Monday, April 14, 2025
Miles: 36.2 miles
Gain/Loss: 4970’/5079′
I was awake at 5:45am and hiking by 6:20am. I had a short climb first thing in the morning to intersect with the official CDT route, joining it after many miles on the Gila River alternate. Following the trail was a bit easier after rejoining the red line on Guthook, which was a welcome relief after days of near-constant navigation.
The trail moved mostly onto dirt roads from here on out, and while monotonous, I welcomed being able to relax a bit more, though I had to make sure I didn’t miss any turns. I filtered from a cow pond and while it was challenging to get the murky water without falling in, the water filtered clear and tasted fine, which was a welcome after the previous day’s sulfuric water.
I had my last bone-achingly long climb, hitting the highest point of my LASH around 9500′, and saw a sliver of snow up top. I was thankful for an overcast and breezy day, keeping me from sweating too much. Despite passing over the highway that was supposed to delineate no cell service from cell service, I didn’t have any cell service until late in the day and the 1 bar of service regularly dropped phone calls and took many minutes to send texts. But I was still able to make a few phone calls towards the end of my day, and that made the miles go by quicker.
After catching a 2nd wind, I made it to Davila Ranch within 15 minutes of sundown! I was the only person there, and some items had been de-winterized while others were still in process. I took my first shower in a week, with soap, shampoo, and conditioner! I did hand laundry since the washer wasn’t functioning yet and used the dryer to dry the hand-washed clothes. There was trash, potable water, charging, and a flush toilet, along with slow WIFI and log seats. It was a delightful experience to have the place all to myself. I enjoyed a bunch of my extra food with all that water to drink, and headed to bed, with an early alarm to make sure I arrived in Pie Town with time to get to the post office.
Transcending Mountains 