Greetings and greetings from hiker CDT Hulk! My last blog was at mile 85 in Lordsburg and now I’m hanging around Grants, NM, mile 534, taking a couple zeros. It’s been about three weeks and a lot has happened. I’m halfway to New Mexico, about 1/6 of the CDT. I have traveled through Silver City, Doc Campbell’s Post and Pietown. I took the Gila River alternative and crossed that water about 200 times. My best memory from these sections was meeting “Doug The Hermit,” who has lived in the wild for the past 27 years in a small shack. He only goes to town once or twice a year on an all-terrain vehicle. The crazy thing is that it brews beer and has three beers on tap! He gave me a tour of his home and of course I tried all of his wonderful beers. That Doug can talk!
I met Doug while walking the morning rosary along the trail. He started chatting with me non-stop and I only listened to him because he was unique and entertaining, as well as quite friendly. Doug was diverting the trail away from his spot with a stick arrow that said CDT and a piece of wood blocking the pink line of the trail. A little controversial and confusing, but it is what it is. He seemed to have a love/hate relationship with the hikers. “Doug The Hermit” is 75 years old and for years he had no income. Recently, he said he started collecting social security, so he was able to buy some luxury items for his home and many homebrew kits. Doug invited me to see his house and how could I turn him down? He was a short distance from the trail and as we approached his house, he asked me if I liked beer. BEER? I’m from Portland, Oregon, the microbrewery capital of the world. I love craft beers! I shook my head YES and he proceeded to give me a tour and tell me about his home setup. An IPA, a brown ale and a delicious 8% imperial stout were on tap. I tried all three and loved the stout, I gave it up. He spoke to my core for three hours. How could I leave? I had a chair to sit and drink homemade beer in the middle of nature! How crazy! One of its basic foods is seeds/lentils. He said that one tablespoon of these seeds can be enough for a day and he soaks them in a jar for 36 hours. This confused me a little, maybe because I was getting a little drunk. It was 9am when I got to his house and maybe had a protein bar in the morning. I finally got back to the trail three hours later and the hike was slow. It was hot. I was sweating profusely and had a few climbs ahead of me that day. I only managed 14 miles that day. I’m in my mid-20s, so Doug’s day put me behind my schedule a little. Schedule???? HA! On a hike, the schedule always changes.
After encountering “The Hermit” just a few miles from Silver City, I have been increasing my daily mileage. The other day I did 27 miles and was able to average three miles per hour on flat dirt roads. There have been a lot of dirt roads and flat hikes. After Grants, NM we will start doing more climbing. There is an alternate route that reaches the summit of Mount Taylor, at 11,307 feet, about twenty miles from the city. But for now I’m taking a couple of necessary zeros to rest. City food, beers, shower, laundry, resupply, etc. I take a cold bath on the trail (no stove), so hot food and bottomless coffee in town are heaven!
Hiker «Musher» will accompany me for the second half of New Mexico. I met Musher on the PCT and also hiked the Arizona Trail with her. He trains Iditarod sled dogs in Alaska for the famous Seavey Kennel and has also worked in Wyoming. There has been a lot of loneliness on this trail, so it will be refreshing to hike with an old trail buddy. I also plan to download some audiobooks from the library and some podcasts. Yes, we are not always disconnected on the road. We are lost without our phone. I will visit Cuba, Ghost Ranch or Chama, New Mexico again. Remember to “Drive at a dust-free speed.”
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