5/13

I walk in and out of desert washes slowly climbing up to 7000 feet into the Gila. I run into a guy who took the day off in Lordsburg to heal his feet. He’s wearing those kinds of boots someone at REI will sell to you for $200 so you can go hiking in Big Sur.

I walk into the Gila National Forest where I walk underneath shade for the first time in 100 miles. I get my first climb up to Burro peak and after 3000+ plus miles on trail I finally finally finally see my first mountain lion! It darts into the bushes and I think for a second of going after it with my camera
but then I remembered that I was a human and it was a lion.

It moves silently without brushing any branches. What an elusive creature. I thought for sure I’d see one in Tilden or behind Chez Panisse, but no dice until now.

(grabbed water here but didn’t have to drink it)

The days are long so even with breaks I hit 34 miles. I’ll slow down in the Gila River canyon.

Last night I went to bed and I saw some cows in the distance. I wake up at 1:30 a.m. and they’re all around me. I shine my light to scare them off but that just sets off a cacophony of moos and what I
now like to call “cow screams” I’m pissed I can’t join the conversation because it seems there’s some drama going on. It is Friday night after all. This goes on for 30 minutes.

I’m in Silver City. Apparently there’s a house in town that lets hikers use their shower. Just show up at the door and say Alec sent you. Could be a trap.

Onward to Doc Campbell’s and some hot springs! Need some R&R.

5/10

Did a 28, 32, and 25 to get back into Lordsburg, quick resupply and I’m back in it tomorrow to Silver city 76 miles off. Good stuff down here. Trail is pretty undeveloped, sometimes it just disappears but navigation is easy in the desert.

Our shuttle driver tells us stories about people who got lost, ran out of water, and had to be rescued by border patrol. Stories of a hiker who showed up with 2L of water, no maps, and no gps.

The road is extremely rough, and I’m relieved once we hit the border. We hop out of the 4×4, our driver takes a photo, and gets the hell out of there.

At the Mexican border

Desert water source, probably the best one I’ll get

Found an old ghost town outside of Hachita

The desert down here is expansive. The distant sound of a border patrol helicopter is my only human contact.

Morning after it rained all night on my tarp