Ghost Ranch to Chama – See you later New Mexico, hello Colorado!

Today I write to you from the cozy balcony of Foster’s Hotel on a day zero in Chama, New Mexico, the gateway to Colorado! At this point, I’ve finished logging all the CDT miles in New Mexico, officially eliminating one of the five states! Wow, wow!

Changing landscape: from desert to grasslands

Leaving Ghost Ranch was bittersweet; partly because there was good food, coffee and company, but also because the hike out of the canyon would be the last we would see of the desert. It wasn’t long until the towering sandstone ledges faded behind us. We would no longer be avoiding cacti and lamenting the constant accumulation of sand and dust on our shoes; We would now be looking out over grassy meadows, relatively abundant water, and a veritable jungle gym of spruce and spruce falls that occasionally turned the hike into a full-body gym routine. I loved being able to see such a new side of New Mexico on its final tour.

And just like that, we sailed at high altitude through subalpine forests!

The lakes also became a welcome new feature along this section of the trail. The first night out of Ghost Ranch, I stayed near Canjilon Lake. It was here that I quickly remembered why you shouldn’t camp too close to a lake, as the next morning my tent was covered inside and out with heavy condensation and dew. Not only that, but it fell below zero overnight, so a good amount froze in a sheet of ice. I’ll remember to keep my distance in the future! The lake had also just been stocked with fish, so the next morning I had fun chatting with the early bird fishermen who came by while I dried my tent.

Finally some decent surface water!

Twenty-four more miles the next day brought us to Hopewell Lake, where I was surprised to recognize the camp supervisor as none other than Carl (with a “C”), the store clerk at Doc Campbell’s Post in Gila Alternate. It was great to chat to him again and a few of us spent the night there. The campground also had an Adirondack-style shelter, which made me nostalgic for the Appalachian Trail.

Appalachian Luxury on the Divide!

Unlike the desert, I felt like I could relax more on this section of the trail. Maybe it was the quiet grass that you could sit on without getting stabbed, or the easier access to water, or maybe just the great weather we had, but I found that it was easier for me to just take time off during the day to sit and enjoy the surroundings. It was very relaxing, quite zen.

Relaxing at the watering hole!

A two-tailed swallowtail butterfly, the state butterfly of neighboring Arizona!

A race against a storm and to the post office

Of course, not all time on the road can be relaxed. As we approached Cumbres Pass, I realized that maybe I could make it to the post office before they closed at noon on Saturday if I could walk 30+ miles on Friday to get situated for a shorty and hitch to Chama on Saturday. Overall, it was a pretty successful day until the end when a storm started brewing in the northeast. Pit Stop and I were trying to book it across an exposed meadow when the skies opened and dumped first rain, then snow, then a kind of thick «not quite hail» snow that I later learned is called «graupel.» I learned that I can set up my tent in a hurry when driven by such sudden inspiration.

You can’t escape a storm!

Fortunately, the storm did not last long, although the wind howled for the rest of the night and into the next morning. I was packing and walking at 6:15am, ready to leave New Mexico behind and get to that post office! However, I took a moment at the border to say goodbye to my first state in the CDT as I crossed the border. It felt like a huge accomplishment to have passed such a huge milestone, and I was impressed with the diversity, beauty, and challenge that New Mexico posed. New Mexico, we will miss you!

One down, four to go!

At Cumbres Pass, I immediately caught a ride with Larry, who took me and another hiker to Chama in time to make it to the post office. Mission accomplished! …But that was exactly when the tragedy occurred.

Find the lost wallet

As a first insult, it turned out that my package was delayed in shipping and was not even available for pickup. However, the much more immediate problem was that I realized I didn’t have my wallet. I looked in every imaginable nook, cranny, and hiding place in my backpack and found nothing. What a sinking feeling it is to suddenly find yourself without ID or money 1,000 miles from home. I could only imagine that I dropped it on the trail, probably near where I had camped the night before…10 miles back.

As I was breaking down my backpack, Tumbleweed (owner of Tumble On Outfitters, Chama’s gear store) took note of my plight and offered to help me. I had camped near a forest service road and he offered to take me an hour into the mountains to see if we could find him. On this day, Tumbleweed was my night with a shiny alpha fleece. We had some lunch with some fellow hikers and then headed into the hills in search.

Hiker Lunch at Twist!

It took me about an hour to get back to the spot where I had camped the night before. Honestly, we were lucky that the road was dry enough, well-maintained, and that there were no landslides blocking the way. My heart sank when my wallet was missing from my campsite, but after a bit of searching, we spotted it in the grass about 50 yards away! I can’t express the huge sigh of relief I gave upon finding that needle in a haystack! I thanked Tumbleweed profusely and we headed back to Chama. I was ready to take a nice day off!

Tumbleweed: my knight of the shining alpha fleece!

Day Zero in Chama

After a hectic morning finishing New Mexico and achieving a miracle on the trail, a zero was needed. A host of other hikers (Pit Stop, Journey, Mr. Trash Lobster, Joker, Weasel, Sidewinder, and Peach Pit) also took the day off before heading further north into Colorado. I got a room at Foster’s Hotel and Saloon, we collaborated on group laundry, and ate lots of great food around town.

I had a great time taking the day off in Chama. I spent a good portion of the day relaxing on the front balcony of Foster’s, updating my journal and chatting with Pit Stop and Journey, and talking about the snow conditions we expect in the future in the San Juan Mountains. Even with this being a historically low snow year, there is still plenty of snow on the road ahead, especially on north-facing slopes where the sun doesn’t shine.

That brings us up to speed, I’m crossing my fingers and hoping my package, containing my ice ax and microspikes, arrives at the post office today so I can continue walking with everyone else. I don’t relish the idea of ​​being left behind, as I’ve really come to enjoy the company of the small bubble of hikers I’ve come to travel with. At the same time, I don’t feel comfortable walking forward without the proper equipment. For now, I’m at Fina’s Diner, enjoying a delicious B&G, and I’ll have to wait and see what the day has in store for us. Next time I’ll have a chance to report back to everyone from Pagosa Springs, CO, by then I’ll have had my first taste of the snowy Rocky Mountains! I’m looking forward to it for sure! Until next time, thanks for reading!

Greetings from the cozy Fina’s Diner!