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