Tag: backpacking

CDT Day 11: May 16, 2025

Start: 114.3

Stop: 122.1

Today’s Miles: 7.8

Total CDT miles: 122.2

I was awake by 6am, calling the vet-attempting to be quiet. Home is 2 hours ahead, so it was 8am there and the vet’s office was open. The doctor that saw Molly yesterday wasn’t working today, but the doctor coming in at 10 would review everything and call me back. Crap. If I needed to come home, this was the easiest place to hitch back to Lordsburg from.. but, when I called mom and talked with her about it, she said I should just keep hiking today and she’d talk with them and have them call me. Service is looking good, and today was a short day anyway-so, I packed up to hike ahead.

I talked with Aunt Kathy while I walked, Pebbles way ahead of me, since 5 miles of this almost 8 for the day were going to be straight up. I walked slowly, taking little mini breaks every 5-10 minutes. This feels like the first real elevation gain of the whole trail. And, to my surprise, even with the pounding of my heart and the huffing of my breath-I liked it. The trail today had the most trees so far this hike-and man, I’d missed them! 

There were pretty overlooks of the surrounding mountains and valleys, there were lizards and birds galore-but the trees had me smiling, even in all my sadness over Molly. I’d sip my water, stare out at my surroundings from the shade of a tree on trail, then push on. A little before 10am, I decided that at 10am I was going to find somewhere to sit down for a while. To my shock, at 10am I was passing through the gate that signaled the top of the climb! 

I really thought I was moving much slower than that. Less than 3 miles to go! So, I picked up my pace a little bit. The downhill was steep in sections and poorly maintained in others. I walked through a pine forest, making me the happiest I’ve been all day, and then eventually I got to the junction that leads to the Burro Mountain Homestead we were heading to. Pebbles was sitting there waiting for me.

When I asked him how long he’d been waiting, I just knew he was going to say 45 minutes to an hour-but it was only 10 minutes or so. Hmm. Maybe I wasn’t moving as slow as I thought I was-or maybe he took a long break earlier in the morning. Either way, I was just glad he hadn’t been waiting forever on me. 

We walked the last mile together, eventually going through a gate on the back end of this community. The Burro Mountain Homestead looks like a regular RV park, but it’s a permanent community. So, all of the RVs have been winterized and have wooden porches attached, along with garages and gated yards. It looked pretty dang nice! Most of the garages had ATVs parked under them. 

We walked down to the main office, and the woman working there, Heidi, was incredible. She gave us a mini tour: rec room with WiFi and kitchenette, corral with refrigerators/freezers/microwave, and tons of tables, and the bathhouse. She also told us where we could camp and she confirmed that for CDT hikers camping and showers are free! We bought some microwaveable pizzas from her, along with drinks and ice cream, and headed over to the rec room to take advantage of the microwave there, and the WiFi.

I didn’t hear back about Molly until late afternoon. By the time I did, Pebbles and I had destroyed our frozen pizzas, showered, and had been hanging out on the rec room patio in cushy chairs enjoying the internet for hours. 

The vet’s office we use is truly great. The lady I spoke with didn’t think that it was quite Molly’s time yet, although she reiterated many times how quickly this can change. But for now, she’s eating, drinking, peeing and pooping, and doesn’t appear to be in any pain whatsoever. When these things change or stop, then it will be time-and she gently let me know that there was a big chance that it would be a fast decline and making Molly wait for my arrival may not be in her best interest. 

I so appreciate her honesty and the time she spent with me on the phone, even if the things she was telling me what heartbreaking for me to hear. She took her time and answered my questions, sometimes more than once when I needed clarification. There’s a big chance I won’t be there when it’s Molly’s time to go, and dammit that hurts so much. 

 I talked to mom and Aunt Kathy. They both agree that there’s no reason to rush home right now. So, I’m staying put. Actually, Pebbles and I decided we’ll take our first zero tomorrow.. since it’s free camping here, and we’d have to zero somewhere this weekend regardless. 

We have to mail out packages to Pie Town, a small town without a resupply store that’s coming up within the next 10 days. Silver City is 18 miles away from us here, and has a Walmart. With today being Friday, we’ll zero tomorrow, then Sunday hike the 18 miles to Silver City (and get to sleep in a REAL BED!!) and then go to Walmart and mail out our packages on Monday before hiking out of town. 

Yall know I love a hotel, bed, restaurant, wine.. but Pebbles is doing his best to keep me on budget, and camping here is free.. and it does have WiFi-so hopefully I can get up some posts for this blog I write every day! Ha! We’ll see.

We’re camping under some big gorgeous trees, and there are deer all over. This is quite the peaceful place to have a zero, reflect, rest. My chaffed thighs and blistered feet are quite happy to know I won’t be hiking tomorrow! 

Sweet dreams, yall. 

CDT Day 10: May 15, 2025

Start: 99.2 

Stop: 114.3

Today’s Miles: 15.1

Total CDT miles: 114.3

Today was incredible! Well, up until a little while ago, but I’ll tell you about that later-because up until then, today has been my favorite day on trail! I woke up happy.. the wind wasn’t too awful overnight, and the noise from it did help lull me to sleep. And, the second I looked at my watch, I realized it’s Andrea’s birthday! I just knew the second I got service I had to message her!

The trail was meandering up and down and around-it was soft sand and easy going. There were views and small climbs. I was having a ball! I did get service on top of a mountain, so I messaged Andrea, and then I realized it was another friend’s graduation today too, so I messaged Kirsten (she just graduated from PA school, and I am so proud of her!). And while doing that, another friend’s text came through about getting into CRNA school! Talk about a wonderful morning filled with good things!

I carried on, my blisters weren’t too bad, my mood was high, the views kept making me smile. At some point Pebbles and I ate lunch under a tree.. there’s so many more TREES here! Maybe this is why I’m so dang happy today! The shade they provide is life saving and so so welcomed! 

There were a few water caches out for us to refill our water bottles at, we relaxed at one and then headed on to the next. The second one had sodas as well! So, we got our first ever trail magic! We were deciding on continuing on, or stopped here for the night, because there’s our first real climb coming up. I voted stay-because I didn’t want to tote extra water for dinner and all of that for a mile uphill, when we can just camp here and do that mile in the morning. Pebbles didn’t take long to agree. 

That means, tomorrow, we’ll have a 5 mile climb before hiking down 3 miles to the Burro Mountain Homestead. They’ll let thru hikers camp and shower for free. And they sell sodas and frozen microwaveable pizzas. Like we needed any other motivation to go there! That silly pizza won me over quick. 

After we set up our tents, I called my mom to check in. She told me that our dog, Molly, isn’t doing too well. She has a tumor in her bladder blocking part of her urethra, making it hard to pee. I knew this already, but apparently she started peeing blood and when my sweet cousin took her to the vet, the tumor has grown significantly. 

This was a hard phone call to take, because I love that dog so damn much. If she leaves this world, I want to be the one holding her, so she knows she’s loved and safe and the best puppy in the whole world. The problem is, we don’t know if it’s that time just yet-and if I were to figure out how to quickly get home (which I just did figure out-hitch hike on hwy 90 back to Lordsburg, take a greyhound bus to El Paso, fly home.. do the same in reverse and be a week behind Pebbles).. it would feel like we were rushing to put her down on my schedule instead of when it’s really her time.

My mom says she’s not ready to let her go yet, and she’s been her baby for the last 9 years, she lives with her and rules the house over my mom’s other doggo, Max, and if mom doesn’t think it’s time, then it’s not. But, she told me to call the vet in the morning and verify everything with them. Our biggest concern is Molly suffering at all.. and as of right this minute-she’s still peeing, pooping, eating and drinking.. mom says she’s not panting or whining and she doesn’t seem like she’s in any pain at all. 

So, I’ll call the vet in the morning. If they say they recommend not prolonging any further, I’ll tell Pebbles bye, and walk to the highway to hitchhike back to Lordsburg. And if they don’t tell me that, I’ll hike 5 miles up a mountain instead. I won’t lie, I’m pretty dang sad over all of this.. but I know my pupperoni is loved by my mom, and my Aunt Kathy and my cousin Michael (and my Uncle Keith, too). I know she’s being loved on and catered to, and none of them would let her hurt or suffer in any way. This is the price I pay by taking these long trips away from those I love with my whole heart-I don’t get to be there for the important things sometimes, and it is devastating. 

Anyway. Tears in the middle of the woods won’t do me any good. So. I’m drying my eyes and I’m going to sleep. There’s nothing I can do about anything tonight. Only beneficial thing I can do is try to get some sleep. Goodnight y’all. Love on your pupperonies a little extra for me tonight. 

CDT Day 9: May 14, 2025

Start: 83.7

Stop: 99.2 

Today’s Miles: 15.5

Total CDT miles: 99.2

We didn’t wake up until 7am, and then started to pack. Pebbles went down to the continental breakfast offered by the motel while I finished up, and then when we were starting our hike out of town (the trail goes straight through town and then down to 2 different highways before cutting through some huge cattle fields), I popped into the McDonalds to get an egg and cheese biscuit to go, while Pebbles carried on hiking. 

I ate and walked and turned on an audiobook. I also had a 1.5 liter Mountain Dew that I was sipping on-please judge me here, I deserve it-and I was on cloud 9. A biscuit in the morning is my favorite breakfast, and I will choose that every single time. I was so content! 

The road walk through town wasn’t bad, and then the road walks down the sides of the small highways weren’t bad either-although if it were later in the morning, I could see how being next to the asphalt would get very hot, very fast. A potential danger to consider for sure, since the CDT has way more road walking on it than the other 2 long trails I’ve done. 

I had caught up to Pebbles and then got ahead of him a little ways while hiking along HWY 90, when I realized we missed our turn for the big cattle fields.. crap. We had passed it by a good bit-with the road walking being easy and flat, so we decided to climb under the barbed wire fence and walk at a diagonal to meet the trail. I got all kinds of tiny sharp things jabbed into my hands and shirt, thankfully my legs made it out unscathed. 

That several miles through desert scrub brush and soft sand put a damper on my mood. The trail was a pain to find then a pain to follow-we both kept going off in wrong directions on cattle trails or tire trails by accident, only to look at the map in the app to realize we were way off. Then we’d have to meander in the right direction and hunt for the trail. It was irritating. I finished my audiobook and turned on some music, so that gave me the boost to keep it moving. 

Sometime midday, just before we decided to stop for lunch and of course right as we’re bushwhacking across desert sand to find our trail again, my right foot stabs me with the sharpest pain.. I knew instantly what it was.. my tiny blister under my big toe just expanded over the ball of my foot! It was a tearing sharp stinging that could only mean that the fluid trapped in that blister pushed farther through the layers of skin, making the blister grow dramatically. It flipping HURT! 

I limped along after Pebbles, going from a good 3 ish miles per hour minimum to a slow 1.5 to 1.8 miles per hour. I was hurting, bad.  And each limp made me realize that I was just going to be causing more blisters to do the same on the other foot, since it was now taking the majority of the weight burden. My pack is heavy, 5 days of food and almost 4 liters of water.. it adds up in weight fast. Thankfully, Pebbles found a bush that offered some shade, so we stopped for lunch and I was able to get out of my socks and shoes to let my feet rest. 

I had a bagel with Swiss cheese (the only cheese available at the Family Dollar), pepperoni slices, brown/spicy mustard, and some Doritos for crunch.. it was pretty dang delicious. And then I also ate some Doritos by themselves, too. My feet were throbbing but overall, everything was starting to feel better. 

The wind seemed to really pick up during and after lunch.. and even still right now as I lay in my tent and type this. We were in a severe weather advisory for the wind.. but apparently it’s supposed to chill out tonight (fingers crossed our tents stay staked down!). And I was so slow moving, even when the pain started to either subside or I had gotten used to it, I just couldn’t pick up the pace. When we got to the first and only water source for the day, a windmill/cow trough tank thing.. the cows were EVERYWHERE, and the mamas were not happy with us being there!

We had to talk to them and get them to ease out of our way so we could refill our water for tonight and for the first 8 miles tomorrow too, so 4L for each of us. Some of the calves kept mooing at us-it felt like they were tattle-tailing on us. Punks. There were also a ton of yellow jackets buzzing around right by the fence where the trough was, so that was fun. We didn’t want to make any sudden movements or loud noises and scare the cows completely, and maybe have a mama charge us. Thankfully, we and all the cows survived. 

We loaded back up and started walking again, with hopes of setting up camp at the first semi decent flat spots away from the cows. We ended up going another half mile before deciding on where we are now-and it’s pretty nice, minus the ridiculous wind. We were able to get our tents up, but had to put big rocks over all the stakes because of the soft sand and the high wind. I hope they stay put!

I unpacked and made dinner, a peak refuel meal: chicken Alfredo. It was also incredibly good. I’ve had a great day of good meals! That’s always a positive. And the peak refuel remain my favorite dehydrated meals. We still have 30 minutes until the sun sets. Pebbles is doing his stretches so his tendinitis hopefully doesn’t flair back up, and I’m laying here wondering if I should go around and tighten up all my tent guy-lines again. Hmmmm. 

Tomorrow the plan is for 15+ miles again, but we’ll hit a water source around 8 miles and then again around the 15 mark. Yay for toting less water! It’s a little chilly right now, so I think I’ll probably sleep pretty dang good! Which is what I plan to do once I watch this sunset! Sweet dreams, y’all!