Yall. Today was rough for me. I slept ok, and we got on trail by 7am. All seemed well, just a short 11 miles to the next water cache to knock out, on a dirt road the majority of the way. Welp. That all sounds great when you have shade-but alas, we did not, for the most part.
It wasn’t that windy as we walked, and it got hot, fast. I kept my umbrella up the majority of the day, but my legs still got roasted, even with Pebble’s good sun screen on. The welts popped up and I felt like I was on fire. It was pretty miserable.
I spotted another snake, tan like the sand-which made him extra creepy. Since my power bank has been charged, I was able to snap his picture! Pebbles walked right by him, I guess he was pretty well camouflaged. That’s what worries me, how well they blend in to their surroundings.. maybe not scared of this guy, but the rattlesnakes blend in too, and that’s terrifying!
We did find an ok enough tree with some shade for lunch, but as we sat there eating, the sun started to take over right before our eyes. I had my jacket covering my legs, which then just turned into an inferno, causing me to sweat more. Talk about ways to make someone irritable. Not to mention, Pebble’s tendonitis started flaring, too. I know he’s worried about it taking him off trail, so he’s going to start wearing his compression sleeves to see if that will help. Aren’t we just doing great?
We decided to push on when we realized the shade was a lost hope, and ended up making it to the water cache by 3pm. We filled up some water and then parked ourselves in the shade of tree in the wash of an old river-on rocks. Not the most comfortable, seat wise, but that was the only shade to be found, so, sacrifices had to be made. My legs are AWFUL. Blaring red and welts all over. They burn and itch and I wish I could soak them in an oatmeal bath. Instead I’m sitting in a wash where water used to be and is no where to be seen. Not even a hint of a bath coming my way any time soon.
After about an hour and a half, Russel walked up! He’s a section hiker completing all of New Mexico. He’s very knowledgeable about the area and grew up in NM, but moved to the east coast as an adult. We chatted him up, talked about the sections coming up, and threw in some running chit chat, too. I was quite happy to have him and Pebbles talking so I could chime in every now and then, while sitting in my discomfort.. he was a welcomed distraction.
Not long after Russel got there, another hiker showed up. He didn’t stay very long, maybe 30 minutes. He chatted, got water, ate a snack, and carried on. Then, a couple from Australia showed up. They are goals. They appear to be in their 60s and super fit, and they were fun to chat with too. They stayed for dinner (we all ate together, hiding in the shade of the tree), and then they carried on hiking.
Russel, Pebbles, and I set up our tents, and I excused myself by 6:30. My legs BURN. I’ve taken some Benadryl and I’m praying it knocks me out. Comatose, please. There isn’t any wind blowing and the heat is stifling. Ugh. Hoping tomorrow is better. We get to the border tomorrow!
Ugh, we got up at 6:10 and left by 6:40 this morning. It was a struggle to get out of my cocoon, but it had to happen. There was zero water between where we camped and where we were going to camp tonight, so we had to tote all of our water for the day with us. Heavy.. and much better to get most of the miles in during the cool mornings, before the sun starts to blaze.
Last night I woke up to a guy asking Pebbles for ibuprofen. Apparently he had horrible blisters and was obviously feeling pretty awful, if he had to resort to walking around to tents in the dark to ask strangers for pain killers. I watched him limp away from our tents and he looked like he was practically dragging his left leg, the poor guy looked pitiful.
Seeing this, I was suddenly very thankful of our plan to hike slow and low mileage at the beginning. And, truthfully, thankful that we’re hiking southbound, because if we were hiking north, there would be nothing stopping us from stupidly pushing farther.. we have a shuttle to catch on a specific date-getting there sooner wouldn’t help us any.
It was cool and breezy this morning, something I’m also grateful for. Good walking, mostly on a dirt road.. flat for a while then up and down and around the base of the mountains nearby, again, an off-roading jeep or ATV paradise. It was real neat to see the mountains that were so far in the distance get so close throughout the morning. And the views seem to get better as we go.
Pebbles found a place he wanted to stop for his breakfast and stretch. I kept moving. Not that much farther up trail, I found a wash with a tree shading a flat spot, so I popped my shoes off and laid down to rest, too. I even did some stretching of my own, since my hamstrings feel tight. When Pebbles caught up to me, he told me about a new option: we could get to the road 5 miles ahead and hitch hike into the small town of Hachita! We were planning to camp near that road and water cache already, and with it not even being lunchtime yet, we were clearly going to be sitting out in the sun for HOURS. Plus, in Hachita, I could charge up my battery bank and pray it starts working right!
Yall. The way I got those shoes on and started hiking! He also read that the mini mart store has burritos sometimes.. hell, the chance to charge my block was enough to put pep in my step, the potential for food that wasn’t an uncrustable had me flippin thrilled! We cruised that 5 miles.
Less than two miles from the road, we spotted our first snake, and by we-I mean I. Pebbles cruised right by it and stopped when he heard my scream and abrupt stop. I know I’m dramatic, and I knew this guy was a “good” snake-but man oh man do I hate them. I got Pebbles to come back and take pictures since my phone was off, but just seeing it had me in full chills when I was in direct sunlight and sweating my face off.
Pebbles quickly got ahead of me (as always) and I saw him talking to a guy sitting beside the trail under his umbrella. I thought maybe this was the ibuprofen guy from last night, because as I caught up I heard Pebbles saying something about “I hope you feel better.” And then telling him about our plan to hitch into Hachita. The guy told Pebbles he’d probably see us there. As we got farther past him, my nosey self asked about him, and come to find out it was a different guy all together. This guy told Pebbles that he can only walk about 10 minutes or so before he has to sit back down, because he keeps throwing up. That did not sound good, and I got a little worried about him. But he said he’d probably come back to the road and see us in town, so I didn’t go back to him.
Less than a mile later we were at the road. We met a another hiker there, Dan. We told him about our plan to hitch to Hachita and to come back in the evening and camp here. Dan didn’t want to go into town, and planned to stay and camp here, too.. so we said we’d see him later and then almost as an afterthought, I told him about the other hiker. He and Dan started at the same time from the same shuttle.. he seemed concerned, too.
We tried calling the market in Hachita from the road but service was spotty. Every time the call would go through, they either wouldn’t answer or couldn’t hear me. Eventually got a hitch to town by a border patrol agent. She was awesome, soft spoken, and drove like a bat out of hell.. fun fun! It’s pretty cool that she’d be willing to stop to check on us and then drive us 14 miles on top of that. These small towns have the nicest of people, that or very bored border patrol agents.
She dropped us off at the mini market and we got some food.. soda and hot pockets for me, plus chips and dip-and a jimmy deans breakfast sausage bowl for Pebbles. We were hoping for real burritos but the little place that made them closed down-as was much of this town. Only the Mart was open, and they were out of microwaveable burritos.
They let us go to the community center and shower and charge our stuff. There was even some shampoo and conditioner left in the shower! What a win! I’m still getting used to not having a towel again, and even though drying off with a smelly and very dirty shirt almost negates the point of the shower-I still was happy to do it.
Just after 5pm, we were packed up and about to leave when the hiker from 3 hours earlier walked up! He seemed better, so that was good. He was also able to hitch in with border patrol! We chatted a minute, told him we were glad he was ok, and headed to the main road to try to hitch back to the trail.
A total of ONE car passed us, and then he pulled into his driveway not very far from us at all. After waiting and hoping for close to 2 hours, I gave up and started messaging people listed as trail angels in our FarOut app. Eventually, we got a ride back to trail by the guy that owns the mart. Jeff was super nice and a lot of fun. Rattled off tons of info about the area. I loved it.
Back at trail, we talked with Dan. He told that after he set up his tent, he went to see if the other hiker was where I told him we saw him, just to check, and he was still sitting there, looking rough.. he sat with him awhile and eventually talked him into going into town. He had to help him back and help him hitch in.. he said he was glad I told him because he didn’t think he would have made it back on his own. I’m glad I did too, but now I’m having some guilt over leaving him alone there in the first place. I should have asked more questions sooner and gone back after I heard about the throwing up.
Anyway-I’m glad he’s safe and sleeping inside the community center tonight, hopefully hydrating. We told Dan goodnight and went off to make camp far enough away to not bother him. We filtered some water and ate dinner as the sun set.
I really do love the sunsets here. Goodnight yall.
The wind last night was NUTS! It howled and whipped through our tents so much that I was constantly waiting for my trekking poles to come smashing down on top of me.. but they never did. It was a little unsettling, but probably only because my legs were burning and itching enough to keep me awake regardless of the wind, so I noticed it more. I could even hear it through my ear plugs! Either way, we got up and packed and were on trail by 7:45am.
Last night before bed, my charging block went from claiming close to 75% battery to turning off completely.. soooo, I’m a little anxious that something is wrong with it. I’ve used this Nitecore on every trip I’ve been on since buying it during my PCT thru hike, and it’s been incredible-but that also means I’ve been charging it in foreign countries, so I’m wondering if the voltage differences in Belgium (the last place I fully charged it) might have zapped it somehow. This is pretty concerning, seeing how I’m a picture taking queen all day long, and now my phone battery has to last all day today and then 4 more days before we get back to Lordsburg. Because of this, I snapped only a couple of pictures and then turned my phone off.
The morning was fast and flat, sandy trail turning onto dirt roads and letting Pebbles and I just cruise. I snapped a couple of selfies, turned my phone back off, and put it back up.
When we stopped for a break beside a bush that gave a slight bit of shade-I realized I had lost my phone. I was panicked. I looked around the bushes, seeing if when I set my pack down, the phone flung out.. I checked all my pack pockets-nada-so I started walking back to where I knew I snapped the selfies and kept my eyes peeled for it. Pebbles searching the area we stopped at way more thoroughly than I had, while I maybe walked back a mile or so.. I returned empty handed. Shit. And was turned off, so it’s not like anyone could call it..
And then, as I’m about to pick up my pack and I’m running through where to pick up a new phone and all the pictures I lost over the last several days since my back up-plus all of my notes on the trip so far.. Pebbles touches the top of my pack and low and behold-it was rectangular shaped.. I had placed it in the “brain” of my pack, but in my panicked search for it in that pocket, I missed it somehow! Hahaha! All I could do was laugh.
Now, Pebbles and I agree, I have to find some kind of lanyard case or something to keep my phone better tethered to me (I’ve also dropped it quite a bit too.. so graceful). My friend, Andrea, knows that I’m pretty bad about losing my phone or misplacing it on every trip we’ve ever been on together, except for the time when she lost her phone when she hiked the first week of my PCT thru hike with me. Of all the qualities or traits or habits I can rub off on others, this one is NOT the one you want!
High on phone finding happiness, we hiked on. The trail stayed on the dirt road, but it went from flat and cruisy to more of an off-road type situation with gentle climbs in and out of road dips that a jeep driver would love, before turning back into a real trail, surrounded by spiky and pokey things.
We crossed a main road and found the next water cache. Thankfully it was surrounded by trees, so we decided to rest and eat lunch there in the shade. Fresh water, shade, and a breeze.. what more could you want? I’m starting to get quite over the uncrustables, they filled me up the first couple days, but even as I finished eating two for lunch today, my stomach was still growling. Maybe my marathon training/running has my metabolism higher than it normally is, because usually on thru hikes I’m not hungry the first week or two and it’s a constant game of forcing myself to eat. Not this time.
Pebbles shared some of his zinc mineral sunscreen with me, and it seems to be helping more than my original kind did. My legs don’t look too bad. And the itching has subsided. Even still, after lunch, it was all sun and very hot. The trail was flat again, but it was in and out of old river washes-slap dry now of course. I didn’t mind the washes except for the amount of sand and tiny rocks that magically seem to slip into my shoes. Those little suckers hurt!
Mid afternoon, we got lucky and found a huge droopy tree begging us to rest under it. I actually fell asleep, hard. The wind was blowing, the shade seemed complete, I only woke up when I actually got cold! Insane! The dryness out here makes such a difference. At home in 80 degree weather, you still sweat in the shade, out here, I contemplated pulling out my puffy!
Groggy and sleep saddled, we started hiking again closer to 5pm. We made it to a big water tank with a spigot (my favorite, next to water caches of course), and hid in its shade while filling up our water bottles. We met 4-5 other hikers over the next hour of sitting there. All of them continued to be confused about our southbound journey, and one couple literally changed their entire demeanor after realizing that I was triple crowning this hike. I feel like I probably look like an amateur with my bigger backpack and chunky frame (can’t wait for the extra weight to fall off! Lol), but I’ve tried their lightweight backpacks on the PCT and hated it-so it’s me and Large Marge against the world, I guess. And either way, I still have complete faith that I’ll make it to Canada.
Anywho-we ate our dinner in the shade and once the sun started to set, we went off in search of a place to set up camp. It’s windy as hell again, so I think we’re in for another beating from Mother Nature. Pebbles is getting his stretches in, I’m laying here typing this and praying my phone battery makes it. I guess we’ll see! Sleep tight, yall!
