Two words: road walk. Many have used those words used to describe the 80 or so miles from Pie Town to Grants. Though, we managed to make this section pretty exciting! We spent an eventful zero day in Grants before heading to Cuba. The next five days were filled with ups and downs (literally and metaphorically) between hot days back down in the desert, high elevation pushes up Mount Taylor, long water carries and tons of trail magic!
Pie Town to Grants
Day 17: 5.5 miles/ 200 ft gain
The Post Office doesn’t open until 8:00am, so we made a plan to leisurely pack up. After retrieving our box, we headed back the the restaurant for a big breakfast. A hearty breakfast burrito for Devin and a pancake breakfast for me gave us a ton of fuel for the day. Except, we did not end up using it.
We said goodbyes to our fellow hikers and new friends and started out on the trail (actually just roads). If you’re Devin, you unfortunately know how much I don’t enjoy road walks. I express this dislike a lot. He isn’t the biggest fan of them either, but unlike me, he knows how to focus himself through the uninspiring hike.
Having just had a wonderful time at Toaster House, beginning a section that includes 75 miles of road walking felt terrible. It’s easy hiking, but that’s not what we’re interested in. I stuck my thumb out for the first truck that came along and they kindly drove us about 15 miles along the road. Once another truck rolled down the road, I tried again and our luck continued as they let us climb in the bed of the truck. They drove us another 25 or so miles until we reached the Zuni Acoma trailhead.
Through our hitches, we designed our hike in this section to include trails with engaging terrain. The Zuni Acoma trail travels through the El Malpais National Monument with scrambling and route finding in lava fields. This was a lot more exciting than road walking! We spent part of the afternoon exploring and meandering the fields until a storm rolled in. We quickly set up our tent as the hail worsened and decided a “nearo” (near zero) day sounded pretty good.
Day 18: 19.4 miles/ 1,200 ft gain
The alarm blared around 6:30 and the condensation from the rain fly dripped onto our sleeping bags. We weren’t used to using the fly and absolutely prefer having it off to avoid condensation and to stargaze. Well rested from pitching the tent midafternoon the day prior, we broke camp quickly and began the day. Our plan was to hike through the National Monument until we found the lava tubes and arches described in a few comments on Far Out. Then, we would continue north until we reached our one water source of the day.
The lava fields were incredible. Picture black paint being poured from a huge paint can all over the landscape. The folding and bubbling texture of the lava cooled in its exact form over the existing land below. Engaging hiking was what we were looking for, and climbing up and down the layers of lava rock did the trick! It was so neat to climb on, yet so difficult to make quick hiking progress over. The first 6 miles were slow, but rewarding. By the junction to go north, I was struggling physically and mentally. There were only so many times I could roll my ankles on the lava rocks and have a good attitude about it. So, Devin dropped his pack with me and I took a siesta while he explored further west.
Upon Devin’s return, we suited back up with our packs and headed about 4 miles north until we came across our only water source. It was a windmill that harnessed the wind’s power to draw water from the ground to dump into a livestock tank. There are several sources along the CDT that are engineer’s windmills, but this was the first one we saw in action! The tank was filled with green algae, but the water from the pipe was pristine. Once filtered, we decided to walk for another couple of hours until setting up camp about 16 miles from town. As we threw the last of the gear and ourselves into the tent, the rain started to patter against the rain fly. 
Day 19: 10 miles/ 250 ft gain
Though the rain made our things a bit wet and messy, we could not help but be grateful that storm systems were coming through. With a wildfire in the Gila already rerouting the trail, any moisture New Mexico could get was needed. We had an easy day with about 13 miles until we reached Grants, NM. A morning spent leisurely packing up camp and sipping coffee ensued with no real motivation to get going. The drizzle made the Ponderosa Pines smell of vanilla and our sleeping bags were oh so warm.
Dressed in our finest rain gear, we began hiking at around 8:00am and strolled along the forest service road until we were met with a gravel road around 4 miles in. Though it was a road walk, the road was actually stunning as it winded through Bonita Canyon. We walked along the side for about 2.5 miles until I heard a truck and, of course, stuck my thumb out to hitch. It was a road, after all! The man in the red pickup slowed down and offered us a ride into town. He drove us about 10 miles to the north end of town where he was going to get tacos. Thank you, sir!
We wandered through town, and stopped by Mount Taylor Coffee, where CDT hikers get a drink for free. My vanilla coffee latte resurrected me (it was that good)! Since check-in wasn’t until 3:00pm, we took our time organizing our gear, creating a resupply list, writing blogs and eating a pizza lunch before walking the 3 miles to our hotel. Like many towns in the west, Grants isn’t exactly pedestrian friendly with its sprawling town buildings and large streets. Luckily, just as the afternoon rains started to roll in, our hotel graciously gave us an early check-in. We did our town chores (laundry, showers and resupply) and settled in for a zero day with zero responsibilities. 
Day 20: ? miles/ ? ft gain
Zero miles, zero steps and zero things done on this zero day. That’s what we were going for at least. We have a difficult time sitting still, especially because we haven’t done that in awhile. That morning, we met up with another hiker named Sunshine. His partner, Cindy, and him were going to see one of the oldest settled Pueblos and we tagged along. The road through the Acoma valley was stunning and the tour of the village was engaging. It was neat to learn about the Spanish influence on the tribe’s past and current culture.
Grants to Cuba
Day 21: 16.7 miles/ 5,000 ft gain
The morning started off leisurely at around 7:30am. We packed our bags up quickly as breaking camp in a hotel room is quite easy! We took advantage of the continental breakfast and were out the doors by 8:00am. Sunshine and Cindy graciously volunteered to drive us to the Mount Taylor trailhead so we could avoid the 7 miles of asphalt road walk- thank you, thank you, thank you! Once at the trailhead, we strapped on our packs, said our goodbyes and started up the trail.
It had been a minute since we had walked on an actual trail. Most of the section from Pie Town to Grants and even some of the days before that were spent on dirt or gravel roads. The first 2 miles were a bit steeper than we were used to (but not steep) as we climbed about 1,000 feet over the butte. We took a water break overlooking Grants and then traveled a bit farther until we came across a bell hanging from a post on the side of the trail. Devin rang it while I signed the hiker log and we continued forward.
It was a pretty mild incline through the grassy plains which eventually transformed into a pine forest as we gained elevation. We stopped at a water trough about 11 miles into our day- the only reliable water source for the next 34 miles. With reports of the water caches being dry, we filtered about 3 liters each and decided to cook dinner (lunch) at the water source to avoid lugging even more water up Mount Taylor.
After lunch, we continued up the Mount Taylor summit trail for another 3.5 miles. The rain clouds moved in and dumped some hail on us for about 20 minutes before passing. We meandered through the forest and then traced the grassy ridge where the climb started to burn. The trail took us straight up to the saddle and then traversed along the ridge until we started the final ascent. Hey New Mexico, have you ever heard of switchbacks? Those would’ve been nice! Once we, finally, crested the top of the peak, the view was incredible! In the distant valleys, we could see the desert rock columns, canyons and other smaller peaks.
We took in the view once last time before descending an eighth of a mile down the north side where we encountered slippery snow and even some bear tracks! At the saddle, we linked up with a road that we followed about 1.5 miles as it traversed across the ridge. We found a spot near the edge to pitch our tent and called it an early night. 
Day 22: 28.8 miles/ 1,300 ft gain
Pink, yellow and blue sky greeted us as we unzipped the rain fly. With a busy day ahead of us, we broke camp quickly and started down the trail just as the sun rose over the horizon. The first four miles were downhill on a gentle road through the forest. Aspen and pine trees shaded the ground and the frost lingered on the north side of the slope. We stopped to eat some breakfast and delayer with the warming air when a car rocked up the road. They rolled down the window and asked if we wanted any trail magic. The answer was obviously and enthusiastically “yes”! They gave us some gatorades and a Pepsi and let us know to look out for a box on the side of the trail a ways down.
We continued down the road for another 5 or so miles before turning onto the official CDT off of the Mount Taylor alternate. The trail cut across a burn zone and then reconnected with another road that we would continue on for the next 20 miles. A few miles down the exposed road, we spotted the box full of goodies. Homemade cookies, snacks and gatorade got us through the next stretch-thank you Nene and Binocs! We rested at mile 15.1 and gazed at the seemingly unending road and prairie we were about to cross. This reminded us of the barren and waterless landscape of the bootheel. It’s easy to say that we enjoyed the mountainous landscape of the day before much more.
The next 13.6 miles dragged on and on. With the recent rain and snow, the road had become muddy, but dried with the ruts from those who drove through it when it was soft. The ruts were the ankle-breaking kind so a lot of mental energy was needed to keep our feet intact. Once we reached the junction for the water source, Devin and I made a plan for me to set up the tent while he trudged down into the canyon to the spring. To our surprise, someone filled up some gallon jugs from the spring and brought them up! Trail magic was on fire today and we were so grateful. We filled up and found a nice flat spot under some Juniper trees for the night. 
Day 23: 25.1 miles/ 2,000 ft gain
Unexpectedly, our bodies didn’t feel as rundown as we thought they would after yesterday’s heavy mileage. We were able to wake up with ease and break camp after a lovely breakfast of coffee and oatmeal. The first 9 or so miles were low inclined through the grassy meadow. Little did we know, we were up on a huge mesa. We came to the edge of it and peered over the cliffs in awe at the expansive valley below. We had no idea we were even up here!
After about 3 miles and a few thousand feet of loss, we hit the valley floor. Suddenly, we were back in the desert. The sun baked our exposed skin and the sparse foliage. We filled up at a natural spring a quarter mile off of the trail and took a short lunch break before continuing on into the heat. The desert is just as brutal as before and the lack of water and shade really took their toll on us. We scaled the sides of the buttes and traversed along their ledges, trudged through the soft sand and dirt of the valleys and 13 and a half miles later, reached a true oasis.
Camp Oasis is the epitome of trail magic! A group of 50 hikers from the Albuquerque area volunteer each year for about a month to serve CDT hikers. The whole operation is incredible. As we walked in, there were waves and cheers from the volunteers, we were offered chairs and sodas and then they took our orders for dinner. We feasted on spaghetti and meatballs, bread and butter, chips and salsa, pistachios, fudge and macrons! Everything was fantastic and so restorative after the hot and dry day. We were so, so grateful for the kindness from these volunteers.
Day 24: 18 miles/ 2,300 ft gain
With full tummies, we rolled out of Camp Oasis at around 7:00am. It was tough to say goodbye so early, but the sun was already up and it was supposed to be a hot one! We intentionally kept the mileage on the lighter-side today to manage the weather and the wear and tear on our feet. The trail mirrored the tail-end of yesterday when we traversed the buttes and crossed the mesas. Though, there were more opportunities to rest in the shade today (hallelujah)! With only one water source at 15.5 miles in, we pushed hard early on when the sun was lower in the sky. As it rose, our pace slowed a bit.
It was hot, but beautiful hiking. We did a total of 18 miles through what we are told is the last of the true desert. Without a doubt, however, Devin and I were ready to be finished with the desert. We were looking forward to the mountains of northern New Mexico with trees, cooler temperatures and more water resources! 
Day 25: 8.2 miles/ 500 ft gain
Getting to camp at 2:00pm the previous day allowed for some great rest time and time out of the sun. We woke up energized and excited as it was a town day! The clouds came in overnight and made the morning walk nice and cool. We had a very steep half mile jaunt up the he news ritrail our first half mile, but the rest was very flat up until the highway. A nice couple pulled over for us and brought us the 5 miles to town!
Our normal town chores looked a bit different today as we decided not to book a hotel room. We resupplied at the family dollar, grabbed a meal, did laundry and attempted to clean up. There’s nothing like washing your hair in the laundromat’s sink! We felt like true hiker trash. To top it off, we camped in field behind the dispensary. 
