August 15-20, 2024
With no defined route or objective, we decided it was high time we hitch up the trailer (Felix) and tote it north just to see what’s going on in south central Colorado this time of year. As we made our way through the San Luis Valley, we found acres of lush greenery topping almost-ready-to-harvest potatoes. Alfalfa was nearing its second cutting. Carrots had already been shipped to market. The wildlife refuges were patiently awaiting the arrival of migratory birds. And the last of the summer tourists were excitedly boarding the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad in Antonito, for the 64 mile steam engine journey to Chama, NM.
We enjoy boondocking on our public lands managed by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Having a trailer that’s self-contained, we can easily find lovely off-the-grid areas to set up camp. And thanks to our solar panels (and lots of sunny days) and large water tank, we can stay out for up to 5 days without needing refills. This allows us to explore lesser visited areas, which suits our tastes beautifully!
But I think one of the best things about random travel is the spare time …… we drive for 3-4 hours, find a place to camp ….. then the rest of the day involves hiking, wildlife watching, nature journaling, collecting drawable items, photography, more sketching, identifying the unknowns, reading, napping, and a bit of ukulele strumming! Perfection!
Although the 6-day trip wasn’t remarkable, it was good to get away. Scattered about this post are my journal pages highlighting Days 1 to 5.
On Day 4, we decided to make our way up and over Slumgullion Pass (11,530 ft) on our way towards Gunnison Country. Not having been this way in years, we really enjoyed the crisp mountain air and spectacular views up and over the Pass. The villages of Creede and Lake City have grown swollen with tourist amenities and summer cabins dotting the once open meadows. As we got closer and closer to Lake City, we couldn’t help recall the story of Colorado’s notorious cannibal, Alferd Packer. Wanting to reread the tale as we passed near Cannibal Plateau and Deadman’s Gulch, the crime scenes, here’s what I found:
Brief Background: Alfred Packer (newspaper misspelling as “Alferd” Packer, which stuck) (1842-1909) was a prospector who set out for Colorado gold fields in 1873. By the winter of 1874, he reached the rugged San Juan Mountains with a party of five men where they became lost and stranded during one of the worst winters on record. The men, with only had 3-4 days provisions quickly consumed and no firearms, were forced to cook their rawhide moccasins. Places where “snow had blown away from patches of wild rose bushes,” ….. they “were gathering buds from these bushes, stewing them and eating them.”
When the snow finally crusted over, Packer, the only man to survive the ill-fated trip, walked out of the mountains after 60 days. He told a story about the demise of his fellow prospectors, and how he managed to survive by eating them. His story involving cannibalism became legend, and continues to be passed down to today! (Whether the story is true or not will never be known, but it makes for colorful history.)
Based on historical records and news reports, Alferd Packer was tried several times for murder and cannibalism (even though the act of cannibalism wasn’t considered illegal in the US). Convicted of these heinous crimes, Judge M.B. Gerry supposedly uttered this famous quote while handing down the sentence in Packer’s first trial ……
“Stand up yah voracious man-eatin’ sonofabitch and receive yir sintince. When yah came to Hinsdale County, there was siven Dimmycrats. But you, yah et five of ’em, goddam yah. I sintince yah t’ be hanged by th’ neck ontil yer dead, dead, dead, as a warnin’ in reducin’ th’ Dimmycratic populayshun of this county. Packer, you Republican cannibal, I would sintince ya ta hell but the statutes forbid it.”
This is the quote I’d grown up hearing many times, over and over and over! It makes for good reporting, but is a ways from the actual sentence and what Judge Gerry sounded like while reading it (nope, he didn’t talk like Yosemite Sam!). Here’s what the record shows:
“Alfred Packer, the judgment of this court is that you be removed from hence to the jail of Hinsdale County and there confined until the 19th day of May, A.D. 1883, and that on said 19th day of May, 1883, you be taken from thence by the sheriff of Hinsdale County to a place of execution prepared for this purpose, at some point within the corporate limits of the town of Lake City, in the said country of Hinsdale, and between the hours of 10 A.M. and 3 P.M. of said day, you, then and there, by said sheriff, be hung by the neck until you are dead, dead, dead, and may God have mercy upon your soul.”
Alferd Packer never did hang. It’s quite a detailed story following his first trial, including a jail escape, nine years on-the-lam, and recapture. There was a second trial in 1885 where he was charged for only one murder; after serving only 16 years of his 40-year sentence, he was released and died peacefully one year later at the age of 60. He was buried in Littleton, Colorado where his tombstone properly reads Alfred Packer.
A short comment on the KG Baking Powder tin lid we found near our trailer. It was old and rusted, but very readable. The tin and its contents were probably long gone. Tried to find any information on the KG brand; sure curious about the age of the lid. If you’ve heard of this brand, please let me know.
Day 6. Headed for home. Hope you enjoyed my travel journal.
As always, thanks for stopping by!
a curious nature 