Water worth its weight in gold (CDT Days 21-30)

With the confusing alternatives behind us for now, I was happy to be back on the red line. An easy 14 mile road walk this morning into town. I saw some of the largest paw prints right next to our tent, following a cow or moose. Hornet said confidently that they are probably just dog tracks. To be fair, they almost look TOO big to be Mexican wolf tracks, but it fueled the wild fire in me by pretending a wolf was sniffing my scent from outside our thin tent. The hike along the highway was surprisingly scenic and I scoffed to think of all the hikers who skip the roads on purpose, hitchhiking through every town. They claim the same miles as me. If you «don’t want to walk on roads», why the hell are you walking on the CDT?

Getting into Grants was a trip. Holding my umbrella in my lap to protect my bubbling poison ivy, stopping at a subway, and walking past numerous junkyards was on the menu. We finally arrived at the brewery, unfortunately too quickly, an hour before it opened. We continued the half mile to the hotel but we didn’t dare ask for an 11:00 check in. Instead, we drove a quarter mile to Lottaburger. My first time at New Mexico burger chain. So far, it was one of my favorite meals at the CDT. After lunch we managed an early check in at The Leisure Lodge Motel (highly recommended). I put aside all my hiking duties, including a $130 Telehealth appointment for an uninsured woman like me. They prescribed me some delicious steroids to clear up my poison ivy rash that was spreading! Thanks modern medicine. We hit up AYCE’s Chinese buffet and ended the night with an episode of Survivor.

Leaving Grant’s was another journey through American culture. A pastor stopped us outside a church and urged us to carry a firearm and then invited us to worship (that could be a conflict of interest, sir). Then we passed a correctional center (prison) and just a quarter mile further we came across a makeshift shooting range where locals waste all their shotgun shells aiming at large chunks of trash like freezers and broken couches. What do international hikers think? This is probably the America they thought they were walking through! At the end of the day we were camped at the base of Mount Taylor, which has an elevation of 11,301 feet. We got water from a gravity-fed faucet from a spring that some hikers didn’t know how to operate, our first water of the day just before camp. The next morning we made a beautiful climb up the mountain, which reminded me of the PCT. The colors of the green vegetation next to the rocks and the sky were beautiful. We walked on a dirt road for the rest of the day.

The next day we hiked another 20 miles to camp at our first real red line lookout in a long time. Little did I know, we were at the top of our first Mesa – a geological wonder that we would soon be climbing and descending for the next 50 miles. This section 50 miles south of Cuba, New Mexico is stunning! It was a challenging hike up and down each Mesa all day. The sand rock digs into our feet and the sand from our socks digs into our skin. We carried 3-4 liters on our backs for most of the day because there was often only one source of water each day. They were often water reservoirs, many of them provided by the angel of the path and triple crowner, Mozy. The colors looked like Mother Nature was painting them with red, orange, peach, and dark magenta. Rocks tumbled at the ends of the Mesa revealing millions of years of layers of ecological history. This might be my favorite little section. If the lovable Eastern Collard Lizzard didn’t solidify that, Camp Oasis at the end of day four did.

Camp Oasis is a monthly magical trail spot created by a hiking club in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They had numerous home-cooked meals to choose from with endless snacks and drinks. It seemed like a mirage in the middle of a hard, hot and dry stretch, but it was 100% real. Thank you very much Oasis team.

Our last Table was like the boss at the end of a video game. It was the biggest and the steepest. It was also the most fun trail I’ve hiked in a long time! The roller coaster section of the AT has nothing to do with this trail. I was running up and down the curves of the trail, and then the next minute I was striding off the sandstone stairs.

We camped on top of the Mesa, sheltered from the trees above. It was a beautiful moment of sunrise from our tent. It was an amazing day, but I could say that simply because it’s CITY Day! I took many videos and photographs on the ten mile “Nero” to Cuba, New Mexico. We left the trail and arrived at a restaurant in a matter of minutes. We saw our favorite smelly hiker already eating at a table and plopped down next to him.

Grant’s section to Cuba was for the books. Hornet and I feel like this is what we’ve been hoping for since the beginning of New Mexico. It’s getting bittersweet because we’re actually just a few stops away from the Colorado border. I am very excited to arrive in Colorado, but I am very grateful for the 600+ miles we will have traveled in New Mexico and all its quirky towns. In this section we reached 400 and 500 miles. 500 miles in a month, that should be our new record.

Again and again you will walk.

And I know you’ll walk far

And face your problems

Whatever they are.

You will be confused, of course,

As you already know.

You will get confused

With many strange birds as you go.

So be sure when you step.

Step carefully and very tactfully.

And remember that life is

A great balancing act.

Never forget to be skillful and skillful.

And never confuse your right foot with your left.

Oh, the places you’ll go! by Dr. Seuss

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