32, woo!
I eagerly woke up at 6, ready to roll. Packed my bag, made some breakfast, and said my goodbyes to the new friends, as well as old ones.
The day from Pietown wasn’t going to be a simple one, as the first water source was 23 miles from the Toaster House. Fortunately, it continued on the gravel road I walked into Pietown. Fairly flat, solid ground made for easy hiking.
The day itself wasn’t particularly easy, however. Especially because the clouds loomed over and chased me down. A few spits of rain and snow kept me throwing my jacket on and off.
One fella rolled by to check up on me. Sadly, Brian’s dog had gotten loose and he was looking for him back in Pietown. He did mention he lived up the road and should I have any emergencies he was happy to assist. The stone building on the left, a mile down the road. The building came and went without emergencies, thankfully.
Next, another fella in a camper pulled up. He asked for ID. I was perplexed, and started to get a bit serious as he continued to tell me I needed ID to hike along this road. Shortly before I began contesting this blasphemous claim, he popped a smile, said he was joking, and introduced himself as Raindance, a fellow hiker, also rolling around in a camper, and followed up with giving me some clementines.
As I approached the water source, I had opened Guthook to inspect the comments. Money had posted a comment just today saying their was little water, and it wasn’t great what he was able to scoop. A bit frustrated and concerned for the next stretch (next marked water 13 miles ahead, and I had already done about 22). I looked to my right and saw some glistening movement. Water? There was a wooden post held up by rocks, poorly - as it had fallen. I flipped it over to see if there was a no trespassing sign, and looked around for any barbed wire or signs, none.
I walked up to the tank, and behind it saw a solar panel with a tube gushing beautiful clear water out, filling a massive pool down the way. I quickly filled up four liters and decided to hike on.
Mile 23 (where I had planned to get water) came and went. I’ll stop at the next junction where the trail turns off this road, I said. 28 miles on the day. With an extra 10 lbs of water on my already weary back and feet. Just as I approached, a third guy stopped, Mike, and offered me a locally made Piñon Cola. Sadly, it was a glass bottle (heavy) but I graciously accepted and went the next half mile to the junction.
I plopped down, only to be greeted with at least 4-5 gophers popping their heads out. Nasty wind gusts also made the camp far from ideal. The massive storm clouds rapidly approaching made me not excited to camp here, and directly in front of a ranches entrance, I didn’t exactly feel comfortable staying there.
I plopped down, drank my cola, and looked for inspiration to continue onwards. 3.8 miles up trail was an “old house”. Also, was up in a valley a little bit (wind protection). A quick “good luck” From Lauren, and I pushed onwards. A bit of a tailwind pushing me forward.
The road quickly turned to a sandy mess. But the wind died down, and before I knew it (eh, not really) I had reached the old house. A clay settlers stable, I found refuge from any impending rain that may come about. However, once I arrived, I looked back to evaluate the incoming storm, and noticed that the storm had diverted east, and the sun had begun to shine a bit. I setup my tent and cooked a big meal to fill my hungry belly after my first 30+ mile day on the CDT.
The sunset beautifully, and only as I finish this post did the gently tapping of rain begin to hit my tent. The rolling thunder far off in the distance, I’m sure (hoping) this is just a little cloud rolling by.
The best part about 32 mile day today? It’ll be relatively easy to make it into Grants in only two more days. That means I can end my third day with a nice meal and a warm soft bed as I resupply for the next stretch.
Welcome back to the trail, let’s see how far I get before the next visit with Lauren! Woo! Fly feet, fly.
