- CDT NM 2025 Day 13, Saturday, April 19
- Start CDT mile 351.5
- End CDT mile 367.7
- Miles walked: 5 Govina Canyon + 9.7 CDT = 14.7 miles (plus several miles hike/hitch to recover food cache)
In the middle of the night I realized it was snow hitting the tent, and not rain. In the morning several inches of fresh powder were around the tent, but the actual snowfall was probably 2 inches.
Ummm, where’s the trail?
I decide to back up and do the Govina Canyon alternate because a small canyon will be easier to follow until the snow starts melting a little.
Later, back on the CDT, the snow is easier to follow, but hard to show in photos.
Dark Clouds portend more snow, and we do get more, with stiff wind. I need to keep wearing my shirt, down this, and raincoat all day to protect against bitter cold.
Going down Wagontongue Mountain in powder was much easier than last year when I had to climb up the same ridge in icy snow.
After Wagontongue there was no more snow on the ground. At Highway 12 I divert to get a food cache that I buried last year on a “somewhat nearby” trail. The stick marking the cache was still there
I return to the Red Line and hike in blowing snow. Most hikers will take the Pie Town Alternate, which is shorter and avoids a 12 mile road walk on US60.
At night the wind subsides and stars become visible.
Finished audiobook A Right Way to Do Wrong, by Harry Houdini.