day 2 has passed. But let's backtrack to the first night. Wow, fireflies everywhere. I did not expect that at all, and definately lent a little bit of a magic feeling. Also, it got dark. I mean can't see squat without a flashlight dark. But man were the stars overhead shining as bright as I've ever seen them.


Also, the deer came out as the sun was going down. One was kind of bounding along toward before it finally actually saw me and I could almost see the confusion as to why I was out there.

The night passed pretty smoothly, I woke up a few times to coyotes doing their kind of howling bark they do.

And then that leads me to this morning where I absolutely had to haul ass. I made a mistake the first day out. I was late getting started and so I hiked during the day. And I ran through most of my water, even the water that I didn't think I'd even touch. In fact, I was on my last few mouthfuls as I pulled into town. I have a sawyer squeeze, so push come to shove, I could have pulled water from some of the ponds, but it was still spooky. I made my mileage during the morning hours and like my Mexican brothers and sisters, had my siesta when the sun really got to work.

The town was nice. Picture everything positive you ever throught about small town America and you'd have a good mental image of Battle Creek, NE. I spent a few hours at the library, guzzling water and reading Gary, Paulson, grabbed another entire gallon of water from the store and then went over to the local water hole and had a few.

Folks around here talk. They wanna know who you are, what your story is and the whole nine. I've found that most are either really into what I'm doing, or think I've lost a few marbles. Maybe I have? Not quite sure yet.

 

[Seajatt]

It's currently day 4, but let's go back to day 3. The night passed smoothly, more fireflies and coyotes singing to the moon. Also, I'm sure some of yall know this, but cows get weirdly chatty at night. Might be a conspiracy.

I set off early, having broken camp by 630 and was down the trail. It's been interesting watching the landscape change from the riparian zone I was first in, to the rolling prairies and farmlands now. It's beautiful too in its own way, fields of swaying corn, curious cows and horses and all kinds of birds. Also, I found a railroad spike. I'm not sure how old it is and when exactly they pulled up the tracks, but I kept it as a memento. It's not even quite accurate to say that I found. Somewhere out there is an archeologist gopher. It was laying just outside its burrow, obviously having been pulled out by the furry little Indiana Jones.

Really, God's country if I had to put a term to it. All the monarch butterflies seemed to agree. I felt at peace and full of gratitude.

I stopped for a bit in Meadow Grove. There wasn't much there, but it was neat because the whole town was throwing a little block party because their ems dispatcher was retiring. What a community. The library had me paint a rock to join the others, and then I was down the trail.

This part was a bit of a slog. I decided to push through to Tilden because it was only five miles. Well. That was a long and hot 5 miles with no shade. This was the first time I really questioned where what I was doing was smart. But I kept on, eventually a couple pulled over and asked if I needed a ride. They seemed really excited when I told them what I was doing, which in turn pumped me up.

This is the America that I like. The people, communities and landscapes. This country made a promise and where I don't feel like we're there now, we could be.

Anyways, I finally rolled into town, got set up and then was absolutely lashed by a heavy rainstorm last night. I'm grateful it happened while I was in town. I stayed largely dry, but discovered that two corners of my tent seep.

And man, the noise. If power had a sound, that's what the storm was like from within a tent. I felt vulnerable in a way. I think largely because I was so reliant on my gear and just how little separated me from the elements.

Another storm is on the horizon though. The two front wheels on my cart are failing. The adhesive holding the rubber part to the rim failed. I bought some gorilla glue, but suspect it will tear free again. If the cart were to fail between towns, I would be in trouble.

That said, have yall had amazon deliver to a small town in which you're not a resident? Maybe the post office allows it? Would love some input here.

Thanks for reading, it's been fun to share my experience.

 

[Seajatt]

I'm currently hunkered down in a small town in Nebraska until the 22nd. The front wheels on my cart are failing and I feel so grateful to have caught that in town rather than between.

I bought a replacement on Amazon that uses smaller bike tires that I feel will be much more up to the job.

Luckily, the campground is super cheat and the town is lovely. Like picture everything you ever thought was good about small town America, and you'd this town.

In the mean time, I've been walking the town and putting up my miles, that way I'm even leaner and meaner leaving out the town than I was coming in.

There really are worse places to be. Kids leave their bikes ok the sidewalks here, and I leave my camp with no fear of anything being taken. Everybody is really nice and very talkative. I'm pretty sure that politically I don't fit on here at all, that doesn't quite seem to matter. Maybe it's because I'm here for only a short while and thusly everything is shallow, or maybe it's because community is that much more emphasized out here. I think it's the latter.


While I've never been misanthropic, I've also never been all that social. I find some of that is melting away and I'm talking to and connecting with some of these people.


Also, I think that living in a tent at least for now, is deconstructing my sense of space and belonging. A house seems increasingly stifling and more like a ball and chain than anything else. I'm also reading Walden for the first time and find myself feeling very validated.

So yes, I'm dealing with a setback, but I'm still smiling about it. It's just part of the trip. I guess I mean that the shade doesn't feel so nice without first having labored in the sun.

Till next time ~

 

[ali]

Thanks for sharing your travels! How are you bringing the hand cart with you? Are you pushing/pulling it by the handles, or do you have some kind of harness setup? And is there a reason why you didn't go with a pedaled vehicle, since i guess you will be sticking to relatively flat trails?

 

[Seajatt]

Hi, thanks for reading my thread

I push it. And I'm using it for a few reasons, the distance between towns increases the further west I get, so I'm carrying a lot of water. Also, I'm finishing my associates with online classes so I'm carrying all the necessary computer stuff. It's working pretty well so far ~

 

[ali]

I think it's a super fun idea to walk with a cart! It'll definitely help you to carry a bunch more stuff than you could in a pack, although it could get pretty hard on your back after a while. Then again, if you have a bunch of supplies there's not as much of a rush to get to the next town anyway, so you can take it easy. It's kind of the ultimate in slow travel. I imagine you can really take in the surrounds and understand the distances the way historical travelers did. Have fun!

 

[Dmac]

I was just up along the cowboy trail this weekend. Are you going east-west or the other way? I passed a guy walking with a cart who was going east. He was on the shoulder of the road, not the trail itself. I guess many people find the pavement easier to ride on, all day, than the crushed limestone of the trail. There were a few work crews fixing parts of the trail between Ainsworth and Valentine. You will love the old rail bridge, just east of valentine, that crosses the Niobrara River.

 

[Dmac]

By the way, once past Valentine there is a distinct lack of trees along the trail. You might want to pick up an umbrella so you have shade whenever you want it. There are golf umbrellas that will attach to the handle of your cart, so you can walk n the shade, that would be a great addition to your gear. Good luck and take care out there, Tuesday through Thursday are all forecast to be over 100 degrees.

 

[Seajatt]

I think it's a super fun idea to walk with a cart! It'll definitely help you to carry a bunch more stuff than you could in a pack, although it could get pretty hard on your back after a while. Then again, if you have a bunch of supplies there's not as much of a rush to get to the next town anyway, so you can take it easy. It's kind of the ultimate in slow travel. I imagine you can really take in the surrounds and understand the distances the way historical travelers did. Have fun!

For sure, it.gives me the freedom to spend time all the time I need. I'm also carrying more weight than what would be normal because I have my laptop and some other stuff I need for my online classes.

I was just up along the cowboy trail this weekend. Are you going east-west or the other way? I passed a guy walking with a cart who was going east. He was on the shoulder of the road, not the trail itself. I guess many people find the pavement easier to ride on, all day, than the crushed limestone of the trail. There were a few work crews fixing parts of the trail between Ainsworth and Valentine. You will love the old rail bridge, just east of valentine, that crosses the Niobrara River.

I met the guy you're talking about I think. Was the cart like a burnt orange color?? Also, small world huh. I assume you're biking it??

By the way, once past Valentine there is a distinct lack of trees along the trail. You might want to pick up an umbrella so you have shade whenever you want it. There are golf umbrellas that will attach to the handle of your cart, so you can walk n the shade, that would be a great addition to your gear. Good luck and take care out there, Tuesday through Thursday are all forecast to be over 100 degrees.

Yeah the heat has been kinda miserable. I'm hoping to set off again tomorrow morning as my delivery should be here today. I've been thinking about the lack of shade. I'm not sure I can get an umbrella, but was thinking about stretching out a tarp in a lean-to set up for the hottest parts of the day

 

[Dmac]

I was car camping, not biking The guy I saw walking east with a cart, had a beard and I think he might have had a us flag flying.

 

[Seajatt]

My order was lost by Amazon, so I continued down the trail. The older pictures were largely taken in a riparian zone, but I'm now pretty much out on the prairies. It's beautiful in its own way. It's much more austere, so the sunflowers, birds and the odd stalk of corn persisting in the wrong place all stick out. Shady places are also fewer and farther between, but something so simple feels so good when laboring in the sun.

The tree shown in the pictures below is what I slept under last night and what largely protected me from the 100 degree Temps we're seeing.

It isn't all sunshine though. The mosquito bites are plentiful, and there is something around here that I'm really allergic to.

Small prices to pay.

The thing with people has been the most profound. I've been connecting with so many people and making friends. The walls of a house/apartment are truly isolating.

Got some long days with bigger mileage ahead, and looking forward to it. With hikers, I'm starting to get it. I think our bodies love covering distance like this. It's pretty much a constant endorphin rush.

Till next time

 

[Dmac]

That sucks amazon lost your order. How are your wheels holding up?

 

[Dmac]

That sucks amazon lost your order. How are your wheels holding up?

 

[Seajatt]

That sucks amazon lost your order. How are your wheels holding up?

I got em wrapped in duct tape, so far so good, I'll post a pic soon

 

[Seajatt]

Well today was a little different. A good portion of the trail was closed, and you're detoured the shoulder of the highway which is where I walked for around 8 miles. Most people moved over, but one guy tried to kinda swerve at me and "roll coal." Too bad his timing is off for that, and it also sounds like his lifters are out of adjustment. I hope he enjoys the mechanic's bill. Ha!

Put about 13 miles and am camped just outside of a town with no campgrounds. We aren't supposed to camp on the trail, but what else can I do.


Somewhere, an imbalance in the world has been remedied. You see, I saw a single shoe on the trail earlier. Didn't think much of it, other than noting that it's a trail runner. Well I've been doing hobo laundry as I go and sort of draping the item(s) over the cart as I go to dry. Well. I lost a sock doing this. A single sock, mind you. One sock, for one shoe. Funny world we live in.


Also, anyone know what that number sign next to the trail meant? Maybe it was a mile marker that corresponded to the trail? It's in the pics.

Till next time

 

[Dmac]

If you are between Newport and Basset , it could be a mileage post.

 

[Seajatt]

If you are between Newport and Basset , it could be a mileage post.

I'm sure it is. It doesn't correspond to the trail, but I'm sure it did when the railroad was here

 

[Seajatt]

Well yesterday after putting in my miles, I was fancy and stayed at a motel. I had a sixer, did some laundry and walked around the town a bit.

I left out pretty early today. The view hasn't been so great because it runs parallel to hwy 275/20. I was nervous setting out for this leg because it's a long stretch without any water resupply points. That said, I met a people along the way that topped off water.

The first was a guy names Norman, who showed me around his garden and his wife's canning operation. Also, he was really into radios and gave me a couple jalapeños for the trail.


The second guy was under a combine and cursing up a storm at a PTO he was reconnecting. I sympathized and you know what I mean if you've ever done that kinda work.

He also had a cute dog that followed me down the trail a ways. I kept expecting her to turn back, but when she wasn't seeming to, I had just stopped and was getting ready to walk her back when her owned came down the trail to scoop her up.

I'm concerned though. My right leg was pretty stiff setting off this morning, like in the back of my heel. It seemed to loosen up, but came back with a vengeance in the past few hours, except now it stings, too. Doctor google is saying Achilles tendinitis which is what eventually turns into a torn acl. I cannot afford that.

I'm gonna see how I feel in the morning, but this may be the end of the trail for now. Feels bad.

 

[Seajatt]

I felt pretty good this morning for about a mile before the tightness and pain resumed. I decided to call it off.

Which led to my first problem, I was stuck in a tiny town that didn't even have a gas station. There's a shuttle service that commutes out to these small communities but that wasn't gonna be until tomorrow.

So I decided to hitch for the first time. Surprisingly, it only took an hour to catch a ride. I'm 6'2 and lots of hard labor has filled out my frame, so I wasn't expecting to have any success.

This older guy pulled over and was super chill, got me to the next town over where I got a room for the night and the shuttle comes tomorrow.


In the end, I went too hard too soon. I should have more slowly built up the mileage instead of leaping ahead like I did.


But honestly, I would do it again. I fucking loved it. I've discovered a love for hiking and camping. And also, people. Met a lot of really cool people.

Not sure what I'm gonna do next. My classes are still ongoing so that must be considered. Probably gonna go chill at an ltva in Arizona for a few months.