See Mike Posner on the Continental Divide Trail

This morning I woke up right around the time the sun came up. I could hear everyone else starting to move too. Finally I packed everything up and then went and sat by the fire. While we were getting situated this morning, we had a really cool surprise. A hiker in a running vest walked by and I recognized him immediately.

Depending on how much social media you consume, you may or may not be aware of the fact that singer-songwriter Mike Posner is currently walking the path of the continental divide. He missed many miles north to join his friend after getting injured. But he has been recording his journey on social media. And it’s obviously been quite entertaining news in the hiking community. So when the guy walked by this morning, I immediately recognized him as Mike Posner’s hiking buddy. So we knew it was only a matter of time until the man stopped by.

I guess it was pretty disappointing, but Mike stopped by and we exchanged a few words. He waved at us because we were out of the way. And maybe a few more things. We hoped he would stay a little longer, but he didn’t. I was hoping to bump into him on the way. It started at the end of July and I clearly passed it somewhere. But most days it is supported by a vehicle, so it would be pretty easy to pass them at night and not even notice.

Around 7am I was already packed and ready to go. So the three of us set off. It was Fruit Fly, Steam Engine and me. No one else had caught up with us last night and no one had passed us yet this morning. Apart from Mike Posner. The trail was really nice as we went. Mostly just dirt and covered pine trees, which made walking nice and easy.

In the first two kilometers of the day we began a fairly long and steep climb. I had to stop and take off the layers. It had been a nice, cool morning, so I left everything on. But now that the sun was showing I was starting to burn. I caught up to Steam Engine and then looked to see if Fruit Fly was still behind. But she should have stopped earlier to do the same. Because of the amount of food I have, I really need to go about 35 miles today. So I guess I probably won’t see anyone else in the group again. I need to space out my breaks a little more and definitely get back to taking shorter breaks. While I love sitting with everyone for 1-2 hours or more, it’s not sustainable to do 35 miles a day.

After removing the layers, I was able to continue climbing the climb which went on for a while. Then finally the trail leveled off and became nice and easy again. Over the course of the morning there were a lot of unexpected slopes. I haven’t really been looking at the map often, so I don’t know what to expect. But I think in the first 20 miles or so of the day we ended up with an elevation gain of over 4,000 feet. Which isn’t too crazy. But surprisingly, it was quite steep at times.

It was nice to have some open and exposed views.

About 10 miles or so into Steam Engine day and then I stopped and took our first break. I can definitely still take breaks, I just need to keep them to a healthy time limit, like I usually do when I’m alone. I was wondering if Fruit Fly could catch up with us while we were sitting there. But she never did. Then we got going again and continued doing lots of regular climbing.

From where we camped last night, today we had to travel about 30 kilometers to reach the first water source. That definitely helped me stay motivated and moving. I dry camped last night, so I still have plenty of water this morning, but not infinite water. We ended up moving forward for the next two hours before stopping again at the next fountain.

Steam Engine and I took a short break here. I loved the look of this tree with the sun shining through.

Just before reaching the next water source, we would cross the junction where the CDT Red Line splits from the Gila River Alternate Route. I was previously contemplating doing the red line, but didn’t have the opportunity to store water for myself. And it looks like there are some incredibly long water carries in that stretch. So I’m going to do the Gila River Route again just like I did last year. When we reached the Gila River alternative crossing we began to continue along a dirt road.

I hadn’t remembered it before, but at that moment I realized that the rest of the day would be spent on a dirt road. Which is actually quite nice. It was going to make the rest of the day very easy. About a mile after reaching the Gila River Trail we reached the next water source. It was a tank in the ground filled with nice clear water. I love tanks that have a lid covering them to keep the water source nice and cool. We sat for a while and drank some water. And while we were there, a hunter arrived and the guy ended up getting out of his car and coming over to talk to us. I had some questions about how the CDT is doing in this area and he was a good guy.

At the top of one of today’s climbs.

After getting water there, we got back on the road and kept going. I now vividly remember this section of the trail. I was here with Sparkle, Syrup and James last year. This particular day was full of mischief and I remember it very, very clearly. When we started walking along the path again today, I was able to look at certain places and remember when we sat there to take a break last year. It’s crazy how things like me can come back to you so clear.

For the next few kilometers, the hike was flat and downhill. We had ridiculously good time. It was starting to cool down for the day, which was a relief. I knew I would be putting on all my layers once again, very soon. And in the next few miles, we also passed the point where this huge group of hikers planned to camp for the night. They are planning to cover about 23 miles per day. Which was too short a day for me to manage my food.

Steam locomotive ahead.

When we reached that area where that group had planned to camp, I had to pose the question to Steam Engine. If he stayed with me he would lose the group. And this group is so ridiculously fun and amazing to be around. So it was now or never for him to stop for the night. But he figured that if he went much further with me tonight, he could probably sleep in tomorrow and everyone would catch up with him in the afternoon. Which was definitely very true.

Either way, I really enjoyed having a friend to walk with during the day. The last two days I did this great tram walk. It was so fun to make two days shorter and just go along the journey that these other hikers are taking. But today, someone was doing my hike! There have only been a couple of times all year where I walked with someone else. First at the beginning of the year, when I was hiking with Punisher. Then for about five or six days on the Appalachian Trail with a Taco hiker. This is only the third time all year that someone has booked with me for most or a full day. It’s a great change of pace for someone to increase their miles to meet me where I am. It’s usually the other way around and for most of the year I couldn’t afford to do that.

Once we passed the store site, I knew Steam Engine would be there for a long time. At least for the day. Which was good because I was still planning on doing about 35 miles. Although when we were on this part of the road we only had about 10 miles left for the day. And I knew it would all be on a dirt road, so it would be incredibly easy. We only had to stop one more time before camp to get water.

As we continued down the road, the sun slowly began to set. I put on more layers and got comfortable. We were walking through this open prairie type area. The sunset was beautiful and the full moon was already beginning to rise. Technically it’s not completely full today, but I think there will be a full moon tomorrow night. And it is the brightest moon of the entire year. So tonight the moon was exceptional.

This year I have done a lot of night walks. Honestly, it’s not optional. And not all night walks are created equal. Tonight’s night hike was one of the best I’ve done all year. It’s what every hiker would expect if they had to spend the night hiking in the dark. The moon was beautiful and bright. The section of trail we hiked had some of the most incredible views before sunset. And then after the sun went down, it was so light you didn’t even need a headlamp. Which was good, because Steam Engine doesn’t have a headlight.

Once it got dark we continued along the path. Not once did I need to use my flashlight as we walked down the road. Really the only time I had to take it out was when we started investigating where the next water source was. People had commented that behind a corral there was a water source. We explored that area for a while and couldn’t find anything.

But I vividly remember taking a break next to some sort of giant tank structure. The last time I was here, it was incredibly sunny and there was no shade. So we sat by the water tank to enjoy a respite from the sun. We finally found out where that tank was and continued along the path until we reached it. Then I went down to drink the last water of the night. After this, I expected to walk for an hour or so. Only until we got about 35 miles a day and then we were able to find a good place to camp.

This was one of my favorite nights of hiking in a long time. The sky was so beautiful and the moon was huge and bright.

The water fountain had no flow, but the water in the tank was deep and clear. We sat there, took a break and I put on more layers. Then I drank as much water as I would need throughout the night and morning. And after sitting there for a while, we moved on. We didn’t end up walking too late. Although we walked in the dark for hours. The sun sets now around 5:30 pm and I think we ended up walking until 9 pm. I started looking for tents right when we hit about 34 to 35 miles a day.

It didn’t take us long to find a good camping spot. I then set up my tent and got comfortable for the night. I laid down, ate some snacks, and did some stretches. Then, finally, I turned around to call it a night. It was really nice today to be able to do a 35 mile day with someone else. It’s a luxury I haven’t enjoyed much this year. Even when Punisher and I walked together, we didn’t do miles like that. We averaged 30 miles a day for a long time. Which I think was pretty impressive considering the pace we started at from day one. But these most important days are very different. It was really nice to enjoy a great mile day today walking with another person. And having someone else walk with me at my own pace.

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