We left this morning from the warm and cozy comforts of our fine hotel. It was a fun stay in Old Town Silver City. I walked to the Post Office early to pick up a package of Fearsome Fuel Meals provided by Dave Tilden. He is the Executive Chef and Creator of these freeze-dried meals. This is one of the many ways that Fearless is raising awareness for MS. Once I tasted the meals, I knew I had to be their first customer! What a difference having high quality and good tasting dinners make on the trail! Thank you Dave.

Suzie picked us up and Hogged Up and her hiking partner The Beast, we’re getting a ride too. The two had just finished a SideQuest to White Sands and other jaunts around the area. They rented a car and were tourists for a bit.

Suzie drive us to 180 at Saddle Mountain. This kept us off the highway which is mayhem for hikers. A friend of ours, Grouse was dropped off on 180 a few days ago and called his parents back, to pick him up. After the first few Semi’s whizzed past him, he was done with that nonsense. Suzie won’t let any of her hiking friends walk the roadway and insisted on taking us to the dirt trail off of 180. I couldn’t disagree with her!

Once we were parked, we all split up. Hogged Up and The Beast took off like unleashed Stallions. Me and Fearless said our goodbyes to Suzie and sauntered down the trail. Actually our trail was a dry wash bed. At least it was dry for the meantime. There’s tons of red rocks, hoodoos, cottonwoods and willows with more than our fair share of Cholla Cactus and variety of other pokey things. Jen asked a very good question. “Why are there so many pokey things in the desert?” I’m not sure but they do seem to congregate south.

Within an hour or less, the black clouds started to rain on us. Nothing terrible but just enough that it’s more of a nuisance than really anything else. We pulled out our umbrellas and managed to stay relatively dry.

The Wash was quite nice. Soft sand, easy underfoot and I was very happy to be there. But we all know that you don’t want to be in a Dry Wash when it’s raining because they don’t stay dry for long. In no time, the trail climbed over 1,000’, which was music to our ears. We’d be above the low lands and hopefully safe from the floods, if they came.

As we climbed, I mentioned that it looked much like SoCal with the chaparral, scrub oak and grasses. In between were lots of pokey and scratchy bushes that sliced up our legs. This is when I wish I was wearing pants. My legs look like I got in a fight with a machete and I came out dead last!

We decided to keep walking and make it to the ridge line and find shelter high above. Thunder and lightning started rolling in but it was far enough away that we were not in the line of fire. Once we crested the top, I saw a white Nissan parked. That’s odd and how in the world did they even find this place? Ends up it was Adam, the father of Stag, one of the kids we’ve hiked with. Adam was slackpacking his son and friends. Jen and I both were able to get refilled with water and continued on.

Just before 5pm, we found a nice enough spot that claimed to be the best camping on the CDT! It’s always interesting when someone claims the best! I’ve seen much nicer places than this, but it’ll do. We cleared out some pine cones, cow pies and put sticks over the cacti so we wouldn’t step on them or pop our fragile air mattresses. Once again, Jen would’ve been much happier if she had her hammock. Then she could swing above the cacti and not worry about it. We had off and on rain all day but nothing too wicked. Just enough to make all your gear damp. Hopefully we’ll get some sunshine tomorrow and dry out during lunch. As it was, our Heavenly Father brought Adam to the trail with water, when we were low. And it seems, that the Lord already has it all worked out for us, so no need to fret or worry!

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭31‬-‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Oh baby, it was cold last night. No frost or rain. Just cold to your bones kind of temperatures. The sky was crystal clear, the stars were bright, and the ground was a mix of pine needles and duff. I must’ve worn all of my garments I have in my little backpack. Thank goodness for the goose who sacrificed all his feathers. I wore my down pants, down jacket inside my down sleeping quilt with my down pillow! Thank you my lovely and warm, feathery friends.

Our trek today was black asphalt all day. For being road, it actually was quite stunning. The county route was unmarked, meaning no shoulders or painted centerline. It is a bit of a free for all. All vehicles and bicycles behaved, except for the one yahoo! He was driving way too fast, barely gave me enough room to breathe and was much too close to my hiking partner Fearless. There always seems to be one who just can’t follow the rules of the road. Back in the day, I called that “Job Security!”

As we were walking, Suzie, a Trail Angel from Silver City stopped. “Do you need a ride, a place to stay, a bag of Potato Chips?” I jumped on the offer for chips. She was returning hikers 23 and Newt back to the trail. We also took her up on the option to stay the night. We exchanged info and carried on.

For lunch, which was on the road side, we chilled and took our shoes off for a bit. Jen did a little work and I ate. Afterwards, we had a nice walk, with much of it downhill. As we grew closer to Silver City, a nice guy from Albuquerque stopped in his Prius. Would you like a ride? At this point, I was finished with the roadway and we had done our due diligence of walking for the day. Sure, we’ll take you up on the offer. Aaron gave us a ride to Old Town Silver City. What a quaint place to land.

We headed into the Palace Hotel which was endorsed by both FarOut and other fellow hikers. It’s an old Brothel turned Hotel, with three ghost-like characters that many travelers share stories of. We booked a room for the following night, then walked to the local watering hole. The “Little Toad Creek Brewery” was also highly recommended. I haven’t had a beer in awhile and it was time to wet my whistle. They have a few favorites and I found a hoppy IPA while Jen ordered a Mojito with Parmesan Garlic Fries. Yummy!

After our brief visit to Old Town, we headed to the Visitor Center. Suzie picked us up and whisked the two of us to her place in Santa Clara. It’s just outside of town and has a beautiful vista of the local and life-sustaining copper mine named Chino Mine. It’s one of the deepest and most active mine in the US. As mines go, to me, it’s also the most unique mining operation with colorful terraces. I’ve never seen such a deep quarry in my lifetime!

Suzie made us dinner, chicken thighs with turmeric rice, carrots and tomatoes. This woman is the real deal. She has a Double-Wide Trailer in which one side is set-up for hikers, while she has a separate living quarters for herself. We each had on-suite bedrooms with private kitchen and dining area. It was much more than we expected.

After a quality night of sleep, Suzie greets us in the morning with homemade French Toast with honest to goodness real maple syrup, a dollop of Greek Yogurt and Juice. What a treat! We took showers, did our laundry and then she took us back to Silver City.

Jen and I walked the city streets indulging on pastries, drinking espresso and yes, once again, writing postcards. Then Suzie picked us up again, and took the two of us for a hike to Big Trees! Yep, we did a leisurely hike around the biggest and oldest Alligator Juniper Tree in all of New Mexico. After walking two plus miles, we arrived at the Mother Tree. Her trunk measures over 70’ in circumference and is close to 100’ tall. If that wasn’t enough, she drove us to Chino Mine. No rest for the weary but we sure saw Silver City and all that it has to offer. So now you know what a thru-hiker does on their zero!

I never planned nor had any intentions of exploring Silver City like Jen and I have. I just thank my sweet Lord for introducing us to his earthly angel Suzie. How grateful and what an incredible opportunity to see this enchanting place called Silver City, the Gateway and southern utopia of New Mexico .

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ NIV

Doc Campbell’s Post is literally run by one family, the Campbell’s. It is an outpost on your way to the Gila Cliff Dwellings in Membris, New Mexico. We met the entire family. from Angus who picked me up on that cold wet day, Christie who runs the Outpost, and Elizabeth who drives around in her golf cart and rents out the one and only apartments in the hood. The Apartments, which is actually a barn converted into three apartments was completely booked by close to fifteen soaked, wet and stinky hikers! This was no problem for the Campbell’s. They love and cater to the thru-hiking community.

There really is nothing that brings you to Doc’s unless you are a hiker or maybe a river rafter. There is a Hot Springs but they are on the Gila River and not accessible due to the enormous amount of water that was received in the past 24 hours. For Northbound Hikers, who typically arrive in April or May, they advise not to enter the river if the flow rate is more than 180-200 CFS. As of today, the flow rate was 2,170 CFS! I’m not a flow rate expert, but that’s ten times over the safe and acceptable range. Everyone who was near or camped at the Gila River Campground were evacuated. And all reservations have been cancelled.

Needless to say, the place was deserted. Jen and I decided to take a full zero. After the past week, we were physically and emotionally exhausted. There’s no TV, which I haven’t watch but once in the past four months. The internet is spotty and there is no phone service. My focus was doing laundry, posting my blog and writing postcards. It was the most relaxed I have been since August, when my hubby came to visit. If you ever get a chance to go so far away, or off-grid to speak, give this place a chance. You will not regret it and you just might find that it truly regenerates your soul. This place just beckons me back to return and possibly, write a book!

But we still have more miles to walk. The options going south were two, hitch or road walk to Silver City. Both the Redline and the Alternates were under water. So Jen and I resorted to doing my least favorite thing and that’s walking the road. I think I’ve accepted this part of hiking as I have been doing so much of it lately. The good thing is if we had trail to hike, we would have 60 plus miles. But the roadway is much more direct so we will be in Silver City in two days.

We did have a ton of climbing today. There was a group of twenty or so bicyclists that were on the same road as us. They actually paid to ride their bikes up this intense and wicked grade. As they would approach us, Fearless and I applauded them for peddling up these steep hills and switchbacks. I was glad to be walking, and they were glad they were biking. At least that’s what they told us.

We finally stopped at what we thought was the top. Jen found a dirt road and we ate lunch. Typical tuna on a tortilla with sliced English Cucumber, fruit stick and protein bar. It was okay. But in all honesty, we indulged in two pints each of homemade ice cream for breakfast! So tuna seemed like the sensible choice for our mid-day meal.

On road walks, you need to pay attention to water supplies which are few and far between. We also need to confirm that we’re not sleeping on private property because that can be frowned upon. Fortunately, there are a number of campgrounds along the way. My CalTopo had a few highlighted and around 5pm, we arrived at Pine Flat. It has a ton of pine trees which means pine covered forest floors that are extremely comfortable to sleep on. Home sweet home for tonight. And if all goes well, we will be in Silver City tomorrow. It’s getting closer!

““Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the LORD rises to shine on you. Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD rises and appears over you.” Isaiah‬ ‭60‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Fallback. Doesn’t that mean an extra hour of sleep? Not when you’re hiking the CDT. The plan was to do our 17 plus miles and get to Doc Campbell Post before 3pm. That was all fine and dandy until we missed our turn!

Let’s first share all the good things that happened today. It rained all night but around 3am, it abruptly stopped. There was a slight breeze which helped dry our tents. We were packed, and on the trail early.

There was promise of one little climb, and a lot of down. Jen took the lead and we were walking through forest and some wet grasses. We arrived at an Old Cabin and Water Cistern. Jen was quite upset because the screen that covers the collection hole was uncovered.

What if an animal falls in? So of course, next action is to cover that hole up. Her pole was too short and so I tied the handles of my poles together. And we started pushing the screen back into position. Only problem was we cannot slide it far enough. Before I could say no, Jen was on top this flimsy metal cone and scooted the screen back where it rightfully belonged. All squirrels, chipmunks and mice are now safe!

The trail zig-zagged and before long, we were out of the forest and up on a bluff. The most marvelous view of Gila River and Canyon appeared. We headed over for a few photo ops and went back to “a” trail. This is where I made the most rookie mistake of all. Following the wrong trail down the very steep slope.

I had looked at the map in the morning and knew we were eventually going down to Doc’s but not by way of switchbacks. But instead of consulting FarOut or CalTopo, I followed my partner straight off the cliff. Nearly 1000’ down, we reached the Gila River. That’s when I realized the critical mistake we made. The Lower Route of Gila River is inaccessible due to the recent storms. The trail has literally been washed away. Unless I have a kayak or raft in my backpack, we can’t go this way. So, what did we do? Climbed back up 1000’ to the top. We added four extra credit and unneeded bonus miles to our day.

I was flat out mad that I didn’t even think for myself and never looked at the map! What a boneheaded thing I did. So now the chances of getting to Patsy’s Diner for some fine cuisine were dashed! But Jen saved the day. She put on her Super Woman Cape and flew done the trail. We still had over seven miles to go and less than three hours to get to the road. Save the day Jen. I’ll see you in town.

Ends up that there really isn’t a Diner in town. The Diner is a Roach Coach and has very limited operations. But there is the DocCampbell Post that has Ragu Sauce, Spaghetti and Pre-made Salads. Jen caught a ride in the back of a horse trailer in the pouring down rain. I neglected to add the fact that the Super El Niño has arrived with heavy winds and torrential rains. Minor detail.

Once Fearless Cape Wearer got our provisions for dinner, she searched for a driver to pick me up. I was on the final section of the road to Doc’s. I tried to get a lift with National Park Personnel. However they have a strict policy not to pick up and transport any persons, even if they are wet from head to toe and beginning stages of hypothermia. Unbelievable! I told him that I served as a CHP Officer and I picked up all sorts of people, homeless, vagrants, down on your luck kind of people. He once again, explained that it’s a Governmental Policy. State policy’s are different. No, you are misconstruing policy with common sense and compassionately . Well, I didn’t say that, but I sure did think it.

Fortunately for me, my friend Jen found a ride and picked me up about two miles short of Doc Campbells. There were twelve hikers that arrived at different times of the day, both today and yesterday. Everyone is licking their wounds and drying out. This has been one heck of a year for Sobo Hikers. I believe there may be an upcoming movie, the year CDT hikers were washed away! Never has there been this amount of rain! They’ve called it a Historic Rainfall in Glacier when they closed the park in June. Then Generational Storms that are once in a generation occurred in Northern New Mexico. And if that’s not enough, tornados that show up which haven’t been recorded in over fifty years in Grants and Santa Fe. Mass flooding, early snowfall, rain that has been prayed for, and now has arrived. Well, on the bright side, I have less than 250 miles to go. I’m sure the next few weeks will be nothing more than what I have already experienced. But then, don’t tempt Mother Nature! She seems to have the final word. At least in 2026.

This is my “Life Verse” and feel it is appropriate for this time and place.

“I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I had a little visitor last night. Pew the Skunk walked right in front of my tent. I typically keep my vestibule closed but I was warm last night and decided, why not? It was early in the morning and at first I caught a whiff. Then I saw its little black and white body waddle in front of my tent. I didn’t breath, didn’t turn on my headlamp and just remained as still as possible. Thank goodness, she kept on moving and no harm was done to either of us!

Today was such a variety of terrain and ecosystems. We started out with fog and it pretty much followed us all day. Well, with the exception of rain. As we left, we had Juniper Trees the size of heritage oaks. In fact we slept under one last night. It was massive. Before long, we were climbing back into the pine forest with cactus. It’s just not what you expect. The route we are following is the Gila River High Route. I actually wanted to do the low route but it’s too dangerous with flooding, intense water rushing down the canyon and chest high river crossings. So the High Route it is.

Once we climbed the hill of sorts, we dropped back down to Lodge Pole Pines with wet grasses and tons of delicate spider webs. The trail led us to Aeroplane Mesa Campground. We stopped for our morning coffee break and second breakfast. There was a picnic table and Privy’s so it was quite a civilized place to hang.

Then we climbed again. This time it was a fairly steep horse trail with loose rocks. Once on top, we could see rolling hills with Oak Trees, Pines and Junipers. There were orange grasses that covered the hills, and oversized flower stalks. Then we meandered around the bend, the terrain quickly turned to granite and started a steep descent into the canyon and Middle Fork of Gila.

Middle Fork does not have a bridge. It is a “take your shoes off and hitch up your skirt” type of crossing. The river was maybe 30-40’ across and the deepest section today was knee high. Not bad. And my hiking poles did not vibrate as I crossed. It was one of the nicest river crossings I’ve done. Even Fearless was pleasantly surprised.

Once across we headed back up the canyon to a flat plateau. All was well until Jen jumped off the trail with a loud cry! What the heck? We saw not one, but two tarantulas today. It was appropriate I suppose as it is the Day of Hallowed Saints- Halloween. There are three things that freak Jen out. Metal Cattle Crossings, Fast Rivers and Spiders. She experienced two out of three today. Sorry Fearless!

The day was full of variety of terrain, plenty to peek our interests and just an all around splendid day. Even the rain couldn’t dampen our spirits. And tomorrow we will be at Doc Campbell Hot Springs. Rain or shine, I’m soaking in that hot spring. This has been our longest stretch out on trail since the Bob Marshall Wilderness in July. Eight days and I’m out of food and smelly! It’s time to get to out of these stinky hiking clothes and post my blogs.

“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Last night we did a hasty setup on the side of the road. Not my favorite site on trail but we were wet and cold. I had no idea that trucks would be using this road until midnight. That was a bit unnerving but evidently, they all knew the hairpin turn and avoided landing in our temporary home. God protected us and indeed, we’ll hike another day.

Jen and I were hoping and praying for a boost from a kind soul along this deserted road walk. Evidently, the only traffic that drives this is after dark. We hiked down the very long road through forests, oaks and mossy rocks. It was beautiful with running water next to the road. We stopped within the first mile to fill up, as we were plum out of water.

The road was a steep downhill. Then it turned into a flat road walk that appeared to be crossing the Serengeti. At least that’s what Fearless called it. It was wide open plains with yellow grasses. No lions or zebras, only a few cows. We have deemed cows the mascots of the CDT. Every state has them. Some, just more than others.

We stopped for lunch around 2pm and just as we were packing up, it started raining on us. Well we had a most the day rain-free, so I felt that was a win. Just as we were getting our packs on, a young man stopped and offered us the boost we were praying for. Five miles up the hill, out of the rain and back to the next plateau. We gratefully obliged.

Once we were dropped off, the rain stopped and we carried on to yellower pastures. We were close to 8000’ and there was nothing but grasses and sporadic trees here and there. Well, except for the threatening clouds all around us. The trail had changed. It looked more like a basin with little more than a tree, here and there. We saw another tarantula, the most gorgeous squirrel that was a cross between a rabbit, skunk and bushy tailed squirrel. Never got a picture but if I find another, I’ll definitely snap a photo.

We headed down towards a pond and a creek, which was a good thing as we both needed water. Once topped off, Fearless was in charge of finding camp tonight. She wanted as many extra miles as possible because she is more than ready for Doc Campbell’s Hot Springs. I am more than ready for a hot shower and a warm bed to sleep in.

After four months, it gets to a point when all you can think about is getting home, sleeping in your own bed and being back with the ones you love! That is number one priority at this point and the more miles we do, the faster we are back where we both belong. And I truly believe with the Lord’s help, mountains will move and our feet with travel faster!

“For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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