Tag: CDT

• CDT NM 2025 Day 7, Sunday, April 13
• Start mile 142.5 water tank
• End mile 0.7 of Walnut Creek Alternate starting at mile 156.3
• Miles walked: 14.5

The route into Silver City requires a 11.6 mile hike along Highway 180. Not ideal, but best done first thing in the cool of the morning.

My lodging is at Stonehouse Inn, an AirBnB with hiker amenities: shared kitchen, laundry, close to downtown, optional outdoor shower, Cody the dog to pet, and a lurking cat.

No other hikers were at Stonehouse with me, and I saw none while walking in Silver City.

Adobe Springs has a nice shady outdoor eating area, and provides the inevitable image of a hamburger that seems to be included in all my hiking journals.

Food Basket provided resupply, then I  walk back to my lodging to repackage, and relax a bit.

Finished audiobook A Horse’s Tale, by Mark Twain.

• CDT NM 2025 Day 6, Saturday, April 12
• Start mile 115.2 Jacks Peak
• End mile 142.5 water tank
• Miles walked: 27.3

The view from near Jacks Peak is hazy. Is there a fire upwind?

At nearby Burro Peak we start seeing Ponderosa forest for the first time on this trip.

Past Burro Peak and several miles of connector trail, we arrive at Red Rock CDT Trailhead. I was just here this Spring on a Back Country Horsemen trail project.

It is cool to see trail that I worked on looking so good.

The route does not actually go on Bullard Peak, but circles around it.

On the north side of Bullard the route enters Saddle Rock riparian area, and follows a wash in a canyon for several miles.

I saw a coati, large, looking right at me, but hiding too fast to get a photo.

I meet Dora and her humans from Montana, planning to mountain bike in the canyon. They offer me water.

I press on, and by nightfall make it to a metal water tank, the last water source until Silver City.

Finished audiobook Mr Spaceship, by Philip K Dick.

• CDT NM 2025 Day 5, Friday, April 11
• Start mile 91.5
• End mile 115.2 Jacks Peak
• Miles walked: 23.7

Continuing across a huge plain, I finally get to some hills.

Someone marked the 100 mile point. Seems longer.

The route continues on dirt road and actual built trail, winding up and down hills, no longer the straight lines hiked before.

Vegetation makes a major shift to larger trees: juniper, Emory oak, manzanita, some large enough for real shade.

Near Burro Peak Trailhead aka Jacks Peak Trailhead is trail magic, with water, sodas, buckets as chairs, and a disco ball. I am grateful.

As the day closes, I cowboy- camp near a peak.

At night the first clouds of the trip appear, then are gone with a sustained breeze.

Finished audiobook The Stainless Steel Rat, by Harry Harrison.