The transition out of Lordsburg is dry, like really dry. No more being coddled by water caches and a now a total reliance on tire tanks and cow ponds.

CDT: Mile 50 to Lordsburg NM (Mile 85) – Days 3 and 4

From Lordsburg, the trail starts with a three mile road walk followed by a crawl under a barbed wire fence. There is a 10′ trail easement with the trail running across a vast parched pasture but the crisscrossing animal paths and lack of consistent trail markers meant that everyone was off trail for good chunks of time.

He didn’t make it to Silver City

Between using your maps and your gps you are usually not totally lost but on the CDT you need to get used to being ok with not being exactly on the trail. There is a certain relief though when you do see that familiar CDT trail marker

The trail to Silver City is a transition out of the dry hot desert with a slow rise in elevation into the first mountains. Many of the folks that I had been hiking with had decided to zero to recover so I started out alone. The open desert is not easy on your body.

I was pretty happy to meet up with Mouse, Dutchman, and Driver at the first watering hole at the 14 mile mark that day which occurred at trail mile 100.

Note toilet bowl float used to refill tank

This was a clean and delicious water source and it was fun filling your bottles as the cows happily slurped up water next to you. As we climbed higher, we started to see more and more trees.

I was surprised at how much I had missed trees, how joyous it was to be on trail, and realized how taxing the desert was on both the mind and the body. As beautiful as it is, people were not not designed for the open desert. Day 5 was 24 miles.

The next day we climbed Big Burro Mountain (8,035′) then dropped down to Burro Mountain Homestead for ice cream, pizza, water, and soda. This was a surprising little hidden piece of paradise.

After dinner with Driver, Mouse, and Dutchman, I pushed on for another couple hours in the dark and I got to watch the crescent moon set. Every time a car drove by on the dirt road though it kicked up a white-out of fine sand in front of my headlamp which settled down after a few minutes and went back to inky black darkness outside the cone of light from my lamp. After a 5-6 miles and past the Tyrone Gold/Copper open pit mine, i found a nice tree on the side of route 90 and cowboy camped under the stars. With an 8000′ Mountain, hiking with friends all day, a belly full of pizza, soda, and ice cream, and 27 miles under my feet, it was a good day.

The next day was a quick 9 mile road walk into Silver City following what looked like the old CDT route before the mine was put into operation. Part of the joy of the CDT is not always following the official route and improvising. This improvisation meant clean clothes and beer before noon. It’s a different view of America when you’re a a slow walking pace along a highway..

Driveway off NM Route 90: clearly this dude is unmarried

I walked into Silver City before 10A (CDT Mile 162). Hard to believe this journey started just over six days ago.

Morning Star Outfitters Silver City NM

In the Little Toad Creek Brewery Silver City (from Dutchman)

Breakfast at The Palace Hotel in Silver City NM with Dutchman, Driver, Mouse, Ocotillo, and Cat Lady.

That night, Mouse and Dutchman invited Driver and me to pile into their nice suite in the Palace Hotel.

Next destination is Doc Campbell’s on the Gila Alternate.