CDT Day 3: May 8, 2025

Start: 65.2

Stop: 49.6

Today’s Miles: 15.6

Total CDT miles: 33

I tossed and turned a ton during the night. I feel like I always do when I’m backpacking, because I’m such a side sleeper, but dang it’s frustrating.. one arm would go numb, then the other one.. flip to one side, then to my back-knowing good and well I can’t sleep on my back-so ten minutes later I’m flipping again. Ha. Sorry Pebbles.

I did wake to another gorgeous sunrise, but I was too tired to snap any pictures. We left camp around 7:30am and it was a mostly flat morning. Flat, shrubs and prickly bushes and cacti everywhere. When we got to our first water source, I realized I still had plenty-so we skipped it and carried on to the next. Before we got there, we found a tree with some pretty good shade and took a break. I started listening to my audiobook, Red Sky Mourning, and laid out on my tent’s ground sheet. I’m pretty sure I nodded off, it was a lovely way to spend the morning. 

We hiked to the first water cache of the 5 that the CDT shuttle people put out. We decided to eat our lunch there, and damn, it was HOT. There was no shade, besides the tiny square of the metal box the water is in, so we rigged our umbrellas to shade us while we ate but it didn’t last for long. It only seemed to get hotter as we sat there and there was no shade to be seen for miles around, so we packed up, filled up our water, and got to hiking. 

By the grace of God, we crossed a tree offering just enough shade to let us hide under it for a few hours during the peak heat of the day. We napped off and on, slightly moving out of the sun as it crossed the sky.. after 4pm, we started hiking again. It was still so hot, but now it was also starting to get hilly as well. We climbed up and over saddles with views of desert landscape on either side. And the views really were quite gorgeous, even if we were worn out from the heat. 

The first water source we came to that we were counting on was pretty dang nasty, so we kept walking. The second water source didn’t exist-so we had no choice but to keep walking. We pushed to a very nice water tank with a spigot and surround by trees and shade. A pretty sweet little oasis. We’re technically not allowed to camp here, so we walked off a good ways into the surrounding desert shrubs and found some semi flat and mostly cow poop free places to set up our tents. We’re not “in” the oasis, but it’s visible. Hopefully it’s considered far enough away if anyone were to come out here. 

I set up my tent and ate my dinner, Marquis ate his when we were filling up water in the shade of the “oasis” but I was too pooped to open my pack to get food out and then repack it to find a spot to camp. I’m absolutely worn out! I think I have either sun poisoning or a new allergic reaction to my sunscreen. I’ve got welts all over my legs, and they itch and burn something serious. Thankfully, Marquis has some hydrocortisone cream he shared with me. I’m praying that calms it down. I might need to look into a different sunscreen brand again. This sun is no joke. 

I also have some chafe spots along my hips where my hip belt and the band of my shorts meet. That’s pretty painful. And to add insult to injury, my right heel now also has a blister, right in the same place as the one on my left foot. It has to be the extra weight I guess. Or breaking in new shoes. Yikes. I’m a little anxious for what tomorrow will bring. Hot and chaffed and burnt on day 3? My body is going to revolt here soon! 

I will end on a good note though. This sunset is a stunner. The sky is all orange until it meets the dark navy of night, but there’s a gorgeous black silhouette of the mountains surrounding us. It really is spectacular. Plus, there’s coyotes yipping and howling somewhere nearby and the moon is so bright on the other side of the sky. I think this might be worth all of the ailments I’m currently battling. I think I’ll sleep hard tonight, if I can get my legs to chill out on the burning. 

See ya tomorrow! Goodnight!