by Austin Phippen
The towns that dot the CDT Corridor offer trail visitors resources, amenities, and unique experiences close to the trail. There are 18 designated Gateway Communities along the CDT, all of which have committed to supporting the completion and protection of the trail. Each of these visitor-friendly communities have something special to offer ranging from hot springs, to renowned pies, to exciting recreational opportunities. This month, as part of the Pledge to Protect, we hope that you’ll join us in pledging to support Gateway Communities and local businesses along the trail.
Supporting businesses and communities during the Covid-19 pandemic can look a little different than in previous years. It can mean buying from a local business, purchasing a gift card, or ordering from a small shop or maker online. We hope that you’ll continue to explore close to home and exercise caution. Before visiting communities along the trail, please make sure to check all federal, state, regional, and tribal nation guidance and mandates surrounding Covid-19. Read up on how to recreate and visit responsibly, so we can continue to get outside while keeping people, places, and communities safe.
As a business owner in Chama, one of four CDT Gateway Communities in New Mexico, Austin Phippen loves hosting CDT visitors at his motel, the Chama Trails Inn. Keep reading to learn about his experience being a business owner in a CDT Gateway Community.
This summer, even our rural CDT gateway community of Chama, NM, has not escaped the ill effects of Covid-19. As we all face the health effects of the pandemic, like so many communities around the country with many small businesses, we are also feeling the economic impacts. We own a motel in town, and this year we have only had four hikers stay at our motel, two of which were section hikers and not thru-hikers. In a typical year, we get a wave of thru-hikers starting in early May and lasting until mid June. It is a great boost for our little town to get the tourist season up and going. I enjoy seeing CDT visitors come through, hearing their personal stories, and learning about their varying backgrounds – many CDT users visit from all over the world. Other common visitors to our community are riders of the famous Cumbres & Toltec railroad, which unfortunately has also shut down this year.
Without our typical visitors at the motel we have noticed an uptick in weekend traffic from more regional visitors – residents of Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Most of these people are visiting to get a reprieve from the insides of their houses. With cities, concert venues, movie theaters, and malls shut down, many other folks have turned to the outdoors as a place to get away from the pandemic. It has been great to see so many people out hiking or fishing for the first time. I have thoroughly enjoyed helping point people to our favorite trailheads and fishing holes in the area. Some of these people are discovering public lands for the first time and are amazed at the beauty and freedom these places offer. While the pandemic has been an awful situation for so many Americans, I hope that we take away some of the positives from it. I hope time spent outside with those we love is at the top of that list.
Recently, conservation and public lands have brought the country and the two political parties together once again. In case you haven’t heard, the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) was officially signed by the President on August 4th. This could not come at a better time for our country. The pandemic has shown the value in public spaces for people to get outside and recreate. For me personally, the CDT and other public lands around Chama have been a great reprieve from the virus. Since the start of the virus, I have skied, hiked, biked, run, and fished all on public lands that the GAOA will help us maintain. Americans have come to realize the value in public outdoor spaces and this act is a reflection of that.
While it’s great that more people are getting outside, it’s our responsibility to continue to care for the lands despite increased visitation. Here in New Mexico, some of our national forests close to cities have seen a surge of people and a subsequent increase in trash and human-caused impacts. The State of New Mexico and Forest Service are having to deal with managing these challenges in the midst of a pandemic. I am pledging to protect the CDT this month so that our amazing natural resources continue to be stewarded and cared for, even as the number of users grows. I hope you will join me in making the Pledge to Protect the CDT this month! With more people playing outside, I’m sure we can recruit more advocates for the “great American outdoors”. If you don’t know it, you can’t love it and you won’t protect what you don’t love.
Stay safe and stay well. I hope to see you out on the trail soon – just keep your distance until we all get through this together.
Austin Phippen is the proud owner of the Chama Trails Inn alongside his wife Karlee and their daughter Wrenley. They live in the rural mountain town of Chama, NM. For Austin, getting to meet people from all over the world is the best part of running a business in Chama. They ended up in Chama for its small town feel and good access to the mountains. When not working at the motel you can most likely find them either fishing in the Chama River or at a nearby trailhead. As the motel’s name implies the “trail” is their favorite place to be. Austin, Karlee, and Wrenley would love to show you some northern New Mexico hospitality, so stop on by and see them at trails end!
