Smile. Smile and look alive!

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

I can't lie to you. There have been times while hiking on monotonous jeep roads that I've considered reaching for my mp3 player. Just when I'm about to pull off my pack to fish it out, IT hits me: stillness. When the stillness really hits me, I halt my progress, hold my breath, and look. The tall grasses are blowing in a soft breeze. A few miles in the distance, I suddenly see a dozen different mesas. Each rises from the dry landscape around it, and proves that it dresses itself in different colors and jewelry than all of the others around. Sky extends far, far beyond in all directions and I quickly realize that this is far from monotomy.

Suddenly my walking is different. When I begin to move again, I find my footsteps are more relaxed. My feet are planted softly into the ground. Each trekking pole gently pushed into the Earth. No sounds can disrupt this silence.

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

WHERE HAVE ALL THE COWBOYS GONE?

If there is one thing I have learned about this trail already is that it is always changing. Okay; if there are two things I know about this trail, it's that it varies everyday, and there will be tons of solitude.

Q: How many people have I seen in 76 miles (3ish days) from Mountainair to Magdalena?

A: 5!!!

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

There's a whole lot of space out here for me and only me. And a few ranchers. A few birds. And apparently diamondbacks as evidenced by the creepy number of dens I've seen on crosscountry travel. I walked off into this newfound emptiness on the first of many ranching roads out of Mountainair. None of these guys are signed at all and most of the time ther are numerous 2-track roads "roads" that aren't even mapped at all. My map/compass/GPS were about to all become best friends, and best friends quickly. This is flat as country, and at first I was cruising and 3 to 3.5 mph. I would be able to do this everyday, until always hitting a wall late in the afternoon due to not being able to take enough breaktime. I'll blame all of this on the lack of daylight that shines these days...

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

Now standard HUGE views were all around, as were grey clouds. Thre have been threats of storms on 5 out of the 7 days I've been out here, but I've managed to stay dry in the day, and have my tarp get soaked at night. I had expected dry weather out here, but the cows and I will stay happy if our watering holes remain watered during these hours.

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

The tiny amount of drizzle that did fall that afternoon left a rainbow. Correction: a double rainbow in it's wake. For some reason I couldn't stop laughing and staring in intense disbelief. How could this trip get any more amazing? It always does...

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

Just before dark I arrived at the Thompson Ranch to ask for some tap water. According to my maps, he is a trail friend. When I asked him for water however, he only asked me in response "what do you need that for?" Despite my backpack shouldered and trekking poles in hand. He acted like he'd never seen a hiker out there before (there are very few on the GET), but still let me fill from his hose out front. He also offered advice in the form of "look out for diamondbacks. They're out there and about to return to their dens." Great.....

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

MY SHOES ARE DIRTY!

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

Next day would be a muddy affair on two track, but first I needed to find my bearings. The night before I'd started a x-c segment at dawn, and wasn't totally sure where I'd made it to in the dark. I was either in the proper canyon, or a minor drainage not far enough west. Both flowed south. GPS told me I was in the right spot, but after 2 shady readings, I'd come to only partially trust the thing. Turns out I was right (GPS too), climbed out of a side canyon, for more xc fun. 3 miles later I found myself on a muddy, slippery, eeewwwwww yukky road. Not soon after my shoes were the weight of Swedish clogs, an old-timer pulled on on an ATV. This is the only human other than my filthy self that I'd seen/smell all day.

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

"Whatcha doin?"
"Hiked out of the Manzanos. Headed to the Magdalenas across this land"
"You know these are all private inholdings don't ya?"
"UUUMMMMMMM"

Now the sweettalking began in earnest: "Beautiful country out here that you live in, eh?"

"Where you goin' again?" Then he goes on to tell me which roads on my map were county roads, and where to expect the roads to smoothen out.

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

And so I cruised on my way, enjoying another gray day. The day turned into the most navigation-intensive yet. Loads of of faint 2-track, to stock trails, then straight up xc with a compass bearing, to get to an unnamed wash. Tons of fun. I'm finding it is extremely rewarding to be on a trail where I actually need to use my grey matter.

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

My legs were throbbing and I had to stretch them out at the end of the day before I could cook my pot of generic Mac-Chee and chamomile tea. The stars are so bright until the clouds come and cover them all up...

ENOUGH WITH THE FLATS ALREADY!

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

sketchy ladder!

Today I finally let out my cry for diversity. The flats have been killing my muscles, and sapping my will to keep moving forward. First thing, I had to ford the Rio Grande. I'd spent a lot of the prvious day fretting over what would happen when I got there. There are two different bail-out options listed on the maps in case the water is too high and dangerous. With all of the rain the mountains had been getting, I was worrying that I'd find raging, chest-deep water awaiting me. It should come as no surprise that all I found was slow, knee-deep water. Disgusting, silty, muddy-bottomed, and pumped full of agricultural products. I'd wait 8 more miles to find a decent water source, thank you very much...

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

Still heading west, I entered San Lorenzo Wash, whose walls grew taller after a few miles to become the BLM jewel, San Lorenzo Canyon. This was the first bonafide canyon I've seen yet, deep enough to send me hiking up side canyons in search of slot canyons. Even more fun were the only 2 people I would see all day.

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

"Why would you want to hike here for?"
"I dunno. It's nice out. For travel. For adventure?"

His wife had to tap him on the shoulder with her cell phone to signal to him to just drop it.

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

From GET - Nuevo Mexico

Map studying in the laundromat rocking a tarp as a skirt....

Drive on...

From GET - Nuevo Mexico