Day 35: May 28, 2019
Destination: CDT Mile 642.8 (Del Prado Hotel, Cuba)
Today’s Miles: 5.5
Start Location: CDT Mile 637.3
Trip Miles: 542.1
I woke at quarter to 5, determined to get into town early. It was about 31 out and I had ice on the inside and outside of my tent.
I didn’t eat breakfast or brush my teeth: I just hiked. I hiked with my tights on, rather than just shorts, for the first time. I’ve learned that New Mexico isn’t always hot; in fact, my experience has been quite the opposite.
The road walk into town was short. I could see my breath the whole way. I was grateful that there were no loose, aggressive dogs along the way.
Cuba is a short strip of a town. If Cuba were a bandaid, it would be a small one, and, like a bandaid, all of the action happens in a short section in the middle. It is a great hiker town for that reason. The laundry is across from the post office, which is a two-minute walk to the Del Prado hotel. The Family Dollar is across the street, and the Saveway is down the street. There are a few restaurants, and that’s it!
I, and most of the other hikers I knew of who were there, stayed at the Del Prado Motel. It’s a retro 70s-style motel with wood paneling, floral print bedspreads, etc. Because everything was close and convenient, I was able to easily get to the post office, wash my clothes, eat and resupply. I had some good solid meals as well. I went out to dinner with some other hikers (Mouse, Dutchman, Girly Girl, Armstrong, Driver, Dave, and Masshole), and Masshole decided to buy us all dinner. He’s a cool guy and didn’t need to do that, but sometimes we like to trail magic each other too. We were all super grateful for his generosity! The evening was full of fun conversation.
My pack continues to get heavier! I picked up a pair of pants that my wife, Gillian, mailed me, and I also got my snowshoes. The snowshoes are an extra 4 pounds…. Gillian surprised me by sneaking in a card and some snack popcorn from a local shop back home. The card almost made me cry – I miss her so much! I gobbled that popcorn up like a hungry hippo!
Everyone is talking Colorado. I honestly have no idea now what I’m going to do. As I get closer to Chama though, it’s becoming clearer that I will soon have to make a decision.
I’m hiking out tomorrow so I should get some rest. Unfortunately, I think there’s some more ugly weather headed our way in a few days. Hopefully it won’t be too brutal! The CDT is full of surprises, often times good ones.
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