May 29 Start: near east fork rio brazos Stop: Chama, NM 10 miles Total miles: 638 It’s one last loving fuck you from New Mexico. Frozen shoes. Socks and gators stiff as a board. Even the condensation on my tent and sleeping bag chips off in my face. There is no way I can put … More Day 35: To Colorado And Back
May 28 Start: past canyon manga Stop: near east fork rio brazos 25 Miles Total miles: 628 I wake up to elk in the meadow. After a few miles, it takes me three tries to find the CDT. CDT trail markers and cairns lead the wrong way. Dang. We have an early lunch at Lagunitas … More Day 34: When I Wear My Down Jacket Because My Rain Jacket Blows Away
May 27 Start: near canada jarosito Stop: past canyon manga 24 miles Total miles: 603 Good thing we were only joking about cowboy camping because it starts to rain in the middle of the night. I get enough drops coming inside that I crawl out and close the tent beak. We’re on trail by 6:30 … More Day 33: The Howl Echo
May 26 Start: near Mogolito Stop: near Canada Jarosito 23 miles Total miles: 579 The tent is dewy and wet. The temp hovers around freezing. All that translates into a cold start. But let’s look on the bright side, my shoes are not frozen! Flat, muddy road turns into a torturous uphill climb through blowdowns. … More Day 32: Blowdown Hurdles
May 25 Start: Ghost Ranch Stop: near Mogotito 18 miles Total miles: 556 The covers are only on me and hanging over the edge of the bed. Oops. Luckily Mountain Spice was warm enough. Breakfast. Final pack arranging. One last Wi-Fi. And we’re off. I hike out of Ghost Ranch with Focus, Bigfoot, Mountain Spice … More Day 31: Big Snowy Mountains On The Horizon
May 24 Start: Ghost Ranch Stop: Ghost Ranch 0 miles Total miles: 538 It’s raining. Again. Before breakfast I Wi-Fi it up and post journals and pictures. Before I know it I’ve missed nearly half of breakfast. I race over and inhale food. I stuff myself on some breaded meat egg dish, scrabbled eggs, bagel, … More Day 30: New Shoes, Movie Day and Monk Beer
May 22 Start: near hwy 96 Stop: Ghost Ranch 28 Miles Total miles: 538 I decide not to push to Ghost Ranch for dinner which makes my morning miles feel very leisurely. A lazy meander up and over. The afternoon is filled with big sedimentary canyons. Layers of orange, yellow and red stack up all … More Day 29: Channeling Ghost O’Keeffe
May 22 Start: Cuba, NM Stop: near hwy 96 27 miles Total miles: 510 The room did not flood and the feet are in the puddles along the roadway by 6 am. An hour later I remember a few more things that I want my parents to send in my next resupply box. So I … More Day 28: The Snowy Otherworld
May 21 Start: Del Prado Motel, Cuba NM Stop: Frontier Motel, Cuba NM 1 mile Total miles: 483 The best nero ever. Probably because the best things can never be planned. The morning is all business. Do the laundry, go to library for Wi-Fi, upload journals and pictures, do food shopping, find postcard, call parents, … More Day 27: Up Town
May 20 Start: near cerros colorados Stop: Cuba, NM 21 miles Total miles: 482 It’s town day which means no sleeping in. We’re both up and on trail before 6 am. It already seems hot but I push the 9.5 miles to a spring without a break. I find Beads, M80, Trooper, and their dog … More Day 26: Mesa Climb aka Getting Vertical
Journey Return 