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Day 21

I treated myself to hot coffee & oatmeal, courtesy of the hot water spigot. Our CDT friend Patrick came over to say hello and we invited him to join us in returning to Doc Campbell’s. The post didn’t open until 10, however Pop called a number to request an early opening. Bird had a package that she forgot to pick up yesterday and we all wanted coffee. I got homemade vanilla ice cream and put one scoop in my coffee, amazing! Patrick hung out with us for a while before he headed back to the trail.

BB, the trail angel we met four days ago, said hello; he was shuttling a couple hikers to Silver City. A hiker named Bard came over to say that he liked my hat. Later we chatted about ice cream and he shook my hand then said I’d shaken the hand of a man who met Grandma Gatewood, which was really cool. He was six years old and with his parents when he met her.

Yesterday I’d mentioned a hiker that Swampy and I met in Anaconda, who was doing part of the CDT at a 15 mile/ day pace. I couldn’t remember his name. Amazingly True Grit arrived at Doc’s, headed northbound to finish the last third of the trail. Bird and Pop also met him on the CDT when he helped their friend Rally. He was surprised to see the three of us.

We hung around Doc’s long enough that we made lunch before we left. A lady driving by in her Sprinter van gave the four of us a ride back to the Gila Visitor Center. Ranger Shianne, the female ranger we met yesterday, had a fleece vest that she loaned Bird to replace her lost Alpha fleece. We also met Shane, another GET hiker. His water data was super helpful to us before Safford. It also turned out that Bird and Pop knew him. He gave them a ride from Silver City when they skipped a long paved road walk. Now we’re ahead of him because his parents were picking him up for a zero day.

Scattered thunderstorms struck right as we got back on trail. I was again grateful for my umbrella. We ascended, walked a mesa, descended; then repeated all that with a higher ascent the second time. The rain was brief, yet came off and on. The second descent put us in Adobe Canyon. We took off our shoes to ford a single crossing of the East Fork Gila River. Directly after, we met Freya, another GET hiker (wow, three in two days!) going westbound to reach trail days. She told us the coming four miles were bushwhacky and that we were in the best spot to camp. We’d only done ~7 miles and it was early, 5:30 pm, but all of us thought an early evening sounded nice plus we had an extra 1.5 days of food apiece.

We made camp amongst short cottonwoods and on a bed of leaves. Similar to last night, we pitched out tents in a square with a common area at the center. My friends got s’mores fixings at Doc’s; I’d done my part by carrying the marshmallows in my pack’s mesh. I ate several marshmallows with pieces of a dark chocolate bar that I got from True Grit. It was fun watching Bird roast marshmallows on a tent stake over her camp stove burner. She made her s’mores with a Reeses cup while Pop and Thorn had typical ones. Afterwards, I heard a critter rustling in my tent vestibule and it turned out to be an adorable toad.

Day 22

We woke to tents covered in condensation. As I got dressed and ate breakfast, I was careful to avoid the wet walls. Pop had finally gotten her tarp shelter pitched correctly and stayed warm all night. No one was eager to get their feet wet, however, happily, we were able to rock hop across the first couple dozen fords of Diamond Creek. Also, the four of us disagreed with Freya’s assessment and did not find it bushwhacky. Eventually, the creek widened slightly and there were less rocks so we waded through the ankle deep water. Tiny white flowers grew on a watercress like plant that floated on the surface. At one point, we saw a herd of ~20 elk.

After four miles, we turned away from the creek to detour around a ranch. We made a huge arc; its first two segments were cross country. On the second, I had fun forging my own path. The third segment was a ridge trail and I enjoyed a view after being in the creek all morning. The detour ended at a road near the ranch’s front gate and a hand-written sign that read “don’t shoot our turkeys”. A quick 2.5 mile walk on a good quality road, brought us to the Diamond Creek trailhead. We ate lunch and spread our tents to dry in the sun and wind.

At first, the Diamond Creek trail was a decent quality two-track. We passed a couple earthen tanks that had a small amount of water. I took notes for the water spreadsheet. Near a black, plastic tank with solar panels, the trail became single track. Bird took a quick break to rest an upset stomach, while the rest of us continued on. About 0.7 miles later, water reappeared in Diamond Creek. Pop, Thorn, and I stopped to filter water. Bird caught up to us, however she needed 20 minutes to mend a hole in her sock and said she didn’t mind hiking alone so the three of us took off without her.

The canyon had lovely spots, with burbling water, green trees, and high rock walls. The trail would be easy to follow then disappear for a bit. Here and there were large, well-built cairns. About half-way to the end, Thorn and I hadn’t seen Pop for a long time so we stopped, chatted, and snacked. Pop and Bird caught up and we proceeded as a group. Again, the Diamond Creek water disappeared and we retraced our steps a short distance to gather enough for the next eight miles. Realizing we wouldn’t reach the canyon’s end before dark, we went past a large, burned out area and camped at the base of a rock wall. I pitched my tent, the others cowboy camped in a 3 ft. tall cove recessed into the wall.

Day 23

It was warmer and dryer where we camped, 10-12 ft. above the canyon’s floor. Our group slept in until 6 am as a test run; it worked well. We got extra sleep and were ready to go at the same time. When we set out, the chill kept us at a brisk pace. We went 0.5 miles past our canyon exit point before Thorn, at the back, caught our error. She took over the lead, finding a cow path that led us to a trail which corkscrewed up a drainage. It passed through a gate and flattened out for a half mile. Then we reached the Caledonia Trailhead and took its trail two miles east to the CDT.

It was fun being back on the CDT, where I’d hiked in November with Top Shelf. I recalled finding ripe raspberries along the trail a short distance south. There was a wooden CDT blaze; Bird, Pop, and I took pictures with it before we turned northbound. I got to see the section from a new direction! Our next water source was pools in a drainage and I knew exactly where it would be, having gathered water there last fall. I eased the others’ concerns when we hiked past the waypoint. A solo turkey ran up a hillside and was gone before I could point it out. Several tufted ear squirrels ran up tree trunks. Soon we were eating lunch near a couple pools of water, much diminished since November.

For the following ten miles, we put on audio entertainment and hiked at a fast pace. I admired the scenery: the pine covered hills, a patch of chalky white cliffs, distant mountains. The trail was a delight, traversing hillsides and overall well graded. Near Lookout Mountain forest road, I detoured to check a wildlife guzzler; it was dry. Pop hiked 1.5 miles cross-country to shortcut 3.5 miles that the rest of us hiked. Her way was only 13 minutes faster and she missed great views. At a saddle, we took a 0.3 mile side trail to Turkey Spring and readied for a 27 mile dry stretch.

A 27 mile water carry meant varying amounts of water for each of us, from 4.8 for me up to 6.5 liters for Pop. It was hilarious watching her try to fit the water in her pack; Thorn laughed so hard. Pop has the tiniest pack of us all, volume wise. There’s always assorted gear hanging off the back, but she makes it work. It turns out her trail name is a derivation of Mary Poppins, based on her pulling unexpected items (like 3 pounds of cocoa) out of her pack on the CDT.

I felt bloated so it was uncomfortable putting on a pack that was suddenly 9ish pounds heavier and cinching tight the belt. At times my gut twinged and I’d focus on my audiobook or the highway six miles way. However, I also took in the evening light on the ponderosa, a small herd of elk that ran up a ridge, and a colorful sunset of pink and purple. I found some relief in the CDT trailhead’s vault toilet and waited briefly for my friends to show up. We hiked 0.7 miles by headlamp and camped in the exact spot that Top Shelf & I camped prior to hitching into Winston last year… memories old and new. Thorn, who’d earlier expressed interest in a 30 mile day, was content with 25.

Day 24

A wind blew all through the night and on into morning. Fortunately our site was also the recipient of early morning sunlight. We were up at 6 am and out of camp around 7:30. The CDT followed an old 2-track road, climbing gradually and passing through numerous gates, each one different. My favorite was one flanked by two alligator junipers. I smiled at a three gate junction that Top Shelf and I had admired together.

We took an extended snack break on top of a rounded hill. Pop, first to the top, whooped and took a picture as each of crested the summit. There was an excellent view: a hill cluster to the left and desert valley backed by mountains to the right. After that, I got ahead and didn’t see anyone for a while. I stopped to add electrolytes to a bottle and Thorn caught up. We saw a blaze across a fence, but kept hiking a convenient road until a downed tree made the fence easy to step across. The trail was vague and I kept a careful eye out for cairns and candle blazes. Pop caught up as I crossed a road. At the top of the next hill, the three of us stopped for a late lunch. It was the junction where the GET left the CDT.

After lunch, Pop and Thorn napped while I journaled. Pop’s bottle toppled out of its gravity filter arrangement and I hurried to right it before too much of the water spilled into the soil. When Bird arrived, she had lunched at the road so we continued on into what was new territory for all of us. We hiked upward alongside a fence until we reached a high point adjacent to Wahoo Peak, fun name! Then we descended down along the same fence, treated to an impressive view of Black Mountain and the Apache Kid Wilderness.

As the terrain flattened, the trail turned away from the fenceline to wrap around a knoll. I saw movement and backtracked a few steps to observe a cute bunny. We regrouped, crossed a fence, and proceeded cross country. Then we took a 2-track to a giant tire trough full of clear water. The wind pummeled us as we squeezed, all of our filters slowed by the last source. We got back on 2-track, yet quickly left it to search out a sheltered campsite. In a mostly flat area near the bottom of a drainage, we pitched our four tents around and between two juniper trees.

Day 25

Golden sunlight filled our campsite and ushered us onto the trail. We hiked on dirt roads with a small portion of cross country travel. It was cattle country, as evidenced by corrals and giant, tire water troughs. I saw one cow and four elk. It’s fun sharing the same water sources as animals, wild or domestic, it emphasizes that we share this planet and need to safeguard it for one another.

We reached NM 52, a dirt road highway, and – we soon realized – sparsely traveled. It was fine, we decided to walk towards Winston (18.5 miles south) and stick our thumbs out if we saw someone. After a half hour or so, we saw a white pickup headed north. We stuck our thumbs out anyway and the driver, Michael, stopped and chatted with us. Bird asked if he could at least drive us the eight miles to the NM 59 intersection, where we might find more traffic. He said no, complaining that the dirt road was hard on his pickup and already wishing he hadn’t driven it. Michael did give us each a water and shared a couple stories from his 5,000 mile road trip.

The four of us resumed our walk and had not gone far when a rancher, Bud, pulled up in a side-by-side with a flatbed. He was headed into town in the early afternoon and could take us if we didn’t mind waiting. First, he’d take us to his house south of our location. So Bird hopped into the front seat and Thorn, Pop, and I got in the back with our gear. Bud took off at top speed. Eventually, we saw that we were being gained on by a white pickup that looked like Michael’s truck. It was him and he waved Bud to stop. It turned out Michael had a change of heart; he said how often do you get such a clear chance to help people. So we transferred our gear and ourselves to the back of his pickup and he took us all the way to Winston. Bud said he could take us back from town later.

In Winston, Michael dropped us at the General Store. He planned to abandon his dirt road adventure and take the longer, paved way to Socorro. We said goodbye then went to the post office to collect our packages. I had two: one that I’d left with a dear friend in Portland (she did an excellent job mailing it in a timely fashion) and one from my sister. My sister sent shelf stable probiotics to support my gut, which has been struggling this trail. I expected those and perhaps GF Oreos, yet found a box full of surprises. There were homemade Blondies, graham sandwiches that I loved on the CDT, a sugar cookie, and more! My sister is a fabulous person; I felt the love! I cherish GF baked goods on trail and they are hard to find in small towns.

Winston’s General Store was our hangout for the next several hours. We ate lunch, chatted with two bike-packers from Buena Vista, showered, and charged devices. Eventually I headed across the street to the Country Church to use their Starlink (no cell service in town). I communicated with family and friends in between online tasks. Over time, the others migrated from the store. Bird checked with Kelly, the store owner, to see if it was okay to sleep on the church’s porch if we didn’t get a ride out of town.  Kelly said yes and that she’d pass on our presence to the church 

A white pickup pulled up to the church and Randy hopped out. He said that in addition to sleeping there, we could use a bathroom, and he showed us how to access it. That sealed the deal, we decided to stay in town overnight. People are overwhelmingly good and thru-hiking reinforces that mental attitude. I felt such peace and yearning for small town life, sitting on the church porch, looking into the desert beyond its barbed wire fence.