We did it. We actually hit the trail by 7am. After falling short of our self-imposed goal, we thought we’d try it again. This time we would leave earlier. That’ll get us our twenty miles. What we didn’t account for was close to 4000’ climb. So once again, we had good intentions.

Let’s start with our morning climb. It is especially nice when we stop to take pictures and videos. This surely eats up time. But honestly, what difference does it make at this point? We are so close to the end game that I really feel we should enjoy our last few weeks on trail. If I want to take pictures of rocks and trees, so be it! I guarantee you, I won’t be coming this way again, so I plan to savor each and every moment on this trail.

We had quite a few options today as to what trail, Redline or Alternate? The Alternates win out most of the time. Govina Canyon was our first choice. It followed the river Lopez Creek most of the five miles. It meandered back and forth, crossing the trail with lots of rock hopping. The trees have plenty of moss and the ground was wet. I don’t think it sees much sunshine here.

Once we connected back to the CDT Redline, we climbed for the rest of the afternoon. At this point, it was obvious that we would not get to water before the sun set. Fearless and I had one liter of water left so we were looking for any puddle or pool that we could collect from. No luck.

As we reached the summit, just as the black storm clouds were rolling in. I was hoping we would escape them, but no such luck. It started as a little sprinkle but within minutes, we were in another, all out, hail storm. We grabbed our umbrellas but this was a bit more than our chrome domes could handle! We found a big tree, Jen threw on her rain poncho and I put on my rain jacket. Here we go again!

At this point, we should’ve pitched our tens but that wasn’t an option. We headed up to the road, which is our trail and found another tree to hide under. I saw a truck from down below but it disappeared and never saw it again. So Fearless and I waited for the hail to stop.

Now we just needed to find a place to pitch for the night. We headed down the other side of the road, found a rocky spur trail and called it home. It wasn’t my intention to camp next to the road but we were both wet and cold. So that’s where we landed. It appears that our pristine weather has come to a halt. I am extremely grateful for the three days of sunshine. Now we are back to stormy days and wet, cold nights for a bit. So the weather guessers are spouting.

“You will be at peace with the stones of the field, and its wild animals will be at peace with you. You will know that your tent is safe. When you survey your possessions, nothing will be missing.” Job‬ ‭5‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s cold in the desert. I have woken up to frost every morning. Ice plastered to my tent with considerable condensation on my sleeping bag. Thank goodness I always find time to dry gear out during the day. Daily its’ wake-up, walk, rinse and repeat.

The morning stroll followed a forest road. I’m not sure why roads hurt my feet so much? But boy oh boy, my feet are sore at the end of the day. I think Jen and I are at the end of our rope. We are both just so tired! After talking to other hikers, everyone’s ready to finish this tale of trails.

The road walk continued for the first half of the day. We had lunch under a tree, saw Grouse, Bumble Berry and Banchee several more times today. We definitely are in the midst of a bubble as there are ten to fifteen of us that keep hovering.

We headed to the Aragon Well which is a water tank. You have to open the gate which is Barbed Wire wrapped around sticks. High Security for us water thieves! Then you step up on the cow trough and dip your water bottles into the tank. The farmers put goldfish in the tank to keep the algae at bay. Yep, this is my life!

Once we filled up, Jen and I went down the road and finally were back on the CDT Redline. We had been following the Pie Town Alternate for days. As soon as we hit the trail and not the road, I had a sense of relief. I guess I just know what to expect. Rocky trail with some ups and downs, but no more roads. We headed through the forest and before long, we were back into wide open meadows and grasses.

Fearless and I had big goals today. Get to the Gila River Alternate. I must’ve miscalculated the miles because we were still off by fifteen to twenty clicks. So tomorrow, we will be close enough to start the infamous Gila Route. We won’t be doing the low route as the previous storms have virtually erased the trail. Crossing the river is no less than chest high at the shallowest. Hikers stated that you would have to swim to get from one side to the other. So we have, along with the rest of the hikers, are restricted to the High Route.

As we came into camp, Glass and Fancy Pants showed up. I have been wearing a new hat, “Adrian for Sheriff” courtesy of Paul from the Gathering Place. My hat was temporarily lost but returned tonight by Fancy Pants. A Farmer on the road found it and gave it to the first hiker he saw. And Fancy Pants knew exactly who belonged to it. Now, I am wearing my intended lightweight, form fitting hat. But I will need to find a new owner for Adrian. Hopefully he is running a good campaign and will be the best Sheriff in town.

As I think about my aches and pains, my complaining, I realize that I am so blessed, so fortunate, so incredibly grateful for all that I have accomplished. It is only by God’s grace that I have made it through this journey. Wow, how glad and joyful I am!

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The gang all slept in. Accept for Nutella and Bat6. They were up early preparing breakfast for ten thru-hikers. Nutella and Bat6 started Sobo and flipped at the border. Then Bat6 pulled a tendon and was done hiking. Rather than leaving the trail, they became Trail Angels. Heading Northbound, they rented a 4WD Jeep and started driving the backroads looking for thru-hikers. We were fortunate to be in the right place, at the right time and see this lovely couple again.

Breakfast Burritos with fruit, coffee and juice was on the menu. The fire was blazing as it was pretty dang cold in the morning. But on the bright side, we have not had any rain since we left Grants. Praise the Lord! Everyone was huddled around the fire, eating and filling up with needed calories. We finished every last burrito and even took fruit juices for the trail. Thank you Bat6 and Nutella! What a great and rememberable time we had at Davila Ranch.

Jen and I hit the trail just before 11am. One of our later starts but it was well worth it. We all bided farewell with hopes of seeing each other down trail. The past few days have been mostly forest service roads. But not asphalt. Just nicely graded with trees and duff. We were able to do close to 3mph, which helped, with our late start.

Around noon, we stopped for lunch. Yes, we do eat a lot. Talking with the other hikers, they are putting down 4000-5000 calories a day. I’m not sure what in the world they are carrying in their packs that equates to that many calories? A stash of honey buns, a stick of butter with a tons of nuts and cheese. That’s all I can imagine. I’m probably closer to 2500-3000 calories, if even that.

As we were sitting having lunch, Bumble Berry passed us. She asked if we knew we were sitting next to a cow? What? Sure enough, about 50’ from us was a black cow sunny herself. She was laying down behind some trees and I never saw her. But what we did see was a doe being chased by a buck. It is the rut so he was frisky and she was having nothing to do with his antics. It was a game of cat and mouse and I think the mouse won.

Our climb was Chavez Peak which was a nice gradual uphill. It was over four miles and topped out at 9500’. I believe this is the last time we will be close to 10,000’ the rest of the trail. I’m fine with that. All downhill to the monument from here out. Dreamer!

It was a leisurely hike today but my feet are so terribly sore. A couple of months ago for my birthday, Hogged Up and Fearless gave me a patch that reads “Everything Hurts Hiking Club.” All three of us have this patch but today, I was totally embracing it. Or maybe I’m just feeling it more!

We ended up stopping at the Valley Tio Campground and decided, we are done for the day. It was just past five, and both Jen and I were spent. With the night last night, the late start this morning, the lack of quality sleep, I think we just needed to get back to our usual schedule. We found a nice picnic table and some flat spots to pitch out tents.

We searched the campground and found no water spigots, no running water, no stream or spring. Our neighbors had a pretty big RV and we figured that they had water. End up that they had been supplying hikers with water all week and were running short. But the did have a cooler of melted ice water. That’ll work! So we filled up our bottles, chatted for awhile and returned to our site for dinner. It was a day but we are on target to get to water in seventeen miles. Standby feet, you will be working tomorrow.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today was the first of many things on trail. I woke up to a rooster crowing, before the sun rose. Then a cow mooed’ for quite awhile. I also had an extremely difficult time unzipping my tent, being there was 2-3” of snow and frost attached to the vestibule and side walls. Yep, many firsts!

Jen and I hit the trail just after 8am. We were not the last to leave but close to it. Foggy and Choker were still milling around. Everyone was headed to Pie Town. The roadwalk continued with easy terrain and most of the mud and puddles had dissipated. We arrived in Pie Town and met Paul. He’s the owner, operator, head chef, mail delivery person, and well, anything else that needs to be done at the Gathering Place. Fearless and I sat down with four other hikers who were finishing up slices of pie for breakfast. Why not?

We ordered omelettes with a side of pancakes. I so miss a good breakfast. Beef sticks and cheese are definitely not doing it for me any longer! But an omelette with bacon and tons of vegetables, now that’s breakfast. We finished with a couple of cups of coffee and postponed pie for later. As we were talking with Posiden, Jen came up with a brilliant idea. Posiden has a van, and is willing to transport our ten pound food bags to Davila Ranch. Brilliant!

After eating, drying out the wet gear from mornings hard frost, we headed out for an afternoon stroll. The weather has been perfect! I know, it’s about time. We finished up our miles for the day when Nutella and Bat6 drove up. They are Sobo’s turned Trail Angels. They stopped and gave us soda and promised to come to the ranch and make us dinner! Seriously?!?! We will be there.

Before long, there was close to ten of us at Davila Ranch. Foggy & Choker, Sundial & Low Bat, Banchee & Bumble Berry and Fearless and me. Everyone had got word that Trail Magic was coming our way. We’ve have been recipients of more than our fair share of goodwill on the CDT, but no one has offered to cook for us.

By 7pm, Nutella and Bat6 arrived and started preparing a feast for us. All the food and more that hungry hikers can eat. I had a hamburger, two hot dogs, chips, margarita and smores! I know, that’s a lot of food. We all sat around the camp fire and talked about trail stories till hiker midnight. That’s translated to 9pm.

Today was a feast! Breakfast at the Gathering Place, Burgers and dogs at Davila Ranch, with Lemon Custard pie and Pear Ginger Pie, just because. My belly will be asking me why I ate all that but boy oh boy, what a great day!

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is something beautiful about being inside when there’s a downpour. We spent the morning doing chores. First bit of business was heading to the Post Office. Most people would jump in their car and drive there. But our car is our feet. We wanted to get there as soon as it opened. Jen and I headed out for the two plus mile walk. We hadn’t made it quarter mile before the rain started. This is getting ridiculous. We stuck out our thumbs and cars whizzed past us. Doesn’t anyone feel bad that we are getting soaked. Finally Diane pulls over. She was just getting off the graveyard shift at Walmart.

Diane drove us, waited for us and drove us back to the hotel, with our resupply boxes. Our next dilemma was finding a ride to Albuquerque so I can go to REI. Diane calls her sister Darla and secures us a trip to and from. Wow, we are so fortunate.

Post Office, REI to replace my broken hip belt buckle, then back to the room to get our food packed. Dinner at Denny’s, then finally Walmart for last minute items. In bed by 10pm and out in the morning. Both Jen and I are wondering when do we get a day off in which we can just rest? Not until we get back home!

Our plan to getting to Pie Town is find a five miles hitch down I-40 to County Road 117. This will set us up for a long road walk. Why on earth is the CDT on a two-lane road is beyond my understanding. It’s an asphalt roadway with literally no shoulders. We walked for a very long, long time.

Fearless’ friend Grouse caught up with us. None of us like the road especially since the cars are whizzing by at 60mph. Finally a flatbed truck stops in the middle of the road and asks if we want a ride? You know it! The three of us jump up on the flatbed and we’re off. What a blessing even if it was a bit scary without side rails. We all held for dear life. If one fell off, we’d all slide together, as a neat little package.

Fifteen miles later, we were closing in on the Pie Town turnoff and a dirt road. Our driver pulled over, nodded us farewell and within thirty minutes, we were back to walking on a proper roadway, wide and asphalt be gone.

At Pie Town Road, Fearless and I stopped for lunch, and Grouse continued on. We’ll definitely see him again. The hikers he was walking with, Newt and 23, are doing the 24 hour challenge. Walk for 24 hours without stopping. No thank you! Grouse decided not to partake, but instead walk with the rest of us sane people.

We still had another sixteen miles to TLC Ranch. After lunch, we put our heads down and walked the rest of the day. It was a dirt road, fairly straight and flat. That was doable and we made good miles. We ran into Low Bat and Sundial. Everyone had the same idea about staying at the ranch tonight. The options out here are pretty slim, and mostly private property.

As I was closing in on the ranch, the sun was setting and the moon was rising. It was quite the contrast with a colorful sky both to the east and the west. A Rancher and his wife stopped and talked for a bit. He was checking out his cattle and the roadways after all the storms. It’s a tough life being a rancher but he seemed to enjoy this life. If you can find a job, or better yet a career that you love, then you win! The two were like teenagers driving around and checking on their cattle. What a life they have made for themselves.

Around 7pm, I pulled into the TLC Ranch. Larry the owner, has quite a piece of property and welcomes hikers to sleep on his land, and supplies water at no expense. It is another unexpected place that you just have to experience. God’s people loving on one another. Thank you Larry for your hospitality and support of this hiking community!

“Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What a night we had! For the matter, it seems to be par for course in this neck of the woods. The lightning show was like no other. We were surrounded in every direction by what seemed like strobe lights! This went on for the majority of the night. I finally was lulled to sleep by the rolling thunder.

We wanted to get up and out as soon as possible. Just after 7am, we were on trail. Honestly it’s hard to get out much earlier being the sun doesn’t rise till close to 7:30am. I’m not looking forward to the standard time change as then, we will have even less daylight hours! So is the struggle of a Sobo hiker.

The trail was nothing but mud. Thick, gooey, stick to your shoes kind of mud. At times, both Fearless and I were slipping and sliding from one muddy mess to another. But somehow, we stayed upright with Bride of Frankenstein Shoes of Goo! We made quicker than normal miles being we both were low of food, and honestly just wanted to get to town.

After our lunch, we saw a couple of trucks and a trailer parked off the roadway. Maybe they are headed to town. Ends up that Ray, Roy and Sylvia just pulled their Elk tag and are hunting this weekend. They invited us in for coffee and tea just as it started to rain. What perfect timing. We talked for a bit and once the first round of rain stopped, we headed back out.

Before we left, I was sharing with Roy the lone cow I saw near Chavez Peak. He quickly asked if it had a green tag on its left ear? It sure did! Ends up that Roy’s’ friend has been looking for this cow. Fortunately I had dropped a pin and knew the exact location. The lone cow will be rescued after all. That just made my day!

Within half an hour, the sky turned black and you guessed it, round two began. This time it was accompanied by thunder and hail. That lasted for close to an hour. Now mix in a bunch of hail with a lot of mud. Well you get the picture.

After that was over, we hit our junction. If we stayed on the Redline, we wouldn’t make it to Grants until tomorrow. But if we continued on our road, there was a slim chance we might meet someone headed to town. Well, we met several hunters heading Nobo but not a single vehicle headed towards Grants. And so we walked.

After we cleared just over twenty miles, Andre comes down the road. He’s a Lineman Supervisor and was out inspecting the powerlines that were hit by a tornado last night. What? There’s tornados out here? Well that just makes me rethink this whole nonsense of hiking the CDT! Sure enough, while we were tucked inside our single-walled piece of nylon, a tornado, no less than ten miles from us touched down and took out the powerlines. Well, that’s reassuring, not!

Andre was more than happy to give us a ride to Grants. He’s on his way home to Albuquerque and it’s on the way. What a godsend! We honestly were not sure how we would make it to Grants without a kind soul picking us up. It was well over another thirty miles to town.

On the way, we passed several washed out areas due to the heavy rains we had last night. Roads were closed, mud and water was flowing across the roadways and here we are, nice and dry inside a Ford Bronco with more mud on it than our shoes. And that’s saying a lot. Andre drove us directly to our hotel and said that he’s planning a hunting trip in a couple of weeks near Silver City. Hopefully we will see you again.

This has been a tough week. The weather is always an issue. The winds were blowing constantly and now we have tornados! Our miles have picked up and just when I was getting comfortable, believing we got this trail in the bag, we are both dragging! Like they say, if it was easy, everyone would do it! And tomorrow is indeed, a new day!

“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So if you’ve been following my blog and all things CDT, the common theme is weather. We knew there was a chance of Flash Flood Warnings which is accompanied by rain, thunder and lightning. We had it all! Last night around midnight, the sky lit up with lightning and thunder. This went on for at least an hour or so, and then came the downpour. The good thing, was that Jen’s hammock faired amazingly well. No leaks, and no water soaked under quilt. She stayed nice and dry. Thank you again JJ from Exoticpax.

I packed up and headed out a bit before Jen. She was doing some work and I needed to get water. I scared up a flock of nearly twenty large sized turkeys. Definitely good enough for eating! After they took flight, I came around the corner and there was another loner cow! What’s with these cows all by themselves? Are they outcasts or did they just loose their herd? It makes me so sad for them. Poor big cow.

After a nice six miles hike, I found the trail to the spring. I dropped my pack and followed the blue paint on the trees. I followed the ridge line, dropped into a gully, back up to the ridge line then down 500’ into the canyon. I sure hope this is the right way since I’m way off trail. After twenty minutes of extra credit miles, I found the cistern and the pipe that fed the cisterns. I crawled under the barbed wire fence and filled up close to three liters of fresh flowing water. Now all I had to do was hike back up the hill.

Once I returned, Fearless had arrived. She was doctoring up her new found blister. We sat and had an early lunch, and filtered my overflowing bladder full of water. Foggy and his two hiking companions showed up. We last saw each other in Chama. They were planning a marathon hike to Grants.

Jen and I got back on the trail after lunch with high hopes to crank out some miles so we could be in town tomorrow. But that all changed when the thunder and lightning rolled in. At first it was several miles away to the west but by golly, that storm found us and started moving overhead.

At first, we figured we’d just do a hasty pitching of our tents, and once it blew over, we’d be back on trail. Well, as it seems to be on this trail, that big bad storm just hunkered down and had no intentions of leaving. And so, at 1pm, we were banished to our tents for the remainder of the day. Hail, rain, wind, thunder, lightning and tornados plagued us through the day and night. All I can hope for is a break tomorrow so we can push onward to Grants, New Mexico. These miles are getting harder and harder to pile up. Come what may, we will keep plugging along one step at a time. At the end, it’ll all add up to one heck of a season of hiking!

I’m not sure how many of you heard the news of Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado? Ends up that they are calling this weather event a Generational Storm. It happens once a generation and has caused Millions of Dollars of damage. Pagosa Springs and South Fork are under mandatory evacuation orders. The Hot Springs Resort is under water, tornado warnings are not normal in these parts but they are touching down and wiping out homes. Roadways and Highways are closed due to flooding and the CDT Class of 2026 is trying to navigate any which way they can fathom. Fellow hikers are sharing intel of swollen and impassable rivers, trying to find routes out of the mountains and deserts. From listening to the local news station, the storm we are in the midst of is compared to the storm of 1909. This is unprecedented. My heart and prayers go out to all the residents and emergency personnel that are doing everything they can to keep us all safe and protected. It’s very sad to witness the mass destruction of this powerful week long storm!

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My hubby had surgery yesterday. He had a hernia that was plaguing him with constant pain. Needless to say, I had little sleep worrying about him and praying for the best outcome. This morning, he was released from the hospital and is home recovering. What a blessing and relief knowing he is on the road to recovery.

Fearless and I had many miles to cover, especially with the waterless stretches we’ve been covering. Jen suggested a road walk that would set us up for faster miles and quicker access to the spring/tank. I agreed and off we went. I typically don’t like road miles but I made an exception this go-around. It was a good choice and we met up with the trail in three hours, covering over ten miles. That’s fast walking for this duo.

Once on the Redline, we ran into Banshee. He’s another hiker I met in Glacier NP and here, some 2,000 miles later, we are seeing each other again. He’s been hiking with BumbleBerry who I met in the Bob. Her and Long Story are the two who had the dogs follow them all the way from East Glacier.

We all met up again at the Spring and shared lunch together. Banshee had miscalculated his days to Grants so he was shy on food. Good thing he was with Jen and I because we always have plenty of food. Typically there still is food in our packs when we arrive in town. We shared our lunch and gave him some provisions for the next couple of days.

The rest of our day was climbing Chavez Peak. It was a steep climb over 2500’ in less than three miles. But the good thing is we are off the desert floor as there were Flash Flood Warnings with the impending storm. They are saying we’ll have rain starting tonight through Sunday so four days of rain, ugh!

The locals warned us that this desert has funky clay that turns into impassable mud in minutes. Once it starts raining, watch out. I sure hope not, because that sounds absolutely miserable. I’ll report back as to the validity of this mud swamp. At this point, I might as well experience New Mexico all that it has to offer.

We made it to the plateau and it was heavenly. Nice and flat with tons of trees. As we were finishing up our day, I ran across a lone cow. Cows are herd animals so it was so odd to see her all by herself. I walked over towards her and she started mooing like she was quite upset. Lonely, afraid or just wanted me to leave. I tried calling her like a dog and if I had a leach or rope, I would’ve brought her with me. But I didn’t have either and she probably wouldn’t want to come with me anyhow. I marked her location and plan to tell someone. She needs to find a home for the winter.

Around 5-530pm, we found a resting place. The storm was moving in and it started to thunder with light rain. Jen found her trees and I moved a few rocks, pinecones, designing a makeshift bed for my tent. I’m pooped. No sleep tonight as I’m fretting over that lonely cow.

“For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird on the mountains, and all the animals of the field are mine.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭50‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

After checking out all water info on FarOut, I saw there was a spring near our camp. Jen and I were up early and headed out before sunrise. We walked straight to the spring. I was hopeful as there were lots of cow prints headed that way. When I got there, the spring was dry. Not a drop of water to be found.

Today’s focus was clearly on finding water. There was a water Cashe up ahead by fifteen plus miles. But I really am not a fan of cashes because there’s no guarantee that there will be water when you arrive. So I would rather have a creek or spring or even a cattle trough.As bad as it sounds, it’s better than nothing. Well most of the time it is.

The morning was so nice. New Mexico is my favorite state. I may have said that about all the states, but I hadn’t been here yet. It’s relatively flat. The elevation is around 8,000’ so much more better and manageable. The terrain is graded and has little steep climbs or descents. I think that’s why so many hikers go Northbound. It’s an easy breaking in period.

We stopped regularly to take photos. Fearless is a little Ansel Adams. She takes pictures of everything! I love that because it makes the hiking slow paced. We are in no rush, and that’s pretty obvious by the fact that we don’t do big miles. Fifteen to twenty is our max. I’m good with that. It keeps us from catastrophic injuries and we still are on track for reaching the border by our self-imposed date of Thanksgiving.

After a short break to shed our morning extra layer of clothing, we found a good sized puddle of water in a deep hallowed out rock. The water was cold and very few bugs were floating in the water. Both Jen and I filled up, not knowing if we’d find anything else. And yes, we filtered the water.

After lunch, we headed straight to the Cattle Tank and Tire Holding Tank. The Cattle Tank was bone dry. In fact it was terribly rusty, so it must’ve been empty for quite some time. Yet, there was a good sized herd of cattle so they must be drinking somewhere. That’s when we spotted the big oversized tire. That’ll have water. Fearless went over and was outright disgusted! There’s no way I am drinking that. And she was right. It was infested with dead flys and bugs and all sorts of things you wouldn’t want inside your gut. We moved on without H2O

Two miles up the trail was a possible water Cashe. It was getting close to dark and I was literally praying that we would find water there. I had been very conservative about drinking today and I was getting a bit concerned. Sure enough when we arrived, there was five to six gallons of water lined up under a tree. Glorious wonderful water! Thank you Trail Angel for supplying this Cashe. I never know who does this but we are eternally grateful.

After filling up, our next bit of business was finding a home for the night. And you thought backpacking was nothing but fun in the sun. This is, in fact, a lot of fun but there’s some days that seem more work than play. After milling around for a bit, trying to find a couple of trees for Fearless’ hammock, we finally agreed that trees are dwindling and maybe it’s time to try out the tent.

I helped Jen with her new borrowed tent and she succumbed rather well. It’s a Gossamer “The One” which is the same tent I used for years. We had it up and pitched in no time. It may never be Jen’s go-to but it’ll serve her well in the desert. Except for the fact that she is on the ground and we saw our first tarantula today. Big hairy spider! Definitely want to keep your shoes in your tent and the doors zipped closed. With that being said, it’s time for bed.

“When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the LORD, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them. I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. I will fill the desert with pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground.” Isaiah‬ ‭41‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

After our pack fiasco, we decided to take a zero and regroup. Stress strips you of peace, and I feel there was a bit of uncertainty going on inside my mind. What I needed was a day of rest and some good worshiping.

The hotel we were staying at was owned and operated by Nathan Yang, a Philippine Missionary. He also is a worship leader and knows Thelma and Ron from Fresh Life Church. So on Sunday, Jen and I went to church with Nathan. And yes, we attended Fresh Life for the Pastor Appreciation Day. What a blessing that was. Pastor Bino led an incredible service and study on the Book of Esther.

After the church potluck, we headed back to our hotel, went through our food resupply, shopped for extra food, duct tape and fuel. Once back in our room, the inspection and repairs to our packs commenced. Honestly, both packs faired rather well from their road rash but there was some TLC that needed to take place. Mostly rips, tears and some minor battle wounds. Nothing that duct tape couldn’t fix!

In the morning, we headed to McDonalds for the Big Breakfast with pancakes and coffee. Then one more trip to the Post Office to send home treasures from the trail. My friend Natalya, aka Blue, loaned Jen her tent and sleeping bag. The desert is a bit scarce on trees so there’s going to be a time where Fearless will have to give up her hammock. She’s fighting this reality as she loves swinging from trees. But now she’ll have an option when the trees disappear.

Begrudgingly, I left town. I know we are running out of time and there are miles to walk, but sometimes you just want to stay another day. It was a nice day with pleasant temperature and slight breeze. Honestly, the CDT should be a Sobo hike. New Mexico in the spring is downright hot. There’s no water and it’s not a place I’d want to be if the temps are 90-100 degrees. In the Fall, it’s perfect. We still have waterless sections but at least I’m not sweating and dying of thirst. We packed out with 4-5 liters each of water. And we most likely won’t find water until tomorrow.

The trail was relatively flat and meandered through piñon trees, old growth cedars with junipers. It really is a gorgeous section of the trail. There are cliffs that we wind around with expansive views on both sides of the ridge lines. All was good until the trail took a hard left.

As I looked around, there were three CDT signs, with the last one heading us off the cliff. Seriously? This can’t be the trail but sure enough, it was. There was sandstone that the trail workers actually ground steps and handholds into. Well that was thoughtful but wouldn’t it be better if we just walked around the right side? That seemed much more doable. Once again, they definitely didn’t ask me where to place this trail!

We slowly worked our way down the precipice of this cliff. There was a narrow band of trail with multi-colored rocks. It was stunning and I had views for miles. There were two rocks that were balanced onto two separate pedestals that defied logic. They were huge yet what they were clinging onto seemed not fit for the job. Jen said she wants to return in 500 years and see if they are still standing?

We read that there was a water cache near the roadway. When we arrived, only half gallon of water remained. I filled half a bottle with two cups of water and left the rest for the next thirsty hiker. Hopefully, some kind person will replenish the water for the 20-30 hikers that are behind us. Our next “possible” water source is a cattle trough about fifteen miles south. This will be our biggest challenge going forward.

After fifteen miles, and because the sun is setting much earlier these days, we started our hunt for a suitable site. After passing the fourth or maybe fifth cattle gate, we stumbled upon a lovely spot. Trees for Jen and soft duff for me. I think that’s a wrap!

“For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children. They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭44‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬