I woke up this morning to one of the warmest mornings I’ve had on the whole trail. I started the day in just a t-shirt for the first time since I left New Mexico. I also started at 5 am to try and beat the heat and get to town early.
I was nearly out of water and my next supply was a water cache that didn’t have any updates in over two weeks. I was a little nervous since I’m kind of in the off season now, but it was fully stocked with about 25 gallons of water.
The log book was cool to look through too. There have been a handful of hikers like me returning to the trail to finish up the miles they skipped. I could also look back and see lots of familiar names of hikers that made it through here before the closures.
Last night and this morning, the terrain I hiked through was awesome. There were big cliffs and sandstone formations. I was worried I missed the best parts by hiking in the dark.
That wasn’t the case. With the full moon I was able to see quite a bit and it definitely gave a unique perspective. I didn’t always realize I was even on a cliff until I turned my head and my headlamp beam disappeared over the edge.
Water was pretty scarce again today, but this spring was really cool. It was a very slow flow but the water was cold and delicious. The setting was pretty cool too.
I met a couple of southbound hikers that lived nearby and were doing a section over the weekend. We of course talked about water and they gave me a restaurant recommendation in Cuba.
I also saw another thru-hiker, Just Right, who I met the day I got to East Glacier. She was going south and was a lot closer to the end than me.
It was another brutally hot day and I ended it with about 5 miles of road walking. This photo is the dirt road before the 2 lane paved highway. You can see a thunderstorm in the background. I guess monsoon season isn’t quite over. I only got sprinkled on but the ground in town was pretty wet when I arrived.
I got to town around 6 pm and checked into my hotel to take a shower. Typically I go eat first, but the hotel was right on the edge of town and the restaurant I was recommended was on the far end. This mote is a place I might not normally stay. It’s old and rundown, but the sign told me I was in the right place.
The woman that runs it was really nice and gave me a room close to the wifi. I showered and walked to El Bruno’s, which according to the hikers I met, does Mexican food as good as anywhere in New Mexico.
The food was good but the service was horrible. It took forever to get seated and it took forever to get my order. I asked for no beans and just rice with my meal and they gave me all beans then charged me for extra beans. I never got the drinks I ordered until I got the check. The food was good and it was clear they were really short staffed. Everyone was running around and it seemed like 2 or 3 people were trying to handle a very busy restaurant. I didn’t mind too much, I was just happy to have cell service.
The couple at the table next to me said it isn’t normally like this and they come often. We got to talking about the CDT and they ended up paying for my meal! On the way home I stopped at McDonald’s for a second dinner and they had just closed the lobby. I told them I didn’t have a car and the guy let me come in and do a mobile order. The people in this town have been incredible.
Tomorrow I start my last section of the CDT. 150 miles to go.