Days 11 - 16
May 23 - 28, 2023
Miles 209.0 - 335.8
I returned to hike the Continental Divide Trail after taking 16 days off. I thought I was quitting, but it turned out I just needed a break. I flew from San Francisco, CA to Albuquerque, NM. From there, I took an eight-seater plane to Silver City. It was my first time being in such a small plane, and I would be excited to never repeat the experience. The turbulence coming into landing tossed the small plane around enough for me to get sick. I don't think I need to go into the details, but it wasn't exactly the mighty return I had imagined.
A wonderfully kind Trail Angel then drove me from the small airport to Doc Campbell's, where I had gotten off trail, so I wasn't skipping any miles of trail. I could maintain my continuous footpath. It was evening, and I was eager to get started. I hiked the road 3.7 miles to the trailhead where the trail resumes. I walked as the sun set on the red rocky canyon walls. As dusk set in, I saw several groups of javelina, or collared peccaries. These animals look similar to wild pigs, but are not related at all. I was thrilled to see so many on my way. I got to the trailhead after full dark and cowboy camped on the edge of the parking lot, eager for tomorrow to begin.
After a chilly night, I woke early and started hiking before the sun rose. I was taking the highly recommended high route to little bear canyon trail. This sparsely treed grassland led into a narrow slot canyon with a small creek and thick green vegetation. I hadn't known this was coming and was repeatedly surprised with every step I took. It just kept getting more beautiful.
The little bear canyon then let out back onto the Gila River. I was back to the wide meandering river that flowed between the red walls. The canyon seemed even taller and more impressive than when I had left it. After gaping at my surroundings, I continued on the trail, which meant crossing the river. Plunging my feet into the chilly river was as comforting as it was shocking. It felt so good to be back out here.
The trail was fairly easy to follow. When I was last out here, I kept losing the path at the river crossings and had to spend several minutes each time looking for where it picked up. But it was much more obvious through this section. I stopped for a short soak in Jordan Hot Springs just off the trail. The pool was a clear blue and steam floated off the water's surface. I met a very nice couple also hiking the CDT and chatted with them for a bit. I left the spring shortly after they did and continued to see them throughout the day.
I tried to count the number of times I crossed the Gila River, but I kept losing track and eventually gave up. If I crossed it over 50 times that day, I wouldn't be surprised. It felt like all I did all day was walk through the river. At one of the crossings, there was a natural pool deep enough to swim in. I'm not much of a swimmer, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity to swim in the Gila. It was cold and the current was strong where the river was deepest, but I dipped my body and head all the way under the surface. It felt good. I ate lunch on the bank as I dried out.
At another crossing, I saw a Common Black Hawk fly over the river and land in a tree before flying off again. This large black bird has a yellow beak and a white and black banded tail. I felt very lucky to have spotted this bird because it isn't common to see in the United States. There are only between 200 - 300 breeding pairs found throughout its small range in the Southwest. I saw another hawk, this one common across all of the U.S., circling high in front of the cliffs. Every time it turned, its tail flashed redder than the rocks where it made its home.
The red rocks contrasted vividly with the green of the trees. The vegetation along this stretch of the Gila was so lush and thick that, at times, I almost felt like I was walking through the Pacific Northwest. It was so easy to get lost in the beauty of this area. And I felt pressured by myself to enjoy every aspect of the trail. There were a couple of river crossings that, instead of a sandy rocky bottom that was easy to cross, had a smooth bedrock bottom covered with slick algae. It was like walking on ice and I slipped twice, falling into the river. Thankfully nothing worse happened than a couple of bruised knees. But the fear and frustration I felt scared me. I had just got back on trail. I wasn't sure I was ready to handle any negative emotions yet. I tried my best to quell these thoughts and focus only on the good stuff.
The canyon opened up and the trail didn't follow the river quite as closely. It went through grasslands and ponderosa pine forests. I saw my first Painted Redstart, a small and fantastically beautiful black and red bird. Near a trail junction, I found a campsite and set up my tent. I was tired and sore - the river crossings are a lot of extra work with the added resistance of the water. But I felt good and was excited to be back on trail.
At some point in the night I heard an animal making noises. I was half asleep and very cozy and not at all inclined to investigate. I couldn't decide what it sounded like. Not quite like a "woman screaming," that is often used to describe a mountain lion. But I did think it sounded like a cat. At least, it reminded me of my cat at home when he yowls at me to be fed, but only if he were 80lbs bigger. I couldn't tell, and rolled over and went back to sleep.
It was cold when I woke up in the morning. It took some time to find the motivation to leave my warm and comfy sleeping quilt and dress for the day. When I did finally set out, I started off in the wrong direction. Thankfully I didn't go too far before I realized my mistake and course corrected.
I still had some river crossings today. I made sure to count this time and I got my feet wet 20 times. Which was surprising because the last time I crossed the river was by 9am and they felt more spread out than yesterday. It makes me think I crossed the Gila way more than I originally estimated.
It was a bit of a different scene today. The trail strayed from the river more, winding under the ponderosa pines and was lined with purple lupines. The river narrowed the further I went up it, looking more like a small creek. Eventually I crossed the dam and passed by Snow Lake. There was a campground here where I collected some water from a spigot. The trail became the dirt road for a few miles before crossing back to following the river.
The mighty middle fork of the Gila River was really just a small creek now. I crossed it a few more times, but I kept my feet dry by rock hopping across. I eventually reached a small pond where I filled my water. Then I climbed the hill and left the Gila behind for good. Someone described this next section as the "empty space between your thoughts." This felt incredibly accurate as I walked along a jeep road with nothing but brown grass and cows on either side of me and a clear blue sky above me. There isn't a lot going on in the empty space between thoughts.
This dirt track eventually reached the trees and then a gravel road. There wasn't much going on here either, although a couple in a dune buggy stopped and gave me some string cheese and jolly ranchers, my first CDT trail magic! Sucking on my candies, I continued on down the road which became dirt again and entered open grassland. Then it went back into the trees and into a canyon. I found a decent site to set up my tent and went to sleep as cows trotted past me, their hooves striking the hard dirt.
I really need to stop sleeping in canyons because it's always so cold in the morning. This was the coldest morning I had so far and I shivered miserably as I walked and contemplated getting out my puffy jacket. I try my best to stick to the mantra "Be bold, start cold" since I generally heat up pretty quick when hiking. Eventually, the sun crested the slope and started warming up the canyon. The road also started going uphill which helped me warm up too. Along the way I saw a black bear. It was on the edge of the trees and paused when we saw each other. Whenever I see a bear, I immediately begin to assess how safe it is. Is it a cub, where is its mom? Is it a mom, where are her cubs? What's its body language? Does it seem aggressive or curious? As I assess the bear, I assume it's assessing me as well. Once I determined the bear was not a threat and begin to take out my phone for a photo, the bear must have seen me as one because it turned tail and sprinted back into the cover of the woods. So unfortunately no bear photos to share. I'm glad bears are afraid of us. Have you ever seen a bear sprint? Those things are absolute powerhouses and could take me out no problem.
I continued up the road out of the canyon where a trail emerged. I can't say this trail was much of an improvement to walking along the road. It went down a steep hillside, was overgrown with thorny plants, and was exposed to the hot sun. At the bottom, it quickly started up and over the next hill. Up and down I went, going so slow I may as well have been crawling. I took an alternate trail, electing to go through creek-lined Govina canyon rather than along the dry ridgeline. It followed a dirt road at first, easy to walk and then it became very rough and rocky. I tried to imagine what sort of vehicle would be able to pass through, maybe one of those lifted jeeps but I was still skeptical. Then I joined a single track trail that paralleled the creek. I stopped for a lunch break and water.
It felt so good to be off my feet. The blisters on my pinky toes were back and with a vengeance. Every step and my tender toes screamed in pain. I carried almost 5L of water from my lunch spot. I wouldn't have any other water sources for the rest of the day and not until four miles into tomorrow, so I needed to make sure I had enough water to last me that long. It was heavy though. And I had an uphill climb. It felt like it lasted forever. I was going so slowly under my heavy pack.
Eventually I reached the top and began the long hike downhill. It was beautiful, but the trail was steep and not well maintained so I needed to watch every step. My right knee started to ache on this downhill. Not good. But I reached the bottom and I walked through grasslands and woodlands of oaks, juniper, and piñon pines. A small herd of elk were running towards me. They saw me, veered slightly, and ran across the trail in front of me. Bear and elk in one day - not bad!
I crossed the highway and joined a dirt road. About a half mile up this road was a nice campsite where I set up my tent. I went to sleep and dreamed that all my blisters became hard calluses overnight and they didn't hurt me anymore.
The entire next day was dirt road walking. It started off really lovely, under the cool and beauty of the ponderosa pines. It was easy to enjoy myself. Then I had to climb to over 9,000ft in elevation over Mt Mangas and back down. The elevation made it challenging on the way up. The ankle-roller rocks covering the dirt road made it challenging on the way down.
I collected water from a roadside spigot and then walked a tenth of a mile to some shade under a tree. Somewhere in that tenth of a mile, my slight knee twinge became a full-blown shooting pain. I couldn't bend it at all. I took a lunch break and hoped an hour off it would help the pain. It didn't. As soon as I started walking again, my knee hurt so bad that I couldn't bend it. I walked the last five miles hobbling and keeping my right leg as straight as possible.
I made it to Davila Ranch by 5pm and was so grateful to get there. This trailside ranch is an oasis for CDT hikers. The owners have a space for hikers to rest and stay, including a shower, flushing toilet, washer and dryer, sink, and oven burners. Oh and a fridge full of eggs, potatoes, and onions. I met the owner who showed me around, and then some other hikers: Pancake, Kittyhawk, Carmen San Diego, and Shrek. After not seeing anyone at all yesterday, and only people driving past in cars today, it was so nice to have so much human interaction. I took a shower and did laundry. Pancake cooked us all up a delicious dinner. I found a spot under the roof to set up a place to sleep and then closed my eyes, this time dreaming that my knee pain would go away overnight.
I ate some leftover potatoes and eggs for breakfast the next morning. It was a short day to Pie Town and all along a dirt road. My knee hurt at first, but it wasn't noticeable when I stopped using my trekking poles. It was a pretty uneventful morning. I listened to my audio book most of the way. I did see another black bear cross the road way off in front of me.
I made it to Pie Town around 11am. There is a lovely hostel here called the Toaster House where I headed to first. I relaxed and did some hip and leg stretches with Pancake. Then I went to one of the only two restaurants in town for a delcious and more than filling lunch. Back at the Toaster House, I relaxed and rested the rest of the day. It felt good to rest. Pushing big mile days right when I got back on trail may have been silly and a good way to injure myself.
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