It’s always tough to leave town after a zero, but today was the beginning of our trip down the Gila River. The Gila River is an alternate route that nearly 100% of CDT hikers take. It’s unique, beautiful, and most importantly, has lots of water.
We woke up early and hiked hard to get out of town. We were finally leaving the land of cow troughs and would have some real flowing streams. We took advantage of this abundant water with a long siesta.
After drinking our fill and taking a nap, we headed off to find the next water source and maybe a campsite. There’s an old hermit that lives in the area and he left out some signs for water and places to camp.
We also saw a cool snake that didn’t have a rattle. Someone else in trail told me it was a king snake, which isn’t venomous. Not long after I walked right past a rattlesnake.
The scenery in this area is dramatically different. More water means more plants and animals, as well as more interesting geological features.
Today was one of the first days I found myself really excited about the scenery in New Mexico.
The ground around our camp is hard and rocky so I’ll be cowboy camping tonight. My first time on the trail.