After the Davila Ranch we only had 15 miles to Pie Town, also called the center of the universe. Pie Town is a bizarre little place with 2 pie restaurants, a post office, and 3 churches. It’s also the location of the Toaster House.
The Toaster House belongs to a woman who raised her family here and after they grew up she “left the door open” and allowed anyone to stay here. Since the house is right on the trail, hikers and hikers stop and stay, for free.
After dropping our packs at the house, we went off to get some pie, and breakfast. We had hiked the 15 miles by 10 in the morning to make sure we could get both lunch and dinner.
There are two lie restaurants and this one is actually new this year. It also has Hawaiian food, which is surprising for a town this small, in New Mexico. After ordering breakfast, we just stayed and ordered lunch. I brought some leftovers back for dinner.
There isn’t really anywhere to resupply here so I sent a box of food to the Toaster House. I also had gotten a hot tip from an earlier hiker that if I wanted beer, I would need to ship it to myself. For a few hours, I was the only person in town with beer and I felt like a king. Luckily for everyone else, a couple of my friends managed to borrow the car of the woman that owns a convenience store a few miles away. They drove the car about 20 miles to pick up beer for the house.
Because of the closures, a LOT of hikers have been staying here. Some almost seem to live here and have been there for several weeks. I stayed for two nights. Ideally, we would have left this morning, but since we have snow in Colorado, every day we wait should make the trail easier.
There’s about 20 hikers here. Some in tents in the yard and others sleeping in the house. Wherever there’s space, you’ll find a hiker.
At this point, we’ve made a plan. Finish up the rest of the open trail and then make our way to Colorado. Getting there won’t be simple, but with some busses and patience we’ll get there.
Tonight, the owner of the house stopped by. She told her story and took photos. She loves the people she meets at this house. It’s an incredible place and I’ll be sad to leave.