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| 100 Miles! |
Tuesday, May 1
I woke up at 6:00 AM and weighed my options: lie in bed another day or get up and hike. I took a quick shower and decided I felt good enough to hike, so I set a modest goal: 15 miles. This would get me to the first water source AND to the 100 mile mark on the CDT! I stopped at McDonalds on the way out of town and after two breakfast sandwiches, an orange juice, and the hot tea I brought from the motel, I was on my way to Silver City!
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| Apparently, the beef is in New Mexico! |
The hike began with a 3 mile paved road walk, followed by 7 miles across a flat and featureless landscape. There was almost no trail and few signs, so I picked a mountain on the horizon as a reference point and just walked. Eventually, I reached a fence and found the “C Gate.” I’m guessing ranchers install these so hikers don’t destroy the fence in an attempt to go over or under it, but it’s definitely not hiker friendly to use barbed wire and make the opening so narrow you end up ripping your clothing.
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| Ouch! |
Past this fence is a proper gate and a sandy dirt road where the climbing began. I was feeling great at the 100 mile mark and had plenty of water so I kept hiking to the next water source: a solar well 3 miles later. Thankfully I was able to get water from the well tap because the cow trough was nasty (see below). If the solar panels aren’t getting enough sun, the pump turns off and the tap is dry. I hiked past a summer cottage with rustic construction, an open floor plan, and lots of natural light, and eventually camped at mile 23. A pretty good day considering I thought I was dying two days earlier. (I’m such a baby when I’m sick.)
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| Straight From The Well |
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| The Next Best Option |
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| A Rustic Summer Cabin |
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| Open Floor Plan with Natural Lighting |
For additional content, check out Flickr for images, YouTube for video, SoundCloud for audio, and the Postholer Map with my most recent location.
Thanks for following along!
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Denise Hughes