Month: April 2016

Day 15: Oh, Doc! The resident hypocrite

April 25th

We had an early morning road walk to reach Doc Campbell’s, a renown resupply store near the CDT. There was an old man running the store and he had several mean-spirited political views he was eager to espouse. We got some necessary ice cream and walked to a sunny stretch just beyond a bridge. It took 30-40 minutes, but finally a van pulled over and a nice guy named Pierre gave us a ride back to Silver City. Pierre attacked the turns in the descending road with determination and vigor, and I was quite glad when the experience was over.

Lacking storage space, hiker resupply boxes fill the stairwell.

The timing of everything worked out perfectly. We met Di in Silver City, and she whisked us back west to Arizona, and then onward to California the next day. Six-2 and I bought a bunch of goodies from Costco and then went to the base of San Jacinto and did trail magic for an afternoon, greeting a handful of PCTers coming down from their first big summit.

 

Day 14: The Middle Fork of the Gila River

April 24th
Today’s mileage: ?
CDT mile: ?

John’s video showcases some excellent footage of the Middle Fork:

We made a decision around 5 PM to leave the middle fork and take a path up above the canyon that would put us on a traditional trail, as we needed to reach Doc Campbell’s relatively early in the morning, to secure a hitch back to Silver City, where our main extraction was coming.

Ironhusk, during the ascent out of the canyon. Photo courtesy of Six-2.

We cooked in the dark after a long day. We crossed the shallow Gila around 102 times today.

Here are two shots from the following morning of our campsite. Notice Six-2’s creative pitch for us to maximize the little amount of flat space available.

Day 10: A Roadwalk to Remember

April 20th
Today’s mileage: 13
CDT mile: 135?

We had a mostly unfun road walk today on tarmac and in the desert sun to reach Silver City. Loved the city though. They had a proper brewery, and we stumbled upon Jasmine right away. He was helping a local contractor build a large entrance deck for the local outfitter. The contractor was a very generous man who welcomed us into his home and even went out and bought beer for us.

 

Love small town Americana stuff like this guy’s private drive.

We had a great time hanging out with Jasmine and Six-2’s friend, Tom.

Day 9: A Siesta and a Night Hike

April 19th
Today’s mileage: 19
CDT mile 122

We found the foundation of a house on a small mountain. I recognized it from one of Joe Brewer’s trail videos.

I waited at the foundation while Six-2 went to explore a communication tower nearby. While sitting here, I discovered an unopened 12-pack of Dasani water stashed beneath these rocks.

This water source was kinda eerie, as it was super cold and dark and it seemed to descend for forever. We cooked dinner here and then hiked into the night, trying to lose elevation and then walking alongside a dry riverbed for several miles. We were off-course, I think because we’d gone to this water source, so it was comforting to reach a road before we made camp in the dark.


Day 8: Desert Sky

April 18th
Today’s mileage: 18.5
CDT mile 103

We hit the post office at opening so Six-2 could “bounce” his work laptop ahead.
Finally escaping Lordsburg and headed to Silver City.

 

 

A horned toad (harmless lizard)

We had planned to use this trough, and I believe Six-2 did. But I carried enough from town that I thought I’d take my chances later in the day (and was glad I did).
Near the end of the day, we hit upon a working windmill well, which was wonderful. There was a motion-triggered camera at a trough there to film the natural fauna use it. Six-2 made sure to give the camera some interesting footage.

Day 5: Redemption, ye Golden Arches

April 15th
Today’s mileage: 13.5
CDT mile 84.5

We were all quite excited for a town day. It’s amazing how you can crush the miles if you know you’re going to be rewarded with an ice-cold Coke.

Six-2, NOT the Husk, tyvm.

Around this time, we could just make out the golden arches in the distance. It was like a mirage, and seemed like it should have been 2 miles closer than it was. Along the way, we passed a Catholic cemetery on the outskirts of town, and near there, we saw two abandoned backpacks, two toothbrushes, two sets of clothes. Looks like maybe some immigrants from Mexico reached this area and then jettisoned their travel clothes, put on clean clothes, and walked into town. But we don’t know.

This was Lordburg’s only fast-food option.
Not gonna lie. We really hit the free refills hard.
We returned here for dinner.
The tracks of Lordsburg, now a mostly shuttered town. Several photos by Six-2.

We got the sense that spelling wasn’t really anyone’s forte.

Our hotel room was soon a disaster. A very common sight in trail towns. 🙂 Six-2 now needs to take two days for work. After he’s done, we’ll push on to Silver City.