Day 6- We took a zero day in Lordsburg! I learned the hard way on my first thru hike about the dangers of not taking zeros. I hiked for 30 days with a few neros (less than 5), but no zeros. My knees and feet were overused and took months to heal post trail. So after 85 desert miles it was important to rest up, hydrate, and prepare for the next section. The day went quickly and I was eager to get out of Lordsburg one last time.
Day 7- Around 9:15, we were making it out of Lordsburg for the final time. The pack feels great and so does my body. Taking the zero day helped a few things heal and allowed me to rehydrate. We walked the trail one last time through the town as dogs barked at us from inside their fences. Not too hot yet as we walked under the train tracks then followed the trail along highway 80 to 90. Lots of glass, trash, and prickly things to avoid along the way. After about 4 miles, the trail continues under or over a barbed wired fence on a 10 foot trail easement. (I have not gone over any barbed wired fence yet, but I did get a nice poke in the ass once) The trail follows footprints in the sand with few markers. Just wandering the desert again and using our apps gps to see how far off we went. We took a nice break under a shady tree. Paperweight got attached by ants during this break and the bites look horrible. I must not of tasted so good. We wandered some more until we finally found a trail marker again. How far do we hike each day? It’s anyone’s guess. We hit the 100 mile mark today. We kept walking toward the mountains in the warm sun as I was able to rig up my umbrella for a few miles. We hit a dirt road walking side by side and still seeing Lordsburg behind us. Lots of cows moving out of our way. We stopped to get water with a huge group of cows making a ruckus and some of them head butting each other. We choose to take our break a little farther down the trail. Beautiful area and I really don’t mind walking these gravel roads that the ranchers use. Our app said we were 16.8 miles from town by the time we stopped for the night. We had a nice spot off trail where I set up for cowboying. We climbed up a hill to watch the sunset on top of a pile of rocks, but the clouds interrupted the viewing and it was chilly. I fell asleep smelling cow poop while lying under the stars! Couldn’t be happier!

Day 8-

Today was the first time we saw a CDT marker nailed to a tree. Previously the markers have been on old wooden posts or attached to metal stakes. Lots of the stakes are held up by rock mounds and many were blown over in the open areas. It looks like we will be climbing in elevation a bit and enjoy a pine forest. We followed along the gravel road dipping up and down. At one point, we came to a ridge walk looking out at the wonders of New Mexico. The trail passed an old mine that was barbed wired off as we continued up the road. We dipped back down past a power line stopping for a snack and sunscreen break. We then ran into Mary who was out for a hike after leaving some water caches for us CDT hikers. She’s originally from Mass too and had the best description for people in New England. They all suffer from the battered wife syndrome. Meaning they get beat up in the winter for months on end then it gets nice again in the summer only to go back to the winters once again. She is loving living in New Mexico where she can hike year round. Thanks for the water!! We cruised along chatting the miles away and falling for New Mexico. We stopped for a water break before the a few uphill climbs awaited us. El Burro Mountain to end the day was a tough climb as I’m still not in thru hiker shape and adjusting to the higher elevations. Climbs are tough, but the views are fantastic! We stopped at one point getting a bit chilled so I slipped on my rain jacket to help protect me from the gusty wind. I don’t recommend hiking the big uphills at the end of the day. We struggled past the top towards Jack’s Peak. We were both exhausted doing the climb during the evening miles and didn’t complete the climb. We found a sheltered spot at over 8,000 feet to camp at worrying about it freezing tonight, but we were too tired to continue to the top and then back down. Sometimes you run into trouble finding a camp spot at night and injuries happen easily in the evening. I’m glad we stopped at a total of 19.2 miles for the day. 

Day 9-

Slept well and warm enough in my tent. It takes us a while to get started in the morning especially being hidden from the sun. We finished the last bit of the uphill climb soaking in the views before passing through a gate. The rest of the hiking on trail was downhill. Deadman Canyon was a fun hike down and I found a cave off the trail that I had to check out. We then came to Tyrone Road for 4 miles. It’s a gravel road passing lots of No Trespassing signs as a few cars drove by. We were warm and happy to find shelter at a viewpoint of Tyrone mine. They no longer mine this space and are slowly restoring it back to natural landscape. We hid out in the shape for over an hour eating snacks and hydrating. We then began the longest road walk of 12.6 miles into Silver City. It was along the side of a paved highway as cars zipped by and cyclists rode up and down the hills. The amount of trash along the road was disgusting, but motivating too knowing there were lots of options for food. I will never understand why people throw trash out of their cars… I carry my trash for sometimes 10 days at a time. You can drive to gas station or throw it in your own personal trash. Rant over! We cruised along chatting the miles away and having fun. That’s what it is all about! We had a great plan of staying at the historic Palace Hotel and drinking at the Brewery. Again plans never work on trail. Thru hiking has allowed me to let go of things I can’t control and be much more relaxed. So before walking an additional 1.2 miles on the paved road through town we made reservations at the Motel 6 for two nights. Unfortunately for us the price went up $20 for May 1st, but we saved a few bucks spending the last day of April there. Paperweight had a gift card to DQ and our walk to the hotel passed right by it so we stopped for a bite to eat. Funny washing your dirty hands in the sink and noticing all the dirt marks around your neck and face. The employees had never heard of the CDT as they wished us luck. We needed that extra fuel to make it to the hotel. The woman behind the desk at the Motel 6 gave us each a goody bag with 2 in 1 shampoo, deodorant, snacks, Epsom salts, and a few other treats. We ran into Hob in the lobby and caught up as well. It was after 6 by the time we were showering and relaxing in bed. No energy to walk back to the historic downtown for a beer so we enjoyed a few Coors in bed instead. Longest paved road walk yet and quite a few more to come. Luckily, the miles pass quickly with a companion to hike with. ❤️Sass