Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Minor Setback
I've decided I need to take a few days off. I started walking out Nogales around 5am, and after walking for a couple hours, the pain in my right achilles tendon is as bad or worse than before. I am quite torn about this decision, but I called and talked with a good friend, and what he said echoed the more sensible and logical parts of my conscience. It might have been fine to keep going, but the next two days to Sasabe are the most rugged of the trip and very remote- through desert mountains and canyons without roads or trails. So the two items of concern are 1) it becoming a more serious injury that might require rescue, and 2) It is making me move more slowly and awkwardly, increasing the likelihood of other injuries and overuse due to overcompensation, and 3) it is making me take longer to get to water sources. Water sources that might not be there at all. So there's the rub. And I'm pretty sure it is literally rubbing causing my injury, the back of the shoe rubbing on my achilles where it attaches to the heel. It is a newbie mistake to start a long hike with new shoes, but I was hoping it would be fine because I've never had foot or achilles problems, and I love my old pair of Salomon's. But these are a different model, and apparently don't fit quite the same way. So here I sit, typing in Tucson. When I can get my car keys back tomorrow I'll drive to Flagstaff and either grab a different pair of shoes or buy something entirely different. Best case scenario, I'll be back on the border by Saturday, but it may take longer. Sorry for the let down. If I could do it any other way I certainly would.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Rough Start
So I started BorderVenture with a mild cold and possibly a sinus infection. Likely a side-effect of the long days, little sleep, and the stress of preparing for the venture. It made the 23ish miles from Douglas/Agua Prieta feel very long, and it certainly took longer than expected. I took with me a pocket Spanish book, so I´ve been working on my Español a bit when the walking is easy, and I did a fair bit of that on the first day. I definitely didn´t drink or eat enough my first day, and not really for any good reason other than that I knew I could buy a big meal at the end of the day.
The border wall is continuous from Douglas all the way to the mountains about 15 miles west of Naco, making approximately 40 miles of wasted resources. An enormous amount of resources. The wall through there is secured in the ground by cement, and varies in form from 18ft tall round steel poles to solid steel and heavy-gauge mesh panels. One bonus of the wall is that it provides great shade if you´re walking on the U.S. side. If this wall was truly built with the intent to stop people, it utterly fails. I could easily climb over the wall in most places, and saw tracks in the dirt demonstrating that others had already done so that day. Some research is being done as to who received the government contracts to build a lot of the wall, and apparently its some of the same companies building the apartheid wall in Israel. Great people, eh? Someone made a lot of money off of this wall.
On the other side of those mountains, the border wall becomes 30 miles of vehicle barrier (look like tank traps, appear to be made from old railroad tracks) and a 5-strand barbed wire fence. Basically not stopping anyone, in fact, I crossed it myself several times. Border Patrol is also much more dispersed here, although there are still around 300 agents (number given by a Border Patrol agent) working in the large basin region between the two mountain ranges west of Naco and east of Nogales.
Enough about that, more about the rough start. Like I said, started with a sinus infection. Toward the end of the first day I developed some mild pain in my right achilles tendon. Could be overuse from running and hiking with a heavy pack, could be the new shoes I´ve only worn once before begining BorderVenture, could be something else entirely. The second day went slowly also because I started late (because of an interview with the Sierra Vista Herald), because my achilles hurt, and because I had to carry a lot more water. I´m trying to be self-sufficient with water, but I´ve needed to drink a lot more than I was hoping to need, making me dependent on water sources that can´t be depended upon (water is tenuous at best in the desert). This is an unfortunate turn of events, and could make upcoming sections of the journey much more difficult than I was expecting. No reason to worry for me, I´m not going to endanger myself, but it is just going to be harder. And thats with the assumption that my achilles injury will heal itself or can be ignored. Right now I have a healthy portion of pain just walking around town, and because of the achilles pain I ashamedly ended up hitchhiking the last 15 miles into Nogales yesterday . In Mexico. Kind of ironic that only the fourth Mexicano truck to pass stopped an picked up a Gringo just south of the border, no questions asked. A Mexicano certainly wouldn´t get the same treatment just north of the border.
I think that is all I have time for now, I´ll try to post again soon about some of my experiences and the poeple I´ve met, but I just wanted to give an update where things are at the moment.
The border wall is continuous from Douglas all the way to the mountains about 15 miles west of Naco, making approximately 40 miles of wasted resources. An enormous amount of resources. The wall through there is secured in the ground by cement, and varies in form from 18ft tall round steel poles to solid steel and heavy-gauge mesh panels. One bonus of the wall is that it provides great shade if you´re walking on the U.S. side. If this wall was truly built with the intent to stop people, it utterly fails. I could easily climb over the wall in most places, and saw tracks in the dirt demonstrating that others had already done so that day. Some research is being done as to who received the government contracts to build a lot of the wall, and apparently its some of the same companies building the apartheid wall in Israel. Great people, eh? Someone made a lot of money off of this wall.
On the other side of those mountains, the border wall becomes 30 miles of vehicle barrier (look like tank traps, appear to be made from old railroad tracks) and a 5-strand barbed wire fence. Basically not stopping anyone, in fact, I crossed it myself several times. Border Patrol is also much more dispersed here, although there are still around 300 agents (number given by a Border Patrol agent) working in the large basin region between the two mountain ranges west of Naco and east of Nogales.
Enough about that, more about the rough start. Like I said, started with a sinus infection. Toward the end of the first day I developed some mild pain in my right achilles tendon. Could be overuse from running and hiking with a heavy pack, could be the new shoes I´ve only worn once before begining BorderVenture, could be something else entirely. The second day went slowly also because I started late (because of an interview with the Sierra Vista Herald), because my achilles hurt, and because I had to carry a lot more water. I´m trying to be self-sufficient with water, but I´ve needed to drink a lot more than I was hoping to need, making me dependent on water sources that can´t be depended upon (water is tenuous at best in the desert). This is an unfortunate turn of events, and could make upcoming sections of the journey much more difficult than I was expecting. No reason to worry for me, I´m not going to endanger myself, but it is just going to be harder. And thats with the assumption that my achilles injury will heal itself or can be ignored. Right now I have a healthy portion of pain just walking around town, and because of the achilles pain I ashamedly ended up hitchhiking the last 15 miles into Nogales yesterday . In Mexico. Kind of ironic that only the fourth Mexicano truck to pass stopped an picked up a Gringo just south of the border, no questions asked. A Mexicano certainly wouldn´t get the same treatment just north of the border.
I think that is all I have time for now, I´ll try to post again soon about some of my experiences and the poeple I´ve met, but I just wanted to give an update where things are at the moment.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
BorderVenture Updates
So just a quick update on everything. I still plan to start on March 12th, but I'll be going down to San Luis Rio Colorado two days early to leave some food and water stashes (must-stashes, if I may) for the last few legs of the journey. I must apologize for the recent lack of posts here, I've been busy with preparations and meetings, etc to organize BorderVenture and spread the word. I have mapped the approximate route out Google Earth and will try to get the route up and public in the next day or two so that you can follow along a bit better. This week is the big push, so please share this blog and the Facebook page with your friends, and if you happen to have media contacts, please let them know if you think BorderVenture should be their next story.
If you've followed on the Facebook page at all, you probably saw that I've picked up some local Flagstaff sponsors: Run Flagstaff, Peace Surplus, and Aspen Sports, all of whom made generous donations of much-needed gear, food, and supplies to the cause, so big thanks to them! Another exciting piece of news: at the behest and purchasing of friends, I will now be traveling with a SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger. For those of you who don't know what that means, it is a small GPS-like device that uses a satellite connection to alert people of your location and your status, and can also be used to alert emergency personnel when you have the "uh oh" feeling that you might be in a bit of trouble. Mine (affectionately named "Spotnik"- thanks Dave) will be set up to contact several friends, to send updates to the BorderVenture Facebook page, and will also update a map with my check-in locations as I go on my SPOT Shared Page. I'll put up the link in the blog sidebar to the right when I have everything set up and working, and you'll be able to follow along with live progress updates from the border. Unfortunately it only allows for one pre-programmed check-in message, but I'll be able to give more thorough updates on goings-on via text when service is available (this is the real test, Verizon!) and wireless internet if available in border towns. I think this is pretty exciting, and it will certainly add to the whole personal safety side of things, so thanks friends! And an additional thanks to the folks at Pauli! Inc., whose generous donation made it possible to purchase the satellite service plan necessary to use the SPOT device.
Many thanks for the continued interest and support!
-Evan
If you've followed on the Facebook page at all, you probably saw that I've picked up some local Flagstaff sponsors: Run Flagstaff, Peace Surplus, and Aspen Sports, all of whom made generous donations of much-needed gear, food, and supplies to the cause, so big thanks to them! Another exciting piece of news: at the behest and purchasing of friends, I will now be traveling with a SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger. For those of you who don't know what that means, it is a small GPS-like device that uses a satellite connection to alert people of your location and your status, and can also be used to alert emergency personnel when you have the "uh oh" feeling that you might be in a bit of trouble. Mine (affectionately named "Spotnik"- thanks Dave) will be set up to contact several friends, to send updates to the BorderVenture Facebook page, and will also update a map with my check-in locations as I go on my SPOT Shared Page. I'll put up the link in the blog sidebar to the right when I have everything set up and working, and you'll be able to follow along with live progress updates from the border. Unfortunately it only allows for one pre-programmed check-in message, but I'll be able to give more thorough updates on goings-on via text when service is available (this is the real test, Verizon!) and wireless internet if available in border towns. I think this is pretty exciting, and it will certainly add to the whole personal safety side of things, so thanks friends! And an additional thanks to the folks at Pauli! Inc., whose generous donation made it possible to purchase the satellite service plan necessary to use the SPOT device.
Many thanks for the continued interest and support!
-Evan
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Adding Insult to Injury
With the wounds inflicted by HB 2281 still feeling quite fresh, Arizona Senator Senator Russel Pearce recently proposed SB 1611, the self-titled "Immigration Omnibus" bill. Clever name- perhaps a bit more creativity than I expected from an Arizona Senator. Omnibus being a term for a vehicle that carries many passengers (a bus), and also for a comprehensive law that provides many stipulations at once. So the bill essentially hopes to "bus away" all of the immigration concerns that keep Senator Pearce awake at night. The bill consists largely of revisions and additions to already-standing legislation, and is essentially a violation of what most people would consider "basic human rights", and not to mention, the Constitution of the United States of America. Rather than reiterate what the proposed bill states, here is a statement by the American Civil Liberties Union: ACLU Denounces Passage of Irresponsible Bill...
and if you don't feel like reading the whole statement, here are some bullet points taken directly from their article concerning some of the new provisions:
And if you want to see exactly what the proposed legislation is for yourself, here is a link to the official document: SB 1611
So if you feel the way I might about this new proposed legislation, please feel free to tell your Arizona "representatives" to vote "NO!" on SB 1611. And maybe next time, lets try to get some better representation in there. Somehow, I don't think that this guy comes anywhere near representing Arizona's population:
and if you don't feel like reading the whole statement, here are some bullet points taken directly from their article concerning some of the new provisions:
- Prohibits universities or community colleges from admitting any student who cannot present one of the listed documents to prove legal status;
- Mandates that all businesses register with E-verify or face the revocation of their business licenses;
- Establishes new eligibility requirements for public benefits that violate federal law and enhances penalties (from a class 2 to a class 1 misdemeanor) for agency employees who fail to report “discovered” violations of federal immigration law;
- Limits the types of documents a person can show to prove their identity;
- Requires the state police training agency, AZ POST, to summarily revoke a peace officer’s ability to serve the public if the officer does not uphold state or constitutional laws, even if the officer is just trying to exercise his or her professional discretion;
- Prohibits judges from considering bail for any undocumented immigrant who is charged with any felony offense;
- Establishes mandatory 6-month jail term for anyone convicted of using another person’s identity to obtain employment; and
- Prohibits individuals from obtaining a vehicle title and registration, fingerprint clearance card or license of any kind until they are able to demonstrate satisfactory immigration status.
And if you want to see exactly what the proposed legislation is for yourself, here is a link to the official document: SB 1611
So if you feel the way I might about this new proposed legislation, please feel free to tell your Arizona "representatives" to vote "NO!" on SB 1611. And maybe next time, lets try to get some better representation in there. Somehow, I don't think that this guy comes anywhere near representing Arizona's population:
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Death and the Border
The Coalacion de Derechos Humanos reports that between the years 2000 and 2010, the remains of 2,104 people have been found in the desert borderlands. Many of these have not been identified, though thankfully people are still working on this issue in some capacity. From 1990 to 2005, the Pima County (the county in which Tucson resides) Medical Examiner's Office alone examined 927 recovered bodies, and this office handled only 90% of the recovered bodies of only one sector (the Tucson Sector) of the border as defined by the U.S. Border Patrol. The number of annual border crossing deaths has increased steadily since the early 90's. In 1999 there were 241 recorded deaths, in 2005 there were 472 border crossing deaths, and that number has continued to rise each year with 2011 on track to be another record year. Not exactly a record to be proud of.
I feel that I have to emphasize here that these are people dying in the desert, people like you and I, most of which are merely trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. Would you brave the Sonoran Desert with minimal to no supplies to find a better life for your family? I must also emphasize that these deaths were only the result of crossing the borderlands and are not at all tied to crime or deaths in any of the border cities. The major cause of death among those crossing the border is heat-related exposure. The suspected drivers in this increase in deaths along the border are the construction of the border wall and the increased militarization of the border. The combination of the wall, though still incomplete, and the greatly increased numbers of patrols are forcing people to travel further through much more remote and brutal terrain, known as a funnel effect. This consequence was anticipated by the U.S. when the border wall construction and militarization of the border began, and as part of the plan, the U.S. expected the deaths to serve as an example and deter future unauthorized immigration. We are supposed to be the greatest nation on Earth, but we enact policies that intentionally result in the deaths of impoverished people? People of a country that shares a border with us and has been a valued partner in trade and commerce for many years. People that were impoverished by U.S. policies in the first place (ie. the North American Free Trade Agreement/NAFTA) and forced from their traditional farms, jobs, and homes by U.S. corporations.
Just something to think about.
I feel that I have to emphasize here that these are people dying in the desert, people like you and I, most of which are merely trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. Would you brave the Sonoran Desert with minimal to no supplies to find a better life for your family? I must also emphasize that these deaths were only the result of crossing the borderlands and are not at all tied to crime or deaths in any of the border cities. The major cause of death among those crossing the border is heat-related exposure. The suspected drivers in this increase in deaths along the border are the construction of the border wall and the increased militarization of the border. The combination of the wall, though still incomplete, and the greatly increased numbers of patrols are forcing people to travel further through much more remote and brutal terrain, known as a funnel effect. This consequence was anticipated by the U.S. when the border wall construction and militarization of the border began, and as part of the plan, the U.S. expected the deaths to serve as an example and deter future unauthorized immigration. We are supposed to be the greatest nation on Earth, but we enact policies that intentionally result in the deaths of impoverished people? People of a country that shares a border with us and has been a valued partner in trade and commerce for many years. People that were impoverished by U.S. policies in the first place (ie. the North American Free Trade Agreement/NAFTA) and forced from their traditional farms, jobs, and homes by U.S. corporations.
Just something to think about.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)