Day #8-Foot rehab. Miles hiked: 0.0

Today was for resting and foot soaking and minor surgery on my road walking wounds. However, Silver City and this wonderful hostel are a great place to be stuck. 

I did venture out to get groceries, exchange my Darn Tough socks (the warranty really is true-I just waltzed into an outfitter and got to pick a brand new pair), and replace my barbed wire fence-shredded water bladder.

Not much else to report except more schoolwork and naps and a delicious dinner at the local brewery.

Hoping to be back on trail tomorrow, but either way, Silver City has been good to us.

Day #7-Hiker hostel or hiker hospital? Miles hiked: 12.0

Today we busted out of our roadside camp well before the sun to make the 12 mile asphalt road walk to Silver City. It was rough on feet, but fun to watch the town wake up and head to work.

Check out this driveway full of toilets! 

We arrived to town by 930ish and hung out at the gas station and on the porch of the Triple Crown Hostel in Silver City until check in.

The rest of the day was about resting and what we now call “foot hospital,” or tending to the daily crop of blisters brought on by walking too far on asphalt. 

I also got to wear one of my hats that’s not blue—MPH student. There are just a few weeks left in the semester for my masters program, so I’ve been toting an iPad and completing assignments in town. Shoutout to Dr. Hale for being understanding about my asynchronous ability to submit assignments. 

After cooking a vegan feast for the entire hostel, we declared tomorrow an official zero day to get feet in good shape for walking up the Gila river.

Goodnight!

Day #6-Are there going to be any hills? Miles hiked: 22.5ish?

It was sad to leave Solo’s oasis, but we had miles to make today. First up, our daily “sun daddy” time…aka when we eat breakfast as soon as the sun starts warming our faces.

Next up was our first true climb over 2000 ft, Burro Mountain. It honestly felt so so good to use a different part of my blistered feet to go uphill. 

After Burro, we wandered down to Burro Mtn Homestead, an RV park/retirement community that loves to host CDT hikers and gave us free reign of their facilities. We took the afternoon to nap in their shady picnic area and use their REAL TOILETS.

The final attraction of the day was a nice alternate route down to HWY 90. Unlike the AT or PCT, the CDT is a “create your own adventure” trail with dozens of alternate routes. There’s no pressure to hike the official route, so we took a shortcut to town to avoid another really long road walk.

Goodnight from another cowboy camp in a briar patch. 

Day #5-Goodbyes, bee stings, and magic! Miles hiked: 23.2

Today we left the Econo Lodge bright and early for our last stretch of true open desert. After a 5-mile road walk out of Lordsburg, we did what I think was the most challenging desert section we’ve done.

The terrain wasn’t bad, but there wasn’t a square foot of shade or an ounce of water for 15 miles and we ended up off trail several times with sparse markers. Clearly, this cow also didn’t have a great time here.

Oh, my water bladder also got shredded by a barbed wire fence…thank goodness for tenacious tape to slow the leak.

The adventures continued when we arrived at the first and only water source full of hundreds of bees. However, 3 stings and 3 liters of water later it was all better.

After the water, we found a whole new world—goodbye to the Bootheel and hello to trees and mountains!

Also, we made it to the 100 mile mark!

There was a sweetness to the end of this day that far out-weighed any bitterness. We hobbled across a road to find Solo, a trail angel and beautiful soul who gave us tea and drinks and shelter next to her van. Truly magical! 

Goodnight from HWY 90.

Day #4-Town day for two intrepid women. Miles hiked: 15.0

We have officially made our way through the first section of the CDT. Today GoGo and I made the last miles to Lordsburg, NM.

While here, it’s eat, hydrate, rest, and repeat. We’ve also been taking care of “town chores” like restocking our food collection and doing laundry in the bathtub. 

I’m sitting outside doing schoolwork watching tub laundry dry and we’ve both had our fill of hotel gourmet. 

On to Silver City!

Day #3-Learning desert creatures. Miles hiked: 30.1

Today it was wonderfully cooler than the past few days, so we decided to capitalize on the reprieve from the heat and crank out some miles.

 

Others also capitalized on the nice weather. Today, I met three snakes, some cows, lizards, and a baby jackrabbit! Can you spot the creatures? God have them some pretty amazing camouflage if I do say so myself! 

Water was a bit more plentiful today as a kind cattle rancher allows hikers so get water out of his water tank…only a little scary trying not to fall in while getting a drink.

And of course we also relied on another CDTC cache…good for both water and finding shade.

By days end, and it was late at night, we reached our goal of 30 miles and GoGo’s longest day ever! 

A very tired Goodnight, town tomorrow! 

Day #2-Learning the desert rhythm. Miles hiked: 22.2

Today marked our first day to truly use the cool hours of the day to our advantage. We started walking just before 5 am under the “moon sun,” so bright we didn’t even need a headlamp. 

As per tradition, it was breakfast club at sunrise.

About 10 miles into our day, we passed the second water cache. My deepest thanks to the CDTC and the individuals who maintain these caches so we can safely pass through the desert.

 

Also, did I mention how wonderful it is to be back around my hiking family? All of the people in this photo are folks I’ve never met until this water cache, and now writing this from town we’re splitting hotel rooms and sharing food and catching up like we’ve known each other all our lives. That’s just how the trail works and it’s magical. 

By 11 am, the sun was getting oppressive so it was time for our siesta. We’ve already learned to  let the jackrabbits help us know when to find shelter. When we stop seeing them, we best start looking for shade. On this 85 mile section, there are 13 juniper trees so you’ve got to take what you can get.

After siesta came a windstorm with 30 mph sustained winds and 50 mph gusts. Add in some desert sand and you have a sandblast.

And then there was trail magic (unexpected kindness for hikers usually in the form of a cold drink or snacks)! I was definitely not expecting this on the CDT, but what a welcome surprise!

We bedded down among some scrub brush in an attempt to get shelter from the wind. Good thing we were both so tired the howling didn’t stop us from sleeping for a minute.

Goodnight from a starry sky and a tired Blueberry!

Day #1-Here we go again. Miles hiked: 16.8

After a three-day saga to get to the Southern Terminus, the 445 am alarm this morning signaled the final step to getting our first CDT trail miles. 

The shuttle service that gets hikers to the official starting line loaded up me, Alanna, and three others for the three hours of very bumpy dirt roads to the Crazy Cook monument—the Mexican border and official starting line.

After a few pictures and some sunscreen, it was time to start our journey through the Bootheel desert. Of all the deserts I’ve walked in, this one is definitely what comes to mind when you think desolate. It’s us hikers, some rabbits and birds, and a bakers dozen lizards. 

Even in the springtime, daytime temps climb into the 90s everyday, so we chose to play it smart and take our first siesta (shade break during the blazing hot hours of the day) in the only shade we’ve seen. The only water out here is what has been cached by the CDTC for hikers, so we’ve got to be smart with our resources and energy. 

After 5 hours of siesta in the heat of the day and meeting plenty of folks who came to share the shade with us, it was time to venture on towards water cache #1.

The CDTC puts out boxes full of water for hikers in this section because it’s just simply too brutal to be safe otherwise. We didn’t have an ounce to spare when we arrived, so we were glad to refill our water. Three more miles of bonus hiking later, we bid thee goodnight.