Day 8, Silver City Redux

CDT Mile 142.2, Miles Hiked 17.6

When my alarm sounded at 4 am I rolled over to hit snooze and then took stock of my water bag, damn it only 1.5 liters I just couldn’t help but sip away last night every time I rolled over and had parched mouth.  Tomato has been telling me for years to kick my water addiction but as hard as I try I just can’t give it up.  I started packing knowing it was time to roll before the heat started up.

 

Right as I was packing up my lower GI decided it was wide awake and in dire needs of relief.  I scampered into the woods below barely able to get relief, man it was close, could have been a real crapper in more than one way.  After rolling back to camp all that was left was Greg in Wild and I.  We rocked out of camp and spent the next hour or so chatting about our careers and our time spent in Xuzhou China.  Greg in Wild spent time there for Esco steel and I made plywood there in a previous job.

I finally got loosened up and started to pound out some miles, in the shadows I could see Buttercup and Sweet Potato hiking ahead of me so I turned on the gas and tried to catch up, finally they stopped at the Tyrone mine reclamation viewpoint and it was there that we found a water cache and a Gatorade to get us all refueled to town. A funny side story I went to dinner tonight in a neighboring town of Pinos Altos and met a nice young girl named Jamie who had actually left the water after her hike yesterday.

 

With water in our packs we set off onto highway 90 and the road I to Silver City.  The CDT has many options and this was one of them, the “official” route goes an extra 24 miles out and around town and still ends at a road walk the old route which we did is shorter and follows the highway into town.  This is a trail of, make your own adventure, and today I made mine on this road walk.

We kept to the road and only took one small break when we hit the toilet house, a home whose driveway is lined with many toilets, let’s say 25.  Who knows why? Maybe he is a fecal falic maniac, or maybe he is a plumber hell maybe he is so into up-cycling we all just need to catch on ourselves.  Anywho I digress, we stopped for many a photo opp, had a snack, put on sunblock and carried on.

 

We dropped into town and headed for the visitors center from 4:30 am to 9 am we had covered 17.6 miles not too shabby.  We scooped up our boxes from the visitor center and then headed to The Palace Hotel.

Upon check in we were informed of the breakfast hours 7-9:30, we had just missed it but the owner said if there was food out to help ourselves, it was gone however, so we went to our room.  3 minutes later the knock on the door said “boys the owner said if you are hungry to come with us to the kitchen and help yourselves.”  Wo, what amazing hospitality especially since there was an ugly incident here with a drunk hiker during the kick off that could have jeopardized hiker relations going forward.  We hit the fridge and sat down to sausage biscuits, hard-boiled eggs, cream cheese, coffee etc….
With full bellies we did town chores, hung out sorted gear and food and finally popped my giant blister which squirted like Old Faithful.  After lounging and what not our friend Christy who works with CDTC as the gateway community liaison for Silver City came and got us to go celebrate her birthday.

We drove out-of-town to Pinos Altos a small community rich in history.  We went to the Buckhorn Saloon and it was like stepping back in time.  Animal skins on the walls , naked lady paintings from an 1865 whore house, the feel and smell was as if a gunslinger could walk through the door at anytime.  We had some drinks and a great dinner and retired to the bar for some open mic and tiny hand photo fun.

Of all the places I have been yet this one was the coolest.  I hope to come back and explore more of Pinos Altos after my hike.  We came down the hill and got word that Freefall had pounded out the miles to make it to Silver City tonight.  He is tucked into bed now and we never saw him but we did close down the Toad for good measure before residing to our surely haunted hotel.