Section 22 is 109.9 miles long and runs from Cuba, NM to Grants, NM. November 6th - 10th.
Day 136, 19.4 miles to marker 2390.1
I woke up to a very overcast and gloomy sky and my mood matched just that after I checked the weather and saw it was going to rain all day. I got a coffee at Juice ‘N’ Jitters and then walked to “town” to do a small food resupply and grab breakfast before getting back on trail. This was one of the most depressed towns I have ever seen, so many boarded up houses and businesses and it seemed that half of the remaining structures were churches that held services in sheds. My spirits matched that of the town, low. I missed Sea Lion and was sick of being the only thru-hiker left on the trail. I felt like I was just going through the motions of hiking but not really enjoying as I have done for over 7,000 miles of backpacking. However, soon after finishing the road walk and getting back onto dirt tread, I met PS, another SOBO hiker that was way way way behind the bubble. I fell so far behind because I took about a month of off-trail vacation, she was behind because she hiked the entire PCT going NOBO this SAME YEAR and then was trying to hike the entire CDT in the same hiking season. Unfortunately she had to skip much of Colorado but hiking 5,000 miles in a single year is still quite impressive.
We were both so glad to have company to hike with and share trail stories that we blasted 15 miles and barely realized it. We also were back in the desert with many cacti, sand, and cool rock features jarring out of the barren ground. We stopped at Jones Canyon Spring which was below a big cliff that was lined with the alien nests of the swallow bird and then decided to squeeze in a few more miles before setting camp. I again was happy to be tenting because there was absolutely nowhere to hang a hammock. We found a small oasis with scrubby little trees and cacti that would be good wind blockers. We set camp and I was content with getting nearly 20 miles on the day after not beginning my hiking until 12:30 in the afternoon.
Jones Canyon Spring.
Day 137, 26.6 miles to marker 2416.7
It was insanely foggy this morning as we packed up, I could barely see her tent about 20yds away. It also rained a little last night so I was fortunate to have pitched my tent under a tree which kept my gear dry. Packing away a wet tent is not fun and it is extra water weight you get stuck carrying. The fog remained densely packed for a good hour or two and we were disappointed knowing that it was blocking some truly amazing desert landscapes. The fog lifted after a few hours and the insanely beautiful views never left our sight. This day was ones of the most scenic on the entire CDT.
Dense fog as I hiked through the new desert landscapes.
Trees grow in the strangest places.
No more fog, just gorgeous desert!
Cabezon Peak.
Dead windmill with Cabezon Peak looming in the distance.
We got to a water cache at Torreon Road which had a log book and I managed to find almost every hiker I had met on this trail. Cabezon Peak towered high into the sky in the distance and soon some of it’s neighboring buttes came into focus. It was gorgeous. We continued to share stories, enjoy the scenery, and crush some miles en-route to Ojo Frio Spring. The trail dips down into Arroyo Chico which had a dead cow laying in the middle and it was ready to pop from the gaseous build up. It took a little bit of night hiking to get to the spring and I was a little sad that I didn’t hit 30 miles today but I was pooped. And camping next to water is so convenient.
Cerro Chato, Cerro De Santa Clara, Cerro De Guadalupe, Cerro Cochino, and Cerro Cuate (in no particular order)
Cabezon Peak (middle) and Cerro Cuate (right) chilling in that golden hour sunlight.
Day 138, 28.6 miles to marker 2445.3
The fog was even denser this morning and it left behind a thin layer of frost on my rain fly. We began the big 1800ft ascent and soon crossed above the layer of fog and when I turned around to see it, I was stunned. Cabezon Peak and Cerro Cuate were poking up through the pure white layer of fog and it was other-worldly beautiful, like we just hiked up to heaven. My main camera lens started acting up so I had to switch to my fully-manual astrophotography lens to capture the scene. It was gorgeous on top of this plateau, much warmer, and a short stretch until a spring with delicious fresh and cold water. It was so good that I wasn’t even mad about it being 0.5 miles off trail, nestled down in a pretty canyon. After the break, I was hiking in front and lead us off trail on accident so I just started to make a diagonal cut back to it. The thick tree cover and branches hanging down caused my path to be erratic and not straight and I felt like a human plinko machine bouncing through the path of least resistance.
Cabezon Peak right as I breached the low-hanging clouds.
I couldn’t stop turning around to stare at this scene.
The rest of the day was down a 4x4 road and the cow trough water source was down in this little valley. After filling up my water I suggested hiking a mile or so further to get out of this depression in the land, which will most likely trap some cold air in the morning, but PS had already starting setting camp so I decided to do the same.
Day 139, 25.4 miles to marker 2469.7
I was right and wish I hiked on. The cold air sank to the low elevation as I was getting ready for bed and was absolutely freezing all night. I thought I had hiked South enough to be done with these temperatures! I begrudgingly packed up in the cold and was so glad that I kept my thick gloves because touching my frost-encrusted tent poles would have been beyond miserable. PS had taken off before me to get to Grants, NM sooner where she was meeting a friend who was joining her for the following section. She was also staying on the official CDT trail while I was taking an alt route to go up and over Mount Taylor. I stopped for lunch, water, tent-drying, and stretching at the American Canyon Spring where all of the surrounding ground was completely covered in cow pies.
This tree blocked the morning sun rays, leaving me in the cold, and delaying the frost’s departure from my tent.
I shot up in elevation and soon the trail was again blanketed in snow. I again cursed because I thought I was done with hiking in snow and cold. I skipped taking a lengthy spur trail to a lookout tower because I was sure it was locked up and not worth the effort. I saw some footprints in the snow and wondered if they were thru-hikers I was catching up to or just local section hikers. The summit of Mount Taylor (AKA Mount Tsoodził) offered some great views and had some rock-seats and windbreaks built up so it was a great spot to stop for snacks. On the downhill, I passed some cars and other hikers, and realized this was a popular day hike trail so all of those footprints did not belong to fellow thru-hikers. I filled up at a water cache and then my Achilles began to hurt again. I found a nice campsite under a tree and, as a sweet unexpected bonus, I had cell service. I chatted with Sea Lion before getting some wonderful shuteye.
Desert views.
Friends? Am I catching up to more thru-hikers???
Day 140, 9.9 miles to Grants, NM
Finally a morning that wasn’t painfully chilly. I soon arrived at the edge of an almost cliff that gazes down upon the town of Grants as well as the big prison on the outskirts. The thought of town food put a pep in my step as I hit a high gear and flew down the descent off of the mountain. The trail joins Highway 547 for a long road walk to town, right passed the prison, and it’s sign saying “DO NOT PICK UP HITCHHIKERS” I was glad that the trail was routed directly through town because this would obviously be a very difficult place to land a hitch. I passed some locals shooting guns into the desert across the street from the prison. Country Life. I found a flipped over shopping cart which I put my pack in and wheeled it about a quarter mile back to the grocery store, full hobo style. I then called some hotels in town but they all said the earliest check-in time was still several hours away. So I hiked off-trail to the cliché Interstate exit packed with chain motels and fast food so I could check in right away.
The trail runs along Highway 547 and right past the prison.
I went to my room and found it to be without a fridge or microwave, so I had the clerk switch me. On my walk to my new room I heard a maid complain about having to mop a room since “some ***hole wanted a fridge”…sorry for making you do your job! I went to a Chinese Buffet across the street and devoured five plates of food then returned to my room to shower and stay horizontal for the rest of the day. My Achilles tendon was hurting a lot and it had me worried about being able to finish the trail. A few crappy movies on the TV and some nice conversation with my fiancée rounded out the day.