Section 23 is 73.3 miles long and runs from Grants, NM to Pie Town, NM (real name) November 11th - 13th.
Day 141, 15 miles to mile marker 2494.6
I chatted with Sea Lion again in the morning and also to our apartment front office who had lost my package with my trekking poles, tent stakes, and pocket knife. If you recall from Section 20, I shipped them to Austin, TX before my trail-vacation because it was cheaper than checking a bag with the airline. Well three weeks later the front desk continued to deny receiving it despite the USPS having a GPS tag showing it was delivered to them in the middle of a weekday when there was surely someone there to accept it. (this battle went on for months and neither the leasing office nor USPS accepted responsibility and I was out $200 to replace the lost items) Rant over. I walked to the Route 66 Brewery which was very cool and quirky. This former junkyard turned into brewery and had tons and tons of old cars cut up as decoration or booths and even a stage. I talked with the bartender for a long while before getting back on trail for another gruelingly long road walk.
I chatted with Sea Lion for a good bit and it was rough. We were missing each other a lot, my Achilles was still aching, and I was back to not enjoying the hike. Especially because the trail was back to being along a paved highway. At least there was an on-trail Subway in a gas station so I packed out a sub for some much needed calories. I soon got to a Ranger Station / Visitor Center where I stealth camped for the night. There were mountain lion prints in the dirt so I hid my food in the bear-proof trashcans.
El Malpais has tons of cool rocks.
Day 142, 32.1 miles to mile marker 2526.7
Another six miles of chilly road walking before I got to a water cache which was a nice spot to take a break. There was a cliff to the East of the road which blocked the sun and delayed the day from warming up. At least there was an upcoming alt-route that scrambled up to the top of the cliff and got me off of the pavement for a few miles. There was a maze of social trails from a parking lot that led to the Ventana Arch and I had some trouble finding the line to scramble up the cliff. It was worth it. You could see the endless blackened lava fields of El Malpais National Monument and I took another lunch break up top to enjoyed the views. The fun ended and it was more road walking until I arrived at a massive solar well, easily the largest on trail.
La Ventana Arch.
Endless lava fields.
Biggest well I have seen.
I got some amazing sun shots as it crept below the horizon, giving an orange hue that lit up the flat desert floor to make it feel like Mars. Then a passing rancher in a pickup truck gave me a beer! 2,500 miles in and I got my third trail magic. I ate a quick dinner on the side of the road, dug out my tooque and gloves, and hiked by moonlight for a few more miles. I enjoyed my beer and watched some Netflix that I had downloaded. On the AT, I loathed at hikers who did this. Why stare at your phone when you are out in nature, surrounded by so much beauty and fun fellow hikers? Well, out here in the desert, there isn’t much to look at and no one to hang out with.
Day 143, 26.2 miles to the Toaster House, Pie Town, NM
Another freezing night where I draped my rain jacket over my legs to help trap some heat. I got packed up by 745am and went a few miles to the next water tank. The solar well’s inlet hose was plugged up with ice so I had to use the cow trough which had a layer of muck floating on top. I carefully brushed it aside, scooped water out, and crossed my fingers that my Sawyer filter still worked. More road walking. I stopped at the TLC ranch for a lunch break, water refill, and to take some photos of the myriad of curious chickens that came to check me out. I soon got cell service and called Sea Lion to wish her a happy birthday and hear how much she liked the elusive mellie fleece that I got her. More road walking.
Morning sunbursts.
Pronghorns.
“New phone, who dis?”
Then, just a couple miles from town, a zany character named Jeremy rolled up on a 4-wheeler with a guitar case strapped on the back. He said he loves chilling with the hikers when they get to Pie Town but there hasn’t been any come through in awhile now. He added that he would stop by the Toaster House with beer and bacon for breakfast and we parted ways. That would be amazing. The Toaster House is sort of a free hostel, run by a great Trail Angel, Anita, who is rarely there. It’s name is derived from the many toasters hanging on the front fence. But I had caught a bubble of more straggling SOBO’s! Sunny, a solo hiker from Tokyo, General and Catalyst, a musical duo who have been playing gigs as they hiked along the CDT, and their new roadie, Iceman, who met them on trail and kept hiking with them. Everyone was pretty exhausted from the recent endless road walks and retired around 8pm. I watched some Netflix and then chatted with Sea Lion again.
Day 144, 0-Day in Pie Town
I started tackling my long list of town chores and then joined the trio of General, Catalyst, and Iceman to go get brunch at one of the few diners that make up Pie Town. I sorted my food; six days to cover 130 miles which included the Gila River alt route. This path contains 188 river crossings over a 55-mile stretch. No racking up 30-mile days in that terrain. I made a pump sack for my new NeoAir mattress, sewed up my gaiters and hiking shirt, and chatted with Sea Lion some more. Then Hopper arrived, the Australian from Cumbres Pass, the last SOBO bubble continued to grow! We swapped stories, made some frozen pizzas for dinner (thanks again to Anita for stocking such essentials) and then PS arrived with her friend Wipe Out. I told everyone about Jeremy and we all wished he would show up, a night of getting drunk with friends was just what all of us lonely SOBOs needed. We seemed to will it into existence because a few minutes later we heard a 4-wheeler rumble up. Six of us all somehow piled onto the ATV for a ride back to his trailer which was half converted to a music studio. Jeremy played a mean guitar and being joined by the musical talents of General and Catalyst made it like a full blown concert. With free beer. It was quite a night that ended with more frozen pizza back at the Toaster House around 430am.