Day 4: April 27, 2019
Destination: Stealth Camp Mile 82.2
Today’s Miles: 23.2
Start Location: Stealth Camp Mile 59.0
Trip Miles: 82.2
I woke up pretty early today knowing I would hike some miles. The morning walking was great!
It was flat and it seemed like we were in a bit of a valley and had shade for a longer period of time.
I caught up to Samson and walked with him for a bit through some cow fields. Cows are funny creatures – very curious. We walked at a fast clip, trying to make it to the first water source in 12 miles before it got too hot. Suddenly, as I was tearing along, a rattlesnake blew its cover and coiled up ready to strike, right in front of me! It rattled and I tried to stop quickly, then backed up. I was only three feet from stepping on it!
Samson yelled as I was realizing the snake was there and jumping back. Phew! It was a close call, but fortunately snakes don’t really want to mess with people. I know I definitely didn’t want to mess with him!
We got to the first water source quickly because of the pace, so I pushed on to hike to a water cow trough another 4 miles away that supposedly had shade (from comments I read in Guthook).
The trail transitioned a bit as I climbed a slight grade through a canyon area with red volcanic rock. I was nervous about more snakes, but didn’t see any! I made it to the cow trough around 11:30, got some water, and retreated to a nearby wash (gully) to rest under shade trees. Some of the others joined and we chatted in the shade.
On the way out, a rancher was tending to the cow trough and gave us clementines – my first trail magic! He had a trail name – Bimbo! Apparently in 1952 there was country music hit song called Bimbo, so that is where his name came from. His wife Lindy was with him too. They were super nice so we talked for a bit as a group of young calves looked on curiously.
I made it to the water cache, but there was only about a gallon left in it. The guy who manages those for the CDT is incredibly cool. He had told us to let him know if they were out. I somehow finally had a signal and gave him a ring. He said he was on the way already and would be there in 30 minutes – amazing! We helped him carry the 50lb jugs of water from his truck to the cache. The CDTC volunteers like Radar really have a major impact on our trail experience and safety!
I pushed to hike until I was about 3 miles from town. Tomorrow I will have a short walk into Lordsburg. It will be a busy “nero” (near zero miles) day in town, and then I will hike out in the evening.
I was grateful for the camaraderie, trail magic, water and views today! Also super relieved that I didn’t get bitten by that snake!
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