Section 24 is 176.1 miles long and runs from Pie Town, NM to Silver City, NM. This includes the Gila River Alternate route which was so breathtakingly beautiful that it will be broken up into three subsections.
The third 45.9 miles long and runs from the Gila River Alt Route to Silver City. November 21st - 25th.
Day 151, 5.6 miles to Doc Campbells + bonus miles at Gila Cliff Dwellings
I was certainly happy with my decision to get neoprene socks for this stretch in the Gila because all of the river crossings were extra cold today thanks to the recent rain. The Visitor Center was not open when we arrived at 9am so we took shelter in the heated bathrooms that were unlocked. When they opened we hung out with the rangers for quite a while as we planned to go up to look at the cliff dwellings but there were lightning strikes too close by so they had to keep the dwellings closed downt. Hopper, PS, and I decided to skip them because they are a two mile road walk, which is a lot of off-trail miles when it is cold and rainy, and the dwellings might not even be open. Then, a fellow CDT hiker named Mav arrived to save the day. He had finished the trail and was road tripping around with his girlfriend, Bird, and they offered to drive us up to the dwellings and back.
Gila Cliff Dwellings - the video above contains some fun facts.
A whole village nestled right in the side of a cliff.
Their jail? Maybe?
The Gila Cliff Dwellings were fascinating and then Mav and Bird magic’ed us a bunch of snacks and sodas before they departed. I noticed one of the tips of my trekking poles had fallen off but I luckily had replacements waiting for me at Doc Campbell’s which was a short three miles away. The road walk flew by and when we arrived at the famous CDT outpost, Nightwatch and Snow White were there waiting! This duo I met in Glacier National Park on my SECOND NIGHT on trail, when we were roommates at an assigned campsite. I hadn’t seen them since. Another hiker, Sunny, from Tokyo, was there and we couldn’t believe that all of us had met up to form the last SOBO bubble of the year. We spent hours snacking, hanging out, sharing stories, and relaxing before all cramming into the heated bathrooms for the night. Nightwatch and PS spent 30 minutes helping me find the leak in my NeoAir sleeping pad. Many jokes were made about how many hikers it took to find the leak, especially with 20,000 miles of backpacking between the three of us.
An amazing stop, right on trail.
The SLOBOs. The last of the SOBO hikers to finish the trail this year.
Day 152, 16.5 miles to Gila River marker 21.4
I had some pretty bad sleep in the crowded laundry room but I suppose it was better than outside in the freezing and wet weather. I called Sea Lion and we sorted out the extraction plan for her to pick me up from the end of the trail in less than two weeks. The rest of the hikers were loading up on snacks and microwave burritos for breakfast so I joined them as I shared the extraction plan and offered them a ride if they were to finish on the same day. Nightwatch convinced Mike, the owner of Doc Campbell’s outpost, to let us throw our shoes in the tree, like at Neel’s Gap. I had just picked up a brand new pair so I tried to toss mine up but after four failed attempts, I gave up. This was truly a blessing in disguise because there were still many river crossings ahead. I was able to hit those with my old shoes while keeping my new pair tucked away, safe and dry. Having brand new shoes for the last 30 miles to town was so much nicer than cold and soggy shoes.
Nightwatch, Snow White, and Sunny took a roadwalk to Silver City, this is where we parted ways.
Gorgeous Autumn colors.
Snow White, Nightwatch, and Sunny decided to stay on Route 165 and road walk 40 miles to Silver City while PS, Hoppah, and I stuck to the Gila trail. Being more downriver, t he crossings did grow deeper and stronger but we safely made it across all of them. We hiked into the night, determined to make it across the last river crossing before setting camp. We hollered at some cows, tripped on hidden barbed wire, and veered off trail a couple of times before finding some great campsites at Sapillo Creek.
The crossings got more difficult but never more than waist deep.
Hoppah taking a rock-scramble alternate route.
Day 153, 29.4 miles to Silver City
PS and Hoppah’s shoes were frozen blocks of ice this morning but I had my brand new kicks to strap on. This alone was 100% worth the extra effort to carry shoes for this stretch. There was an overly complicated cow gate guarding the exit to the valley and we climbed up into the sunshine and rising temps. There was also a pile of neoprene socks at the top of the climb, a nice gesture hikers left for future NOBOs entering the Gila, but I highly doubted they would survive the winter so I packed them out. I’d leave them in the hiker box at Silver City. The trail dipped into a gully that was covered in snow and I was both irritated for still having to hike in it and also sad because I missed skiing. I got to a water tank and none of the hoses or valves seemed to work so I leaned a DIY ladder onto the side to try to get at the water from the top. The ladder crumbled with my first step so I abandoned that idea. Lukcily, Hoppah arrived and found a hidden valve that produced water.
Frosty.
I gave up on this ladder when the bottom rung fell off.
North Face VS South Face. It was a stark and instant transition back to desert.
There were some nice views at the top of the climb and thankfully a huge drop in elevation where the snow dissipated and the terrain went back to full-desert with dry rocks, sand, and cacti. We found Hermit Doug’s fancy log book and then followed his ATV trail down to Bear Creek. We trudged on, sharing stories, snapping photos, and cursing the myriad of PUDs. As we arrived at the outskirts of Silver City I was exhausted and ready to camp. I kept an eye out for any stealth spots but there really weren’t any, too many cabins and roads around. Night fell as we hit the long 7-mile road walk down Little Walnut Road. I fell behind as my tank just ran out of gas. I didn’t see that they veered off to get pizza and I was very downhearted when they arrived at the hostel after me, pizza in hand. At least they shared and it helped me get over their betrayal.
There’s the desert!
Hermit Doug’s Trail Regis-TREE
Bryce Canyon of New Mexico.
Abandoned Alley - a couple miles had this abandoned cabin, motor, and mining sluice.
Day 154 - 155, double 0-day in Silver City
I did A TON of stretching and Yoga on the lush, comfy carpet of the Triple Crown Hostel. It’s owner, trail name Diogenes, I met on the AT as we hammocked outside the Woodchuck’s Hostel in Damascus, VA. He started this hostel soon after and is involved with the CDT Coalition and Trail Town celebration. He also drove a truckload of us up to the Walmart side of town so we could grab our food resupplies and fresh ingredients for cooking back at the hostel. I stocked up, ready to have a full kitchen at my disposal for multiple meals. We played a very outdated Trivial Pursuit that still used terms such as the “USSR” and “coloreds” and then switched to Gin-Rummy where I destroyed the competition.
The next day I applied to some jobs in Austin, TX as that would be my home in a mere nine days. Diogenes hosted a CDTC meeting and one of the members, Carol, invited PS and I to her house for Thanksgiving which was now just two days away. She lives just off trail in A CONCRETE DOME about 30 trail miles South. PS and I hoped to hit the mileage to make it happen but Hoppah had a plane ticket in five days which he planned to make, meaning he had to average about 40 mile days to the border then have one day to get to San Francisco. (update: he made it) I took a loaner bicycle around town, mailed some post cards, and grabbed some beers for the Monday Night Football game where the Baltimore Ravens absolutely crushed the LA Rams.
Town Stuff.
SLOBO’s gearing up to depart Silver City.