300 days in the CYTC from border to border

This morning I packed my bags pretty early in the room. I really wanted to get out of town around 8am If all I’m trying to do these days is around 35 miles, then I only need about 12 hours each day. So if I don’t start until 8am, it’s not the end of the world. In theory I could relax a lot more. I’m just worried that if I loosen the reins too much I’ll lose control completely.

Once I packed up, I started walking around the city. The CDT continues through Cuba and exits at the other end. Then I’ll walk down the road for a few miles before getting back on some real trail. There is a gas station in town that has a Mexican restaurant inside. I should have gone there last night instead of McDonald’s. But something about getting McDonald’s seemed easier.

This morning, however, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake. I love McDonald’s breakfast, but I remember this gas station had amazing breakfast. I ordered a couple of burritos with potato and chorizo ​​inside. I love chorizo ​​in a breakfast burrito or a regular burrito. It’s so delicious! I sat and had coffee while they cooked. He then continued walking out of the city.

I saw at least one hiker in the distance heading to McDonald’s. But I didn’t stop in the city again. I continued walking until the end. He then continued down the road for the next hour or two. In fact, I passed a couple of civilians walking down the street. Two people heading towards Cuba and two people heading outside of Cuba. They didn’t have backpacks or anything. I really wondered where the guys who left Cuba went. There’s nothing out here.

Once I got off the road the views got really good.

Once I got back on the real road, it ended up being an amazing day. I spent the entire day walking past many unique rock formations. I remember it was a beautiful section! This is also the section where Syrup and I suffered a flash flood last year. We arrived about 47 miles south of Cuba. Then, after we had set up camp for the night around 9pm, we were suddenly hit by a wall of water. This led us to walk the remaining 55 miles to the grants right away. So we walked all night, all the next day, and all the next night. It will be interesting to go over the section again. Considering the fact that I walked about 50 miles in the dark!

What do I mean when I say that rock formations look like abstract art?

I had to climb a bit throughout the day, but nothing too crazy. The trail went through a really cool cave and tons of huge hanging rocks. The structures surrounding the trail were unique. Each one looked like a work of abstract art. Another great advantage of this section of the trail is how well marked it is. I don’t know if it was like that last year when we arrived. But this time there were cairns marking the route every 5 to 10 feet. And there were tons of orange flags too.

I remember taking a photo of Syrup here with his feet dangling off the cliff.

It almost seemed like there was some kind of ultramarathon course going through this area. Because it was that well marked. I really hoped this trend would continue. If so, doing a night hike later on would be ridiculously easy. I think one of the slowest things about walking in the dark is having to pay more attention to stay on track. Especially in New Mexico where the trail often tapers off and follows cow trails. But having regularly installed rock cairns and orange flags made everything very simple.

Passing by these sand and orange colored rock structures.

The afternoon passed quite quickly. But it’s funny how many sections of the day I didn’t remember at all. Even having traversed this particular stretch in daylight. I went through so many areas that didn’t seem familiar. In one section in particular, the trail became incredibly steep and dropped off a cliff. It was clearly the trail, but I was quite surprised. And he certainly didn’t remember it from before. I wonder if this section experienced some really bad flash flooding recently. If so, the trail may have been significantly rerouted. There were brief moments where I would go through something and definitely recognize it. But there was a lot of time in between that where I really wasn’t sure I’d been here before.

Indeed!

It makes me think that perhaps the trail took a slightly different route, but followed the same general direction. So maybe some sections were the same and others were new. Or I just have no idea what I’m talking about! I can’t hope to vividly remember every mile of every trail.

At one point, I climbed to the top of a small hill and continued up this rock face for a while.

The last time I was here it also rained a lot. Hence the flash floods. So it was a really nice change of pace to pass through this area in good weather. Later that day, the wind picked up a little. And I had vivid memories of the last time when we were hit by sandstorms. Because of this, I always carry extra contact solution in New Mexico and other desert areas. Sometimes it can be very difficult to get the contacts in and out because they are covered in fine sand.

The trail ran along the edge of this cliff for a while.

Today ended up being really nice and easy and exactly what I wanted it to be. Although I had intentions of going quite far during the day. And judging by the time, that meant he was going to be walking in the dark for at least a few hours. If I don’t start until 8am, then it will take a few hours of night walking to cover 30-35 miles during the day. And while I could probably reduce the mileage, I probably won’t. I would prefer to do 30-35 miles every day and have the opportunity to do a zero or a nero in the future. Instead of indulging in shorter and shorter kilometers.

A kind of cute footprint in the mud! Am I assuming a bear?

I think I’ve gotten too good at doing 35 mile days. It’s hard to imagine doing much less on a daily basis. Of course, I would do fewer kilometers if I ended up in the city. Or maybe if I stayed in the city much longer than expected. But if I’m out all day, there’s really no reason not to walk for 10 to 12 hours. And as long as the terrain is forgiving, that means going 30 to 35 miles. It’s funny how something so crazy can become so routine.

Beautiful views as the sun started to set.

Now that there isn’t as much pressure on mileage, the days seem easier too. It’s one thing to do 35 miles most days. But it’s a whole other beast to know that you have to average 35 miles or more. That means you’ll be covering 35 to 40 miles most of the time, if you can afford an occasional shorter day in the city. Replenishment is not optional, so I know I’ll have to travel in and out of town from time to time. When you have to reach a certain average, it becomes much more difficult. So now I have moved to the area of ​​a more casual 35 mile a day lifestyle. With the pressure raised, the kilometers are not as strong.

I definitely missed these New Mexico sunsets.

It seems like every day the sun sets so early. When you walk 10-12 hours a day and 3-5 of those hours are walked in the dark, it feels like half your day! I swear I blink and the sun is already starting to set. It is a unique sensation, without a doubt. And on this particular night, I knew I had many hours of night walking ahead of me.

A beautiful way to end the day.

I really don’t know why, but my feet started killing me towards the end of the day. Every once in a while I will get a very unique and particular sensation through my feet. I think it’s probably some kind of pinched nerve sensation. Perhaps due to calluses or simply the pressure of constantly hitting the ground. Most of the time I would say I walk without pain or discomfort. But maybe once a week or once every two weeks, I’ll have a day where my feet hurt like an 8 out of 10 for hours.

And tonight was definitely one of those days. Maybe it’s because I took a few days off. Maybe it’s because the terrain is particularly rocky. But I’ve been gritting my teeth for the last few hours. The inside and outside of my feet sent intense shock waves to my brain. I think the worst thing is knowing that it’s probably a nervous feeling. Which means it’s really not real! Literally, it is just your mind that perceives some type of sensation and sends a signal to your brain. That’s why it can be so incredibly painful and still not be due to any type of injury.

Sometimes it is so intense that my stomach hurts. But I feel very lucky that this happens incredibly rarely. Although it has been on and off since the beginning of the year. Any ailment that only reoccurs once a week or once every two weeks for one day is not so bad.

However, the discomfort caused the end of the day to be prolonged. I mainly walked along a dirt road as the night wore on. But sometimes the road was very rocky and still slow. Another problem I have is that when the terrain is slower and rocky, I still try to make the same good time. Which means I’m just sending it across the rocks and not being as gentle with my feet. So I shouldn’t be surprised that my feet hurt!

Sometime after dark I ended up walking next to a tent. I think this is a pretty big trend for me. I won’t see anyone unless I walk past them in their tents in the evening or early morning. I realize I’ve seen some CDT hikers and I’m very grateful for that. But I always have a tendency to bump into people in the dark. It’s always a pleasure to be able to talk to someone and have some kind of interaction. That’s why those moments that I spend so closely always stay with me.

I was glad to continue on the dirt roads and the easy to follow route. I didn’t end up going much further than that person’s store. I was losing patience with my feet and was ready to call it quits. I know I will restart tomorrow morning and the miles will be much easier than they currently are. So I ended up walking until I reached a flat place protected from the wind. I wanted some trees around me because this part of the trail was pretty open.

Not bad to start the day a little later.

I set up my tent not far from the trail. Then I boiled some water to make a hot drink. And I realized I had only packed a couple of packets of hot chocolate. I have plenty of coffee for the next two mornings. But this is the only night between here and Grant’s house where I’ll be able to have a hot drink. Tomorrow night I will have to suffer. I hope to go a little further tomorrow than today. I hope it’s not too cold tonight and I can start early tomorrow.

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