CDT mile 1436, miles hiked 30.4
Look at that sky
We woke up late since we had arrived so late the night before. Smelly Jesus gave us a hard time as he greeted us a good morning as he came into camp, he had camped right there the night before we arrived. We chatted and he took off about a half hour or so before us.
Gas pipeline lined our route
We started out as a group the trail today was a series of dirt roads that we followed up and down hills throughout the day. I walked with buttercup until the first break we chatted and joked around. After the break we started out and cheesy said she couldn’t keep the pace so she dropped back I walked with buttercup to the top of the biggest hill and he waited for the others. I decided to keep going figuring they would catch me, but nope.
I walked through the hills listening to the faint wind, cows mooing at me, and enjoying my surroundings of sage and grasses. That’s all we have had today: roads, sage bushes and some wild grasses and cows let’s not forget the cows. I finally came to our next water source the A&M spring and reservoir. I didn’t see it at first but in spied Smelly Jesus coming down the side road to it, he said it was awesome.
A&M reservoir an oasis in the basin
I pushed my way through cows and there it was on the other side of the cattle guard and fence, a big, clear cold lake. I trotted down to the water, ripped off my shoes and stuck my feet in the water. Soon the others arrived and we each took a swim and rinsed clothes and began digging into lunch. We lounged in the sun and enjoyed the water an hour and a half later we packed up and got moving, 15 more miles to go.
Loving the water and catching rays
When we left I fell behind my shoes were filling with sand and I was enjoying the solitude and being in my head. I spent the rest of the day walking solo behind the others about a 1/8 of a mile and got lost thinking of home, my past and my future. But then I decided to just enjoy the here and now. For hours I walked soaking up the scenery, giant clouds that eventually drizzled on me, sweeping mountains in the distance with snow, sagebrush smells and even the sting of a nettle.
I love desert sky
We arrived at a spring pouring for a pipe, the well had in it a nice bocce ball set and journal going back to 2013. I saw a lot of my friend’s names and the set out after the others. 4 miles from camp we had to cross a dirt road there stood a dude in black pants and a Camo shirt. His name is Canacker and he is a long distance hiker from Saskatchewan a so met him back in New Mexico the day before we hiked into Lordsburg.
Bocce in the basin
Canacker had the set up a cooler of cold Gatorade and cold candy bars. We chatted and drank cold beverages and ate tons of Twix bars, trail magic in the most unlikely of places. After the treat, we headed the last 4 miles to camp. I hiked with cheesy and we chatted about Johnny coming in five days and how excited she was and also her concern that she might need to go slower for him and that we might all wind up apart. We discussed options and how things might work, but agreed to wait to see how things go once he’s here.
Canacker was the man!
We made camp at sunset Smelly Jesus has camped here with us and we all enjoyed dinner and his company. Time for bed, we plan to do another 30+ tomorrow to make Lander Tuesday night or Wed.
