Finally I’m writing to you from the trail! So far, I traveled to New Mexico, traveled to the border, and walked the first 85 miles back to Lordsburg. Let’s chat about it!
Get to Crazy Cook; Mile 0
Shout out to my mom (no route name) who drove me to the airport at 5:30am!
“A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step,” says Lao Tzu. However, for me, a 3,000 mile trip on the CDT began with…
- a 2.5 hour trip to the airport
- a 2 hour flight to Denver
- a 2 hour layover
- a 2 hour flight to El Paso
- Wait of 8 hours at a McDonalds in El Paso and at the bus stop
- A 3-hour bus ride to Lordsburg, NM (2:30-5:30 am)
- A day of waiting in Lordsburg and camping outside the city.
- A leave note from the US military.
- A shuttle ride from CDTC to the Mexican border
- And finally, just one step!
The CDTC Shuttle! Booking the shuttle also includes access to 5 water reservoirs within the first 85 miles back to Lordsburg!
You might think that after all that traveling I would be tired for my first day of hiking, and you would be right. It was a little exhausting, but the excitement of starting such a big adventure kept me going. Also, I will point out that the CDTC shuttle service is absolutely worth the $175 they charge. The water tanks alone are great, but the ferry also provided a great opportunity to meet some fellow hikers. The shuttle has a maximum of 12 hikers per day, so you will have plenty of time to meet some hikers who will start with you. While hiking this first segment, I often camped near many of the people from my initial transport, and it was great to have good company.
Finally at the border!
The First 85 Miles: The Walk Back to Lordsburg
From the moment I set out, I realized that the key elements that would define the first part of this hike would be water, sun, and wind. Basically, you end up planning your day based on water availability and jump from shade to water as you go. A tree that provides shade is a real luxury in the middle of the desert, since they are few and far between. Sunscreen, lipstick, long sleeves, a brimmed hat, and sunglasses are a must, and woe betide those who left one of them behind.
Nap in the shade of a beautiful juniper tree!
It is advisable to walk early in the morning, take a break during the hottest part of midday, and walk a little more in the evening. I admit, I have a bit of a hard time sitting around doing nothing, so it often worked during the midday hours. Being from the Midwest, I found it quite interesting to observe all the local flora and fauna. I saw night-blooming cholla cane, prickly pear, barrel, and cereus cactus, as well as plenty of ocatillo (not a cactus, as I discovered in town), more lizards than I could count (quick little critters), and a couple of western rattlesnakes. It had rained the week before I arrived and many of the desert plants were in bloom! We were also apparently surrounded by several coyotes at camp one night, as their nearby howls and howls caused us to wake up several times…
A prickly pear in bloom!
A rattlesnake I almost stepped on at camp!
So far, other than adjusting to the hiking style the desert demands, the hike hasn’t been all that challenging. The trail runs mainly along the base of some mountain ranges, but has not ascended to high elevations. Looks like we’ll get a little bit of that on the next stretch from Lordsburg to Silver City.
A day-by-day breakdown of my first section hike looked like this:
- Day 1: 17.2 miles
- Day 2: 21.9 miles
- Day 3: 22.6 miles
- Day 4: 18.6 miles
- Day 5: 4.6 miles (near Lordsburg)
What’s next?
Today I will approach Lordsburg, where we will resupply, stock up on food from the city, give our feet a rest, freshen up, and sleep in a real bed, protected from the fierce wind blowing through the heel of the boot. There are plenty of other day trippers passing through town, so you can definitely tell it’s NOBO bubble season. From here, it’s about 81 miles to Silver City, where I’ll arrive in good time for CDT Trail Days! For now, that’s all I have, so I’ll update you all further north!
First replenishment!
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