Day #13-From water to fire. Miles hiked: 28.1 (with a little help from the Smoky Bear Express)

Wow, it was cold last night! I can tell we’ve climbed back out of the Gila and into higher elevations thanks to all of our water and shoes being frozen solid this morninf. Nonetheless, the show must go on.

We’re officially back in the open desert on public land shared by more furry friends.

The morning otherwise brought lots of wide open spaces and time to let my brain and eyes rest after the magical world that was the Gila.

However, it’s not the CDT without some excitement. When I started smelling bbq, it was unfortunately not trail magic. It was a wildfire started the day before by someone not putting out a cigarette. There was no re-route in place and there were trees actively burning, so the forest service shuttled hikers a few miles around via truck (hence the Smoky Bear Express). I’d call that an acceptable shortcut and it even came with some great conversations with the crew.

I also enjoyed a nice break at a cow trough before 12ish miles of road to reconnect with the official CDT.

We’re definitely back in the mountains and preparing for a few cold nights ahead.

Onward to Pie Town!