CDT JOY: Countdown to the end

Day 131: 20.8 miles.

Highlights: Leaving Lordsburg. 3.5 days to the end of the trail.

In the morning, Midnight, Bigotes and I had coffee at the hotel and packed our bags. We had breakfast at Victor’s across the street and then went our separate ways to run errands. Midnight headed to the post office to send some equipment home, Bigotes went to the hotel to charge electronics and relax, and I headed to the supermarket to buy sunscreen and celebratory champagne.

The grocery store only had spray sunscreen. I picked it up and discovered that the liquor store next door was open for a bottle of champagne. From the store, I went to a food truck and bought “The Thing,” a mix of horchata and chai, which I drank with ice and espresso.

I found Midnight there and we walked back to the hotel together. My friend Tim was in Lordsburg and saw us walking and stopped to say hello. He offered to carry our champagne to the finish line since he would be picking us up, and he took a few extra pieces of gear that we didn’t need for this 3.5 day stretch. I took some time to wash my filter and I think it was the greenest and dirtiest I’ve ever seen.

We finally left the hotel around 10am with a goal of 25 miles. This would mean a night walk and Tim confirmed that the next section shouldn’t be too bad to navigate in the dark.

The trail left town first on a paved road and then at a trailhead. Immediately along the way the landscape changed once again and I saw creosote for the first time. The first brush of Palo Verde was growing and I really felt connected to this landscape so similar to the town of Tucson where I have spent so much time over the last decade.

We had lunch in the shade of the metal water storage box and met friends from the trail. I had a cheese quesadilla I bought at the Mexican place this morning and some shortbread cookies.

After lunch the trail continued along a dirt road and then entered the wilderness. It wasn’t so much a trail as it was a route that sought adventure from pole to pole.

With the time change yesterday, sunset occurred around 5:30 pm and we watched the sun set behind the mountains as we walked.

We had dinner at dusk and in the dark at our next water fountain and I decided to eat the dinner that requires more water since I could easily replenish it at the fountain. I had ramen, a margarita I bought in town, and some sweet striped cookies.

After dinner we walked together all night. When we found the trail, everything was going well, but in large dirt fields we would lose it and end up walking a bit until we found the trail again. The white signs helped sometimes, but in the dark I couldn’t see them until it was very close. Of course, most CDT signals point to NOBOS, who get the added benefit of a reflective signal, but we SOBOs simply receive a faint white signal.

Sunset and late night dinner with midnight and mustaches

We camped at 8:30 pm and settled into the cowboy camp. I brushed my teeth, charged electronics, and changed into sleep clothes. The moon is almost full so I was able to prepare in the moonlight. In the distance I could see the lights of a city and I felt like I was camping in the desert near Tucson.

Day 132: 33.0 miles

Highlights: Sunrise and sunset in the desert. First Ocotillo on the trail. He crossed 3,000 miles of the red line. Golden supermoon.

Today I had my first trail mocha by mixing a packet of hot chocolate with some instant coffee. It was such a nice pleasure. During the night I got warm in my sleeping bag and had to take off a layer, but this morning it was cold and I had all the layers on while I made breakfast and got ready.

My sleeping pad held up very well through the night, so the three small patches I made around town did the trick. Today we plan to have a bigger day of hiking so we can take it a little easier tomorrow and finish the next day with about six miles left to the border. Trail angel Tim recommended a campground there that will have epic sunrise views over Mexico.

We left camp earlier than we had in a long time and arrived at the trail at 6:20 am. Today’s plan was to split the day from one water source to another and from one shade to another. The sun rose in the same direction as the trail and followed the desert tracks from one CDT sign to the next toward the sun.

Sunrise and CDT signs

Today we passed two water tanks and signed the log books, then filled up with water and retired to the shade provided by the metal box. The other two water sources were small oases in the desert and had great shade cover from trees. They both had water taps that we filled our bag with dirty water and filtered.

Today there were many moments to savor as the days count down… how many more times will I filter the water? How many more times sleep outside? How many more boils will my pot have and how many more meals will I cook here?

The thoughts bring about a mix of sadness, as this has been my life for the past four months, and a touch of relief as the comforts of post-trail life become closer to reality.

We had dinner at sunset and decided to walk at night as far as we could with an ambitious goal of 33 miles. I went to bed early last night because finding my way in the dark was frustrating and time-consuming. The trail kept disappearing into the undergrowth and you had to go through spiky plants and cacti before getting back on the trail only to lose it again.

Fortunately, shortly after dark, the trail turned from single lane through the desert and followed a series of dirt roads. It was still necessary to watch FarOut from time to time to confirm the correct path, but being able to walk side by side with friends made the night walk go by quickly.

It was 9:30 pm when I found camp for the night: a single tent on a small hill with views of the mountains in the distance. The three of us set up next to each other at the site with our cowboy camp set up.

I made some tea before bed, enjoyed some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and then fell asleep after this long but fun and rewarding day. Tonight there is a full moon, the Golden Supermoon, which is the largest and brightest moon of the year.

Day 133: 24.5 miles

Highlights: Wilderness Study Area. Last night on the road.

From our spot on top of a small hill we had an incredible mountain sunrise. Since we went to bed late last night, we took a little time in the morning to stay at camp.

Today was warmer than it has been in a long time and I started the day in my hiking shirt and shorts. It was super sunny and exposed and I put on sunscreen every few hours. In fact, I used 5 ounces of spray sunscreen in the last 3 days here and I was so glad I bought this extra item in town.

Morning rest and application of sunscreen

Today we walked six miles to the next water reservoir and the morning miles passed quickly. While we were getting water we saw Tim, the trail angel, who was replenishing the six-gallon water jugs. He gave us a magical trail of donuts and we chatted for a bit before continuing.

At the next junction we decided to take the red line through the wilderness study area instead of taking the dirt road to the next water reservoir. The study area is marked only by rocks and wooden sticks rather than the tall white trail signs we’ve been seeing in this last section.

Signage in the Wildlife Study Area. Can you see the trail?

It was fun to find routes and navigate, but it was slow. Some areas were open and you could see posts in the distance to guide you, but in other areas there was a lot of thorny undergrowth and the wooden posts were knocked down so you couldn’t see them.

I ended up with hooks in my shorts and thorns in my shoes. These are the same clothes I started the tour in and they have rips, scratches, and are so worn out it shows. We were all scratched and bleeding shins from the mesquite, cacti, and thorny brush.

We had lunch under a juniper tree in a wash house and took a short nap in the shade. The desert sun is intense and this feels like the hottest day of the entire tour. I made sure to drink extra electrolytes and bring more water in case the hike took longer than I thought and I’m so glad I did.

Dinner was at the last and final source of water, a water storage box near a road junction. We cooked in the dark and still had 8 more miles of hiking to get to the spot Tim had recommended for an epic sunrise. We were all tired from today’s journey and from the long day yesterday, but we kept going. The trail wound its way into a wash which was nice to avoid finding tiny trails and plants, but it was very sandy and rocky.

We then found ourselves on a rough jeep road to our campsite. We couldn’t find the recommended campsite, but we made it to a patch of less rocky land near a CDT crossing marker. I was so tired that I didn’t charge electronic devices, I didn’t write, I didn’t eat anymore. I simply inflated my mat, climbed into my sleeping bag, and fell asleep.