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
