Thursday, April 17, 2025
Miles: 15.5 miles
Gain/Loss: 325′
I was up at 5:50am, and out by 6:30am. I enjoyed the quiet road walking in the morning cool. There was so little vehicle traffic, I enjoyed an impromptu dance party on the yellow line! I made it to the gas station/Subway combo by the highway at mile 9 around 10:30am. I enjoyed a breakfast footlong sandwich and a giant fountain soda (Sprite).
As I walked towards town, I saw fascinating roadside debris. Though walking by 3 incarceration facilities (jail, prison, detention center) mixed in with abject poverty was deeply sobering. After passing by two other carts, I rescued a shopping cart off the side of the road and it carried my pack for the last mile! I made it to town and the Motel 6 by ~1pm.
I checked in, did shopping across the street at the Walmart, did laundry, and ate all of my grocery store snacks before heading to bed. I had a ticket for the Greyhound bus early the next morning, to take me into Albuquerque for a day of adventure before flying home early the morning after. And just like that, I’d hiked more than half of New Mexico!
Transcending Mountains 