Daily Miles: 22.5, Total Miles: 531.0 I walked up Los Pinos Road about 11 miles to the TH and Santa Fe National Forest. A short time later I entered the San Pedro Parks Wilderness. A steady climb got me to 10,500 ft following the Rio Puerco which looked to be chock full of little trout. The trail leveled off on top with large meadows, some soggy wet with snowmelt and creek headwaters. Saw a large bull elk feeding on new…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 508.5 El Bruno’s burrito for lunch and back to the Frontier, old but clean, for a quite enjoyable nap. Where to go for dinner? El Bruno’s for a ribeye, green chili enchiladas and a margarita. Also a treat to have a Giant gas station across the street. In fact, I think it’s time for ice cream. A special thanks to the Trujillo family for the water cache on Torreon Road a few days ago! Off…
Daily Miles: 13.0, Total Miles: 508.5 Warmest night since the first one at the border exactly one month ago, but cooled off early in the morning. Hope this means the snow is melting up north. If it hadn’t been for the stupendous sunrise, I would have been complaining about the ridiculously steep climb to the top of Mesa Portales. The trail then hugged the edge offering great views of the bluffs and valley below. I reached NM Highway 197, then…
Daily Miles: 27.5, Total Miles: 495.5 Interesting hike today in and out of colorful canyons and mesas complete with hoodoos and badlands. I was running on empty (water) late in the morning when I got to the paved Torreon Road. Imagine my surprise to find an ice chest behind a tree with pint-sized water bottles! No clue on the trail angel, but thank you very much – couldn’t have been better timed. That tided me over until late in the…
Daily Miles: 24.3, Total Miles: 468.0 A pleasant morning walk continued along on a high mesa. Entertainment was provided by a number of turkeys crossing the road in front of me. I headed off trail to get water at De Los Indios Spring and ran into Atlas, the first CDT hiker I have seen since Grants. I dropped over the edge of the mesa, descended 2,500 ft and picked up some disgusting water at Ojo Frio Spring. I crossed the…
Daily Miles: 22.0, Total Miles: 443.7 Warm enough last night only because I wore just about everything I have. Maybe the elevation, but I was really restless and couldn’t sleep – even finished a book. I had a ringside seat to the sunrise from my sleeping bag. Up quickly, a few more summit pics and down the mountain – snow near the top but not bad. Spooked another large elk herd before tanking up at Upper American Spring. I hooked…
Daily Miles: 22.1, Total Miles: 421.7 So nice to leave Grants! Probably ten pounds lighter even after wolfing down a big breakfast this morning before hitting the road. A few miles walking down old Route 66 – kind of sad seeing the boarded-up businesses. Grants used to be a mining town, mostly uranium, but before that, I was told by a local, known for growing carrots. Now the major business in town is correctional facilities and I walked by one…
Kind of a self-eruption from both ends during the night – not pretty. In my weakened state, I just realized the post office is not open until Tuesday due to the holiday. Oh well, need time to get better. If no improvement by tomorrow, I will start the giardia meds I brought with me. I treated all water but I strongly suspect a certain stock tank. So I will leave Grants when things settle down and my appetite is back….
Daily Miles: 20.7, Total Miles: 399.6 A somewhat tedious road walk today down Highway 117 along Las Ventana Ridge. I crossed over I-40, got a big drink at a gas station, and walked the rest of Highway 117 into Grants. I checked into a motel near I-40 and took a nice soak in the hot tub while washing clothes. Good selection of goods at nearby Walmart. Not feeling quite right tonight – maybe a fever.
Daily Miles: 24.8, Total Miles: 378.9 The first water source this morning was supposed to be a spring with water running from a pipe. After some difficulty, I found it but bone dry. The second water source, a windmill and tank, was eight miles up the trail and then another 0.6 miles off trail. The windmill was turning but not bringing up water. The tank had a couple of inches of stagnant sludge. By the time I got to the…
