Finding My Way

After a sleepless night I woke up early, packed up, and headed out for more of the same cross country travel.  Route finding with no trail is mentally tiring.  Thankfully I has a beacon to follow, Pyramid Peak.  

Heading towards it and using my gps for course corrections, I successfully reached the canyon where there was a road that circumnavigated the peak.  There were some interesting rock formations, more jack rabbits, and tanks with green water.  I saw a herd of cows, and then just when I needed it, a windmill that piped clean well water.  

Shortly after that I arrived at the last water box on Animas road.  Then it was a 5 mile road walk into Lordsburg.  I made it!  This has been the most challenging and difficult hiking I've ever done.  I didn't see another person for two days.  It was beautiful and enjoyable though and I'll continue on tomorrow.

The pizza next to the hotel is delicious by the way!  Here's another view of Pyramid Peak from under a shady tree in the canyon.

Cross Country

I'm back on the trail and it feels great!  The temperature was in the low 70s with a strong wind.  It was too windy for the umbrella but I sw fine without it.  The trail started out easy to follow and I made good time.  It went into the hills and entered a canyon which became a green walkway with ochre colored hills on my left and rocky cliffs on my right.  I saw two jack rabbits.  

But then it came out onto the flat open plain and became a puzzle.  No trail.  Just head in the right direction and look for cdt signs.  I filtered my first on trail water.  It was in a tire.

 I ate lunch at the hwy 113 water cache and signed the register.  The wind picked up and it was tiring walking against it so I put in my earphones and listened to music the rest of the afternoon.  A friend told me that I should hike the day and not the miles, so when I came across a wash with a shrub lined embankment, I knew I'd found my camping spot.  It was early, only 6:30, but it's so windy and exposed that I knew I'd not find another protected spot.  I haven't seen anyone all day!  

Lordsburg Part 2

A trail journal and thru hike is not just about what happens on the trail.  It's also about the space in between.  Day 6 with only 25 miles done I've been relearning what it means to be patient and in the moment while hiking.  It's all part of the adventure.

So I woke up this morning feeling energized & normal.  Head cold is gone save for some lingering congestion.  So I headed to Family Dollar looking for a book, puzzle, craft or inspiration.  I found permanent markers.  Inspiration found in an 8 color set.  Back at the hotel Southern and Data, from my PCT hike had arrived, which was great.  My project is decorating my hiking pants with both CDT & PCT logos and having every hiker I meet sign them.  Yep, feeling better.  Tomorrow I'll be on the trail again!

Lordsburg

I had hoped to get back on trail today but not quite over this flu/cold bug that I have.  I was feeling a little frustrated and impatient but I'm over that.  I get to see everyone coming in and going out.  Smiles, from Portland took the shuttle this morning and Tickled Pink, LB, and 3 other PCT 2012 hikers hiked in.  It's cool.  The hotel management and staff here are awesome.  Here's a picture of them.  Fingers crossed to be able to hike out tomorrow.

Positives

So yesterday was rough, and I woke up still sick and crummy.  To balance that post here is a list of positives:

1. The sunsets and sunrises have been beautiful with hues of pink and purple.

2.  The stars.

3.  I've done well with my electrolyte replacement and water drinking.

4.  My umbrella!  Yesterday would have been unhikeable without it.

5.  I'm proud of my navigation and decision making.  

6.  My feet are doing great with the exception of two tiny blisters.

7.  My Altra Lone Peak shoes.

8.  Awesome support by the CDTA!

9.  The Econo Lodge & staff in Lordsburg who have been generous, welcoming, and kind. 

10.  The trail itself which is crazy, beautiful, & challenging.

I made the hard decision to get off trail & take care of this cold.  So I wished my hiking friends good luck and waited at the Hwy 81 cache for the trail angel to come & refill it.  I rode back with him.  So I'm back in Lordsburg, and on the mend.  

Embrace the Brutality

I got my first taste of what "Embrace the Brutality" on the CDT means.  At first the trail was dirt road or track and wound through Sheridan Canyon.  It was easy walking and the canyon offered some shade from the rising sun.  After exiting the canyon we filled up our water bottles at the cache left by the CDTA and then the fun began.  It was cross country time!  Up on the hillside the trail paralleled the Hatchett mountains.  We hiked from cairn to cairn.  It was rocky, ankle twisting, dusty, cactus strewn terrain.  And we had to go in and out of washes.  Dust from the sand saturated the air and the wind blew it into everything.  There was no shade.  And then just when we'd about had enough we found delicious shade in a deep wash.  We sat out the rest of the afternoon there and hiked on in the evening.  We decided to drop down to a dirt road which paralleled the trail for faster hiking and safety.  Nick had stepped on a cactus and his foot was hurting.  I developed a head cold of sorts with accompanying sore throat and nausea so I decided to stop and camp for the night.  The rest of the gang pushed on to camp at the next cache.  They were short on water.  It feels good to relax in my tent.  I hope I feel better in the morning.  The plan is for me to get up early and catch up to them at the next water cache.

Crazy Cook

Our shuttle left at 11 am for the border.  On the way we saw a herd of antelope.  With the Hatchett mountains as a backdrop, it felt very wild and remote.  The road to the terminus is rutted and rocky and after the recent rain storm muddy as well.  About a mile from the trail it became to risky for our driver Val to continue so she turned around and we walked the rest of the way.  Crazy Cook!  It was 3 pm and hot in the sun so we had a picnic under the awning & waited for evening.  The trail isn't a real defined path through the scrub brush.  It's well signed though and so far easy to follow. Nick, Fae, and Chris are making a documentary and filmed our start.  We're off!  Only

5 trail miles today due to the late start but that's ok.  So far I only have one tiny blister and feeling good. 

Rest Day

We finally made it to Lordsburg at three in the morning. By 330 I was asleep at the Econo Lodge.  Lordsburg is a small town, and on Easter Sunday everything but McDonalds and Dollar General was closed.  Fortunately I have everything I need.

I was disappointed to learn I missed some friends who left early this morning. However, I'm very happy to be starting tomorrow with a good group of hikers.  It will be Neal, Fae, and Chris from England, and Gary from Montana.  All  of them but Fae have hiked the PCT.  We've been told some hikers have had trouble from the exposure and lack of water and to plan accordingly.  I feel prepared though with my trekking umbrella and electrolyte supplements.  

I've been reading, relaxing, and looking out at the landscape.  In town there are green shrubs and trees sprouting up amongst the houses and businesses.  But beyond its brown and barren with mountains, small ones breaking up the landscape in the distance.

I'm feeling excited and eager but taking full advantage of this opportunity to rest.  I'm also drinking LOTS of water today in order to be well hydrated for tomorrow.  

Journey to the Trail

It finally sunk in, I'm hiking the CDT!  I flew to Phoenix and then on to El Paso.  When I got there I grabbed my pack from baggage claim, walked outside, and noticed 3 people with packs waiting on the sidewalk.  "Excuse me, are you guys hiking the CDT?" I asked.  Sure enough, they were.  They are from England.  Then my uncle drove up, the four of us piled into the car and we went to his house where my aunt had fixed a nice lunch.  Then back in the car, a stop at Walmart for fuel, and on to the Greyhound station.

Then the real adventure began.  Well our bus broke down in Las Cruces.  Seven hours later we're still here but a replacement is on the way. We aren't strangers anymore my fellow travelers and I.  We've all bonded over this, shared stories, and helped each other out.  The best stories come from hardship.  It's not the five star hotel, it's the rat infested hut and difficulties overcome that have the drama.  So, for a trail with a motto of "Embrace the Brutality" I should have lots of good stories.  It's alright!

It's Around the Corner

I got an email from Southwest Airlines saying "your trip is around the corner".  And so it is.  Two days in fact.  I fly out Saturday and a post in my blog is long overdue.  I've been busy with work, visiting friends and family, solving last minute gear problems, and training.  The result is that I ditched my solar charger and got a jackareel external battery charger instead.  It's half the weight of my Goal Zero, not to mention the dilemma of how to charge a solar panel while carrying an umbrella.  Another challenge was figuring out how to attach my umbrella to the shoulder strap of my backpack so my hands are free to use my trekking poles.  A little research and assembly later I have a system that will work.  Yes!  On the training front, I've been loading up my pack and hiking in Forest Park.  Last weekend, instead of a strenuous hike in the gorge I went to the Oregon coast with friends and did a gentle 5 mile hike to a beautiful lookout over the ocean.  After the hike we took advantage of the low tide to harvest mussels on the beach, and cook them over  a fire. There were also tons of yellow, orange, purple and brown starfish clinging to the rocks along the shore.  So we christened it starfish beach.  It was perfect.  My body will adapt and condition in the 5 months spent hiking, but a visit to the coast is rare.  

Tomorrow is my last day of work and while my feet are tingling in anticipation, I will miss my work family.   It's been a great place to be.  I've been really lucky to work in a medical building.  My chiropractor, Cheryl Gross, primary care doctor Char Glenn, and Accupuncurist Jeff Olson are all here.  They along with my PT Jim Arnoux have helped me be in good shape for the CDT.  They are awesome!

I added another non profit tab to my blog.  The Oasis Project is working towards ending sex trafficking which is a big problem in the US and around the world.  Simply raising awareness of the problem can make a difference.  If my hike and this blog can make a difference however small for them and my other featured non profit, Oregon Active in any way, I am pleased.  

Regular posts will now commence.  It is time to document and share another wild and beautiful trail!

Tying Up Loose Ends

I'm on the #44 bus to work for the last time and I can't help but think about how much has been crammed into the last few weeks.  It's been stressful at times.  Planning a thru hike is a logistical challenge.  Where do you send your resupply boxes?  What kind of food? How much food? Mileage. Routes. Cost? Water.  Some people approach this with spreadsheets of calories per ounce, protein to fat ratios, and daily mileage with every detail meticulously choreographed.  Others are more laissez faire and just "wing it".  I'm somewhere in the middle.  

This last week I've been slowly tying up loose ends.  I fixed the CDT info tab on the blog.  I got a PO Box. I put my stuff in storage and moved out of my home.  I finished my resupply boxes. They're numbered and labeled and the calendar is marked.  Work is the same.  A year ago today I started my job as office manager for a small physical therapy clinic.  The PT is retiring. The practice is sold.  So we are tying up loose ends to transition the practice to the new therapists.  

I'm almost to my stop on 5th and Washington and I feel.. relaxed, relieved, and building excitement.  The planning is done!  And tomorrow I get to visit my sister & her family for a few days and meet my new nephew.