Jiimmy's Journal

[Jiimmy]

Yo soda! Whatever you choose it’ll be fun to follow along and hear your thoughts. I’m currently leaning heavily towards the fair weather section hikes, but others I know have done/attempted calendar year triple crowns, the great western loop, yo-yo’s, and other crazy shit and wouldn’t change a thing!

[Jiimmy]

8/26: The trail out of Grand Lake is really a treat. Mostly flat and down the banks of the Colorado river and lakes for 15 miles. There are campgrounds too, so plenty of drinking water and bathrooms. Saw another moose today and my first snake. I also lanced my first blister in the tent. The wet conditions caught up with me, though today was great, just a few minutes of light rain in the early afternoon. I’ve been surprised at the state of the trail in general. There have been very few blowdowns to climb over. I imagine it helps that I’m out here later in the season, after the trail crews have had a chance to get in and clean things up.

8/27: Up and over James Peak (13,309’) today. Was clear until I was near the summit, then the fog rolled in and the hail started. It was pretty incredible. Peaks are fun once in a while, but if there’s a lower option over a pass or something I’d take it 90% of the time. The pikas and marmots were out and about today. I wish I was their size so I could hide under a pile of rocks or dart into a burrow when the weather gets wild. I briefly met a northbound section hiker. He gave me a very helpful water report about the path ahead. I camped beside Loch Lomond. It appears to be artificial/dammed, but it’s a looker. At the lake I chatted with a group of friendly overlanders, Glen from Vegas being one. There’s an expo nearby and they’re trying out the latest and greatest Australian pull behinds. Glen gave me some candy bars and a passerby out for an evening run and swim gave me a homemade cookie. After 13 days I’ve hiked 281 miles. Not quite my PCT mileage but it’s early, and the trail is tough. Besides, if I go too fast I may be a bit warm in New Mexico.

8/28: A short day of 16 miles, the shortest yet. Found a great campsite early, piney and protected, and hope to get some decent rest. Sleep hasn’t been the best lately. Met a local called Dodger and his dog. They were on a hike from Berthoud Pass to Stanley Mountain and back. Roughly a 7 mile round trip. It’s a great day hike. He says they hike it at least 30 times a year. I said a brief hello to two European northbounders. They say I’ll see a lot more hikers when the CDT joins the Colorado Trail. Likely a few days from now. While in the tent near sundown I met SteveO the southbounder. He’s been bouncing back and forth with Mando. He watched me run the Parkview ridge between storm clouds while sheltering in some bushes, exactly like I had watched Mando run the ridge an hour beforehand. He’s taking the Sliverthorne alternate as well and hopes to be in town for breakfast on Wednesday, so we’ll likely see more of each other. He showed me some useful tools I’d never used before in the FarOut app.

8/29: 27 miles today, longest yet. Plenty of elevation change too, 6,400’ up 8,300’ down. Last nights rest must’ve helped. Met three section hikers. So far I’ve met more section hikers than thru hikers. Early in the morning during a short dirt road walk, a couple in a Jeep stopped and gave me a bunch of freshly picked backyard raspberries.

8/30: Had some more raspberries today. This time I picked them. More than a pint, less than a quart. Also had a few dips in the creek I followed from Frisco to Copper Mountain on the bike path. I’ve really been enjoying the valley on this alternate. It’s a nice change of pace.

8/31: Good day, easy trail, lots of other hikers now that I’ve joined the Colorado Trail. The trail is extremely well marked now! I’ve had enough of a southbound experience to know that I prefer going northbound. The sun is at your back more often, and my nose doesn’t burn. Unless I’m in the southern hemisphere I’ll choose northbound when I can. On an east/west trail I bet I’d prefer eastbound. You get the morning sun in your face instead of the afternoon sun, and more wind at your back.

9/1: I met Gabriel from Mexico City. It was fun to speak Spanish again and scratch that part of the brain. Looking ahead a bit, I will have four walk up resupplies in a row (Grand Lake, Frisco, Twin Lakes, and Monarch Pass). The first two were hitches (Encampment and Steamboat Springs). It’s nice when you can control your own schedule and not have to roll the dice on a hitchhike. But it looks like the streak will end with both Lake City and Pagosa Springs being hitches. My mileage has been creeping up. I’ve had several days in a row around 25. I may plateau in the San Juans, I keep hearing they’re difficult. After 18 days I’ve hiked 389 miles.

9/2: Met some fellow 2022 PCTers. I must’ve passed them in the desert but we didn’t remember each other. In the evening I made it into the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness. The next bit should be pretty sweet.

9/3: Met Irish and Rerun. They’re hiking the Colorado Trail, and they’re known on the CDT for shuttling hikers between the trail and Pinedale Wyoming so they can resupply halfway through the Wind River Range. They mentioned a hiker named Lucky Hat who they shuttled into Pinedale and who they also recently saw near Mt Elbert. I met Lucky Hat on the Arizona Trail last spring, he had just finished the Florida Trail and was cruising. I kept up with him for an hour or so on the decent out of Saguaro NP but then fell back. In the evening I camped near four others who are hiking the Collegiate Loop.

9/4: 5 moose, 2 deer, 3 bow hunters (elk), 50+ hikers/bikers, 1 cold soda fished out of a creek.

[Jiimmy]

9/5: Left the trail at Boss Lake Reservoir and invented a path into Monarch Pass. Some side trails, some forest roads, some cross country, and two short bits through what seemed like private property but lacked any signage. It was fun to think through a route instead of just following the main path. At the pass I decided to slide into Salida for a night off trail. Hitched with T-Rex and Ritz(?). They’ve yo-yo’d the AZT, hiked the PCT twice, and are on their second CDT thruhike. Impressive! I hiked only 7 miles today, the shortest yet. Two hotels so far, nights 11 and 22. We’ll see if the 10 on/1 off trend holds.

9/6: I eased into the day and only hiked from noon to six. The trail is pretty smooth out of Monarch Pass. I managed 17 miles.

9/7: 29 miles today, longest yet. Met Stingray and his hiking partner. Both of their filters froze last night so I helped them out with some chlorine tabs to get them through to the next stop. Met Graham as well, an older hiker from the Superstition Mountain area. He has hiked the Grand Enchantment Trail, which is impressive because it’s more of a cross country route than a trail from what I’ve heard. It runs from the Phoenix area to Albuquerque. Only saw about 10 people today.

9/8: I hiked with SeeMore most of the day. Nice fella. He has genetic vision problems, that have been worsening all his life, but that doesn’t slow him down. He is hiking the Colorado Trail and is adding on a lot of 14,000 foot peaks as well. 8 in total I think, the final one being San Luis in the next few days. He carries a 10x magnifying glass to read his phone. I climbed just above 10,000 feet to camp. The trail won’t drop below 10,000 feet for the next 210 miles. I only saw 4 people today.

9/9: In the morning I met Steve the fisherman at Eddiesville TH. He’s hiked the PCT and CT, so we had a lot to talk about, but the coolest thing was that he knew all about the area north of Dubois, Wyoming: Double Cabin, Frontier Creek, and the campground hosts Bev and Arvil, who I got to know pretty well while I was camping before and during the eclipse in 2017. He is living out of his truck for a month, spending time fishing and hiking, and he has a pretty sweet mobile setup, solar power included. He gave me a few apples, took my trash, and made me coffee. I hiked a few hours in the afternoon with SeeMore. He stopped early, at the edge of the tree line below San Luis, which he’ll climb in the morning. I also met a few friendly hunters today, deer and bighorn sheep.

9/10: I hitched into Lake City with a hunter, the first successful hunter I’ve met. He killed a female elk the first hour of opening morning and then made several trips to his camp and back to ruck out a few hundred pounds of meat. He was more tired than I was but still in good spirits. In town there was a very nice hiker center. It’s maintained by the Presbyterian church. Free hot drinks, charging stations, Wi-Fi, bathroom, seating areas, books, etc. They even run a daily shuttle to the trailhead, a good backup if I’m unable to hitch in the morning. I found a hotel for the night and hope to get some good rest, which I seem to be lacking on this trip. 3 hotel nights out of 27 total nights. More than I had hoped, but not too bad. Total mileage so far is 566.

[Jiimmy]

9/11: At breakfast I met a hiker and his mom. We talked a while and they gave me a lift to the hiker center, which was nice because Lake City is a looong town, maybe 4 blocks wide by 20 long. A 9 by 9 would be a lot nicer for the walkers. They offered me a ride to the trailhead but I was hoping to print more paper maps for the next section. Jason the pastor, and mastermind of the hiker center, came through for me on that front. I hung out there and talked to the hiker center helpers until the shuttle left for the trailhead at noon. The Presbyterians were great, they didn’t try to convert me or even pressure me into an awkward prayer. Just one other hiker rode on the shuttle with me, Conrad the northbound German. I hiked from 1 to 7 and went a bit over 17 miles, including the final visit of the entire trail to above 13,000 feet. Near the top it was a several mile ridge walk and the weather was perfectly calm. I found a place to camp as it was getting dark, just above the tree line in some bushes. There have been a ton of beetle-killed trees lately so it felt safer up here even though it’s a bit less protected. My camp sat at 12,200 feet, the highest I’ve ever camped in my life. The lowest I could’ve possibly camped, without going way off trail, was 11,950. The trail doesn’t drop below 11,500 for the next 40 miles.

9/12: Lots of rain, snow, and ice today. It never got really cold or windy, but was still a challenge, mostly a mental one. It began around 10 and finally stopped after dark. About 15 minutes before it started I witnessed an animal exodus down into the valley. Deer, elk (the first I’ve seen on this trip), birds, and chipmunks were all fleeing the high pass I was ascending. In the afternoon I walked by several hundred sheep, a few curious sheep dogs, but no shepherd. I’m hoping for sunshine tomorrow to dry some things out. I saw two hikers and two ATVs today. Soon before camp the CDT split away from the Colorado Trail.

9/13: Today was a much better day. Just an hour of rain, but also a glorious hour of sunshine. I spread out all of my gear to dry and ended the day with only the shoes and socks being wet. Last night I wanted to bail into Silverton and quit, but I quickly remembered my quitting strategy: barring a family emergency or injury, the decision to quit should only be made the day after a zero day, meaning only after two days of being well fed, well rested, warm, dry, and clean. Last night I was none of those things. This morning I saw three hikers on a distant ridge, a few miles from the Beartown TH, beginning a descent down a scree chute. Then right before camp I passed three horses, a canvas tent, and a Texan. He said he’s from a town called Godly(?). He’s elk hunting. He says he’s met us CDT hikers as far north as the Bob Marshall Wilderness and as far south as Silver City NM. We’re all the same he says, we hike in sneakers and survive on ramen and candy bars. He also complemented us for being tough. That’s it, one person closer than a mile away all day. No cars, no bikes, no ATVs. There were a few planes overhead.

9/14: Hung out at camp until 9. I was near a meadow so there was a lot of dew and frost in the morning, and ice on the tent. But clear skies and a warm sun dried it all out quickly. The Texan went by with his horses and said I could open up his tent and get some snacks if I wanted. Guess what kind of food he had. The same stuff the hikers eat! Ramen, instant potatoes, candy bars, cookies, twizzlers, etc. While the tent was drying I met two northbound section hikers, Sloth and Sandpig. Later I met two fellas with five horses. They were heading toward a friend who had just killed an elk, to help pack out the meat. I saw a male moose this afternoon directly on the trail. I gave him a wide berth and all was good. It’s been three straight days of soaking wet feet. The trick is to air them out every few hours. They seem to be holding up. I haven’t been rained on all that much, but the trail is overgrown and the vegetation hangs on to the moisture for a long time. Seemingly every 30 minutes I have to push through a section of soaking bushes (willows?). Once I’m through it’s as if I just forded a waist deep creek. I’m longing for the dry deserts. I camped beside Cherokee Lake with two northbound section hikers. They hiked the PCT together in 2015 then had a baby immediately afterwards. Now they get away for a week or two each year to section hike the CDT. They started at the Mexican border the first year and hope to reach Lake City this year.

9/15: Tough weather again today, but colder, and nonstop. It’s funny, every day through the San Juans I’d meet someone who would say “the weather report looks a lot better for tomorrow” and they were always wrong. It’s a tough spot to be in, soaked and cold. You have to keep walking to stay warm and you hope the sun finally burns through the mist so you can dry some things out. When you notice you’re casting a shadow, however faint, you get really excited. The only other option is to set up the tent, get out of the wet clothing, and crawl into your sleeping bag. But who in their right mind wants to stop and do that at 10am, when sunshine could be right ahead, so you keep trudging on, cold and wet and not even in the mood to stop for a snack. I was soaked, like usual, when I met some hunters around noon, Colton, Christian, and Jeremiah. They saw my condition and offered a ride to Pagosa Springs. I took them up on it. They were breaking down their camp and had had horse problems earlier in the week, so they only had one with them instead of three. That meant a lot of gear had to be hauled on our backs instead of on a horse. I added some of the elk meat (Colton had a successful hunt last week) to my pack. It was a five mile walk to the trucks, then 15 miles on rough dirt roads, then a long way through Creede, South Fork, over Wolf Creek Pass, and finally down into Pagosa Springs. They seemed to think they were saving my life, and that’s ok, but what they really saved me from was another shitty and uncomfortable 24 hours. All said and done I made it to town a day earlier than I would have, but now have to decide how to handle the 24.5 miles of the trail I just skipped. I may hitch to Wolf Creek Pass and hike it northbound, then turn around and walk straight back to the pass. Or I may just skip it and return another year. I have two nights here to figure out what’s next.

9/16: Day 33 and my first day off. It’s nice to have a rest and reset. I met Roadrunner and had breakfast with him. He’s on a 30+ mile per day pace and I won’t see him again. Later I bought a new pair of shoes and exchanged two pairs of holey socks. The hotel tally is 5 nights out of 33.

9/17: I decided to resume the trail where I left it to preserve the continuous footpath. There’s a trailhead called Middle Fork north of Pagosa Springs. The Middle Fork trail connects with the CDT after 11 miles and few thousand feet of elevation gain. It connects from the south in almost the exact spot where I left the trail to the north. The problem is that the trailhead is over 20 miles from the town, mostly down forest roads. Therefore I was very fortunate to meet Helena from Tucson (and her dogs!). She drove me as far in as she could in her sedan, up Piedra road and several forest roads. The final stretch got too rocky to continue, but she nearly made it. She dropped me just a mile and a half short of the trailhead. She’s planning her first through hike for 2025, perhaps the AZT. I walked 12 miles to reconnect with the CDT then about 8 more. Tomorrow I’ll have the option of visiting Pagosa Springs again via Wolf Creek Pass. Today on the trail I met a father and son who were hunting elk with bows, from Ft Wayne, IN. I saw one other hiker from a distance and waved.

9/18: I crossed Wolf Creek Pass again today, this time on foot. I didn’t have a desire to see Pagosa Springs again so I kept on walking. The next stop will be Cumbres Pass, where I’ll hitchhike into Chama NM for a resupply. Other than the traffic at the pass, I saw five people today. There were two storms, both violent, with lots of lightning, and both lasting about an hour. The first was at noon. I hid under a dense pine tree. It dumped a huge amount of hail, briefly accumulating to several inches in some places before the sun appeared and quickly melted it. The second began a few minutes after crawling into the tent, had more wind than the prior one, and mostly dropped wet snow. Whenever the thunder starts coming simultaneously with the lightening I start to wonder if I’m living my final moments. I’m counting down the miles to the lower elevations of New Mexico. They can’t come soon enough.

[Western Red Cedar]

I'm loving the trail journal. It sounds like a brutal week on the CDT. It is a stark reminder of what a fair-weather hiker I've become. Maybe next season, or even in a couple weeks, it will help you appreciate the clear skies, cool breezes, mountain springs, and epic vistas to an even greater extent. This seems like such a great strategy when dealing with adversity in the face of a larger goal:

Last night I wanted to bail into Silverton and quit, but I quickly remembered my quitting strategy: barring a family emergency or injury, the decision to quit should only be made the day after a zero day, meaning only after two days of being well fed, well rested, warm, dry, and clean. Last night I was none of those things.

On a more boring note, I'm curious how you've been approaching the mechanics of withdrawal and stash management (assuming you are comfortable sharing) now that you haven't been working for over a year. Are you taking advantage of these "low-income" years to do Roth conversions? Drawing from the 457? Just living simply and drawing down cash?

Something I'm thinking about for my personal situation for the upcoming year.

[Jiimmy]

Yo WRC! So glad you’re enjoying the captain’s log.

F-ing brutal weather for a while there, and I’m currently enjoying NM very very much! The desert is my happy place.

Regarding the question, I’m drawing penalty free from the governmental 457b, strategically so the income is between 138% and 150% of the ACA federal poverty line. This basically means a premium-free ACA silver plan with a special teeny-tiny deductible and max OOP. That’s the plan for at least two more years. Then either Medicaid, or earn a little taxable income in a fun way.

[Jiimmy]

9/19: There was a lot of ice accumulated on the tent this morning. I took out the trekking pole and it mostly kept its shape! I bet I shook/peeled off at least 10 pounds of ice. I was warm overnight though, I suppose I had my own little igloo. It was an easy trail today and good weather, I hiked 25 miles. I had a really nice afternoon around Long Trek Mountain, Montezuma Peak, and Summit Peak. It’s a great area. I didn’t see anyone until the late afternoon, then I saw four day hikers plus two friendly dogs.

9/20: I hiked 26 miles today, and was with SteveO and Sloppy for most of the afternoon. I met SteveO several weeks ago. We’ve been about a day apart since but hadn’t seen each other again until today. Sloppy I hadn’t met before. Those two have been hiking together off and on since Glacier National Park. They also had a rough time in the San Juans. SteveO described it as “nearly a survival situation”. One day they hiked 5 miles before being forced into their tents, and they didn’t emerge until the next morning. But they made it through!

9/21: It was a cold windy morning. Not as bad as Sonora Pass on the PCT last year, I hope I never top that one, but it was still rough. It reminded me of the cold winter winds in Ohio. It also reminded me of that cold day in Berlin with dad in 2016. If we ever have the technology for it, I’d like to grow fur, head to toe. The trail exceeded 12,000 feet for the final time, and I believe we only exceed 11,000 feet once more, and very briefly, in the next few days. The weather, and the desire for hot food, motivated me to hike quickly. I hiked 14 miles to Cumbres Pass by 11:30. I’d been struggling to hike 10 miles by noon lately. SteveO, Sloppy, and I hiked some of the morning together and SteveO and I had a fun hitch into Chama in the back of a truck. We had dinner with Janis (real name Jonathan), who runs a gear shop out of a shipping container and who two weeks ago set the self-supported Oregon PCT fastest known time at 7 and a half days! Read his recap here: https://fastestknowntime.com/fkt/jonath ... 2023-09-08 He’s also good friends with Brent the YouTuber (Ghost Town Living) who I’ve been following for a few years. Chama has such a different feel from the prior stops. It feels like a normal town, whereas every stop in Colorado felt like a seasonal tourist destination. The hotel tally is now 6 nights out of 38. Tomorrow I have three more miles of trail before entering New Mexico. I can’t believe I haven’t seen a single bear in Colorado. Time is running out. The weather ahead looks good. The weather behind looks good as well!! The next week+ through the San Juans looks sunny and pleasant! I just hit it during the wrong week of September. Ah well, all you can do is play the odds and accept the outcome.

9/22: SteveO, Soggy (his name is not Sloppy, oops), Janis, and I had breakfast together, then Janis showed us his gear shop. He sews up backpacks, fanny packs, and other gear himself. Later Janis drove us to the trailhead. After about an hour of hiking we crossed to border into New Mexico! My path through Colorado, not including backtracks or the side trails out of and returning to the San Juans, was 650 miles. My Wyoming path from Rawlins to Colorado was 100 miles. Nice round numbers! Maybe New Mexico will be an even 700. The weather was great and the terrain was easy. Soggy and I camped at Lower Lagunitas Campground. It’s pretty remote, so it’s free, but it had all the amenities: an outhouse, flat ground, picnic tables, living trees, and two nearby lakes.

9/23: I had a great sleep last night thanks to flat ground, soft pine duff, and warm temperatures. So far the forests seem a lot healthier than they were in Colorado. In the morning I saw several groups of elk, and also the largest deer I’ve ever seen. It had very tall antlers, but not super wide. I saw a lot of hunters, fishermen, mountain bikers, and other day users. I also met CatDog, an older lady working to complete her triple crown. The weather was perfect and the trail was incredible. I hiked 30 miles, my longest of the trip, and camped beside Rio Vallecitos on squishy pine duff for the second night in a row, this time cowboy style, without a tent. SteveO and Soggy camped nearby as well and we had a campfire. Camp sat at the a low altitude of 8,500 feet. I’m falling in love with New Mexico. I did take a unique fall today. I was on level ground and moving pretty quickly. I was a little sloppy with the trekking poles and I placed one right in front of me instead of off to the side. It sunk into a soft patch and became firmly stuck, with the handle headed straight for my groin. I was able to maneuver out of serious damage, but the trekking pole handle slammed into my pubic bone. With both ends of the trekking pole firmly locked in place, and with me still having quite a bit of momentum, I did a front flip over the pole, with my pubic bone being the pivot point, and landed flat on my backpack. I was left with a bruise, one bloody knuckle, and a bent trekking pole that I was able to straighten later.

[Jiimmy]

9/24: It was a pleasant and uneventful day. I noticed some new varieties of trees, scrubby and short oak trees and ponderosa pines. Rainbow walked by northbound in the afternoon. He’s been jumping around the trail doing little bits here and there. I first met him in Twin Lakes. Towards the end of the day I turned off of the CDT and onto the 25 mile Ghost Ranch alternate. I camped with Soggy and SteveO again. We saw each other briefly in the morning but were all solo the rest of the day until camp. One of the times I woke up during the night I saw a new batch of Starlink satellites fly overhead, all bunched up, bright, and not yet in their final orbits. After 41 days I’ve hiked 823 miles.

9/25: It was an easy 14 miles into Ghost Ranch (the former home and studio of Georgia O’Keeffe) with the last several going through the spectacular canyons of the Rio del Yeso. The others and I had the lunch and dinner buffets, resupplied in their little snack shop, and camped at the campground. It’s such a peaceful place. Tons of nooks and crannies between buildings, peaceful, comfy seating, power outlets, fast Wi-Fi everywhere, nobody bothering you, not to mention the free showers at the campground. A paradise for a tired hiker. In the early evening we saw another train of Starlink satellites.

9/26: SteveO left camp at midnight to see if he could break his personal record for miles hiked in one day. His finish line is very soon, Cuba NM. Soggy and I had the Ghost Ranch breakfast buffet and set off separately. I hiked 10 miles, had a one hour nap in the shade beside the Rio Chama, then hiked 12 more to camp. That’s one thing I love about the spring and fall in the desert, consistently pleasant weather, and usually a perfect temperature to lay under a tree for a midday nap. I can usually fall asleep in just a few minutes. My personal setup is to unfold the foam sleeping pad (it goes from butt to shoulders), my shoes become my pillow (perfect neck/head support believe it or not), and my backpack goes under my calves. I saw several elk and deer today and also a picturesque cow pasture. I joined my bovine brothers and sisters at the water trough for a few liters of spring water out of the pipe. Near the middle of the day I was resting by the trail and heard a noise that sounded like a tree beginning to fall. I spun around and saw that it wasn’t an entire tree, but instead just a large branch. A similar thing happened on the PCT last year. I’ve never seen a tree fall naturally. If I spend enough time out here it must happen eventually. After I set up camp Soggy came walking by and set up nearby.

9/27: SteveO managed 57 miles in 23 hours yesterday, Ghost Ranch to Cuba, as the grand finale to his CDT hike. He’s a retired Army Special Forces guy, a Green Beret. I hiked 33 into Cuba today, my longest yet, so I could join him in celebrating his accomplishment. I slept on the floor of his hotel room. Also, I saw my first CDT rattlesnake. Just a little one, greenish in color.

9/28: Dad rolled into town for an on-trail visit!! He drove SteveO, Soggy, and I to Albuquerque. SteveO has a flight home tomorrow, and Soggy and I resupplied for the next section of trail. There was no hiking today and there won’t be any hiking tomorrow. Two days off in a row! When I walk out of town the morning after next the zero-day tally for the trip will be three, and the hotel tally is now too high to continue tracking. I was talking with dad today and realized that one of the best things about an adventure like this are the interesting people you meet along the way. New friends are so easy to find out here, which is uncommon in adult life in my experience.

9/29: It was a day of resting, socializing, and eating. Dad and I met a hiker named Joseph in the laundromat, then later my old neighbor and friend from Carson City, Joel the Mole, hiked into town. He began his hike in early July at the Canadian border near Chief Mountain. I assumed he’d catch me somewhere in New Mexico, now the question is how long I can keep up with him.

9/30: Dad, Joel, and I had an early breakfast, I said my goodbyes to Dad, then Joel and I hiked out together. We hiked 31 miles through some great sections. We saw a large rattlesnake around midday, and met two southbounders at a water cache in the evening.

10/1: Joel left camp a bit before I did. I had slept poorly due to the wind last night but that set me up nicely for a late morning nap. I found a nice spot for it in a section of wind-eroded sandstone. It wasn’t exactly a cave, but it did have a roof. I saw Joel again near a spring 24 miles in and then again at camp. Neither of us saw another person today. We hiked a total of 31 miles for the second day in a row. We had views of Mount Taylor this afternoon.

10/2: Joel and I hiked together for most of the day. We hiked 27 miles. We were off to a fast start but then kept getting slowed down by thunderstorms. We stayed dry for the most part. We saw three cars on a dirt road section but didn’t see anyone else today. This is my favorite section of trail so far, Cuba to Grants. The trail is very well marked and maintained, and it’s a perfect mix of desert and pine forest.

[Jiimmy]

10/3: We hiked 15 miles into Grants and then spent a few hours at the Asian Super Buffet. It was super delicious and we each had about six plates of food. Joel and I will split up in the morning due to some resupply logistics and various alternate paths.

10/4: Today was a 32 mile paved road walk out of Grants. Not my favorite day but memorable nonetheless. Of several hundred vehicles two were interesting. One threw out a loaded diaper that exploded in the middle of the road. Another gave me a friendly honk and a thumbs up. Looking past the pavement, there were sandstone cliffs, arches, and other formations.

10/5: I hiked 25 miles and camped at TLC Ranch. Near the dirt road and away from the main residence, there’s an old homestead where the hikers can hang out. They provide water, camping, an outhouse, chairs, shade, and today they had fresh fruit. It’s so much fun to find random kindness along the trail. Two other hikers walked in after dark with their headlamps, Spoons and her friend Sunshine. Lately the sky has been thick with stars and the haze of the Milky Way has been shining brightly. On a different note, regarding water, I haven’t yet been forced to drink out of a muddy/shitty cow pond (unlike AZT). The tales of horrible New Mexico water along the CDT is severely overblown (at least so far). But you do sometimes have to go off trail and climb a ladder to dip a few liters out of a storage tank.

10/6: I hiked 16 miles to Pie Town, met Joel (and several others) at the Toaster House, enjoyed a few cups of coffee, and then Joel and I hiked 14 more to Davila Ranch. It’s similar to TLC Ranch but a bit more elaborate (showers, laundry, internet, kitchen, flush toilet), and once again funded by donations. Tomorrow it’s 26.2 miles to my hitchhike attempt into Reserve NM, a marathon I hope to complete by early afternoon. After 53 days I’ve hiked 1,086 miles, not including backtracks, off trail water, or extra walking in and around the towns.

10/7: Joel and I began early this morning around 4:45. We reached my hitching spot at 1pm. We hiked a bit with SmokeO as well. Dad and I gave SmokeO a cold drink during his road walk into Cuba, and today I got to know him a little better. He grew up in Bisbee, Arizona and we each shared stories of the Arizona Trail. Joel and SmokeO kept hiking because they resupplied via mail in Pie Town, but I decided to visit the town of Reserve instead. It’s small and pleasant, and I chatted for a few hours with an older local man named Chris in front of the grocery store. I’ll hitch back to the trail in the morning, which will likely be my final hitch of the trail as the CDT goes directly through Silver City and Lordsburg.

10/8: Reserve was great, my favorite town yet. The hitches were very easy, I rode in the 2nd vehicle into town yesterday and the 3rd vehicle out of town this morning. Around noon I ran into Dr. Grant, the only other hiker I saw today. She’s from Wisconsin and we’ve been crossing paths since Pie Town. She flip-flopped this year, so her adventure wraps up at Doc Campbell’s Post, just a few days from now. She’s a great person to know, calm, friendly, knowledgeable, and easy to chat with. Today was a shorter day, around 22 miles, and towards the end I left the official CDT and began an alternate route which will go through the Gila Wilderness. My trip is winding down and I’m pretty happy with the two month length. It was enough time to enjoy my peak hiking fitness for a few weeks, while also being short enough to avoid getting tired of this lifestyle. It’s not all good out here, there are drawbacks, like missing loved ones, daily aches and pains in some random joint or muscle, being dirty and stinky most of the time, and eating mountains of food while still losing weight. Some people love that last one, but it gets old quickly and feels unhealthy, especially while shoveling it in when I get to town. A grocery store curbside picnic of mine might look like this: 2 V8s, 1 soda, 1 chocolate milk, 1 pound potato/macaroni salad, 3 bananas, 2 apples, 2 boiled eggs, 3 yogurts, 2 sandwiches, 1 pint of ice cream. After all that I get really sleepy and the lure of a night in a motel is too much to resist. I didn’t have this problem last year on the PCT, I would regularly hitch in and hitch out within a few hours.

10/9: I began my journey along the middle fork of the Gila River today. It’s always fun to follow a river downstream from its source, and I’ll be along this one for 60 miles. I’ve crossed the river about a dozen times already and from what I’ve heard I have several hundred more crossings ahead. So far they’ve been rock hops but very soon my feet will be getting wet. Tomorrow I’ll have a few opportunities to climb out of the canyon for some easier miles above the winding river. This area is known for hot springs, swimming holes, mountain lions, and bears. I didn’t see any other hikers today, but a dozen vehicles drove by while I was walking on a dirt road and I also saw a few RVers at the Dipping Vat Campground beside Snow Lake. I saw two new animals today, a tarantula and two very long lizards with tiny feet tucked underneath. I thought they were snakes at first, and they even slither like one while also using their feet.

10/10: It was a day of plentiful water, deep canyons, and abundant shade. I spent some time with a pack of hound dogs. They were wearing some type of radio or GPS collars. They weren’t interested in being scratched behind the ears, they were focused on their mission and were very well trained, and neither birds nor squirrels excited them. I’m fairly certain it was a mountain lion hunt. They seemed to be looking at me for direction but I had none to offer. We walked together for a few hours until suddenly they caught a strong scent and all sprinted off of the trail together yipping and howling. I saw my first blue heron this afternoon. In the evening I built a campfire next to the river. It’s really nice here, my favorite section yet, and I’d like to return to explore the other forks of the Gila.

10/11: A blissful day. I hiked 4 miles to soak in Jordan Hot Springs, a natural/undeveloped spring. The water was clear and free of sulfur, the bottom was sandy and rocky, and I met some very kind people. After a few hours I reluctantly left, exited the drainage via Little Bear Canyon (narrow, cliffy, and spectacular towards the lower end), and soon arrived at the Gila Cliff Dwellings. The one mile loop was perfectly groomed, but of course with it being a heavily trafficked day use area, it came with every imaginable warning sign. Next was a two hour walk to Doc Campbell’s Post for a resupply. They were closed today, but if a hiker walks around back and knocks on the front door of the house they’ll gladly open up the store just for you. They also have a free shower shack. I picnicked (homemade ice cream!) and resupplied, then walked just a few minutes down the hill to the Gila Hot Springs Campground. I tent camped with Chuck, Downhill, and Big Blue (their high top Nissan camper van), friends of SteveO, and enjoyed my second soak of the day. Mileage and logistics were far from my mind during the day, but in the tent I decided to end the trip in Lordsburg. I’ll return, possibly in late November, to finish the final section (of the southern half of the CDT) to the Mexican border.

10/12: I hiked 33 miles and tent camped at an RV park in Pinos Altos. At midday Chuck and Downhill drove by and offered me food and drinks and wished me well.

10/13: On the road walk into Silver City I was offered a ride (declined). On the road walk out of Silver City I was offered a ride (declined) and a beer (accepted). While in town several locals struck up conversations and knew all about the CDT. I’d like to visit Silver City again and get to know it better. I hiked 20 miles out of town for a total of 31. After dark the two Spoons’s, who I hadn’t seen in about a week, walked by with their headlamps and camped nearby. They met in Pie Town and have been hiking together since. It’s such a treat to cowboy camp in perfect conditions. It has been warm, clear, near a new moon, and far away from city lights. The exact timing of the new moon must be tomorrow morning, as I heard there is a solar eclipse. I’m slightly too far south but I may notice it darken a bit. We’ll see.

10/14: It did darken somewhat mid morning during the eclipse. Late in the day, during a short road walk, I met Tony. He’s originally from the Netherlands but has lived here a while. He’s planning a 2025 through hike of the Appalachian Trail. He will turn 70 on the trail. He’s in the area for hiking and also to help out any CDT hikers he sees. I hooked him up with Joel, who was looking for a ride from Hachita to Lordsburg on Tuesday. They’ve made plans over the phone and it sounds like it will work out! I hiked 31 miles again today, leaving just 18 for tomorrow.

10/15: I walked into Lordsburg around noon today. On the outskirts I scared up a small javelina, and hung out with both of the Spoons’s at McDonalds until my ride arrived. This trip totaled 1,312 miles, from interstate 80 to interstate 10, from the Rawlins Library to the Lordsburg McDonalds. The hike spanned August 15th through October 15th, for a total of 62 days, 59 of those with forward progress down the trail and the other 3 spent resting. Ending body weight 165 (started 170). Ending base weight 10.0 (started 10.5 — ditched the bug net part of my tent in NM).

[theanimal]

I’d missed your last update. Nice work on finishing your hike, I’ll be looking forward to reading about it again next year. Are you settled down this winter or are you traveling around?

[Jiimmy]

Hey Animal,

I returned to the trail in late November to hike the extreme southern bit, Lordsburg to Mexico.

I was then ready to chill for the off season, but on a whim I decided to travel a bit. I was in central america and Yucatan for 5 weeks.

I’ll return to the CDT for a northbound hike out of Rawlins WY soon, hopefully this summer, but first I’ll be spending some time on the Appalachian Trail starting in early April.