Continental Divide Trail Days 6-8

An extra 24 hours in Lordsburg, waiting for my resupply box to get to me was not a total waste. I took the opportunity to sample a little more food, go to the grocery store, work on blog posts, and videos, and slack pack, mostly slack pack. A Rec Pak was consumed, followed by a quick stop at the truck stop next door to purchase a couple of bean and cheese burritos for the day’s hiking.

Day 6

Looking out at the mountains in the distance, I knew it would be more than a 5 1/2 mile road walk to where the trail left pavement. This of course, includes the 2 mile walk from the motel to the highway. Any plan for this has to include starting early. The traffic was fairly light and I continued to a good 2 1/2 to 3 mph pace before turning right across the open and towards the mountains. It seemed a small eternity before I began the climb into the trees and the more familiar smells of a forest. Besides the change of terrain and more abundant foliage, the cactus plants were greener and full of water as opposed to the dry and purple cactus plants in the desert. The miles went quickly in the elevation gain seemed modest as I made my way further up. You could see more and more quartz on the ground and although many people take pictures up on the quartz throne, I did not. I do like seeing all the quartz as it reminded me of part of my childhood in Colorado.

There are some nice looking camping spots down at Cow Camp and the water cache had been taken care of by the trail angels. I found myself back at the highway with the challenge of hitchhiking back into Lordsburg. It only took about 30 minutes before some kind older gentleman stopped and gave me a ride back to town. As it turned out, he was a veteran and he said the same thing that I’ve heard a few times, he could tell I was a veteran. A ride all the way to the hotel was an added bonus.

Day 7

I woke up and packed and partook of the small continental breakfast at the hotel. Walking across the parking lot to the truck stop I grabbed a fresh liter of water and two more bean and cheese burritos. Although attempting to hitchhike, I had no luck and walked 5 1/2 miles before  another kind gentleman gave me a ride to my beginning point for the day. I was checking my pack after being dropped off and from across the road I saw a familiar vehicle and driver. It was Tim who was my shuttle driver for El Paso. He was staying in the area as he had other riders to shuttle that day. It was good to see him. Off into the woods again and  a lot of the trail was two track road and was 7 miles easy walking. I had to walk some of it a little extra. Yes, I dropped something and had to backtrack for it. After arriving at the Burro Creek Trailhead I realized I had left something else. I caught a ride back to my starting point to retrieve my wayward electronic. A big thank you to the kind Trail Angel that took me back Burro Creek. I believe she could see I was rather flustered and quite a bit embarrassed.
There was a wonderful cash of water and trail magic at the trailhead and I took time out to have lunch there before heading back into the hills. In the Burro Mountains the trail was good and the elevation gains slightly challenging. The views were extraordinary! Each time I emerged from the trees and was able to glance into the distance there was another beautiful view. Jack’s Peak had amazing views, and I looked for a place to settle in for the day there. There was enough daylight left to press on, and I went through the gate over Burro Peak and found a nice place to settle in for the night. Waking up after dark I noticed there were a lot of lights in the distance and they  let me know that Silver city wasn’t all that far away. I would see it soon enough.

Day 8

It was cold in the morning, and I took my time waiting for the sun to get a little higher in the sky before I packed up. A quick breakfast of Rec Pak as usual and I was on my way. The first water source was a nice trough and I filtered 4 L of water to carry with me. I decided to go a little off trail this day to a place called Ravenswing Farm. It is a wonderfully eclectic place. They sell micro brews and nonalcoholic fizzes in a very quaint setting. I had one each of the mango and grapefruit fizzes. While there I met a couple that lives 30 miles from me in Montana and that we have mutual friends. What a small world. A delightful young lady and her dog were there and it was great to spend time with them. The pair brought lightness to my heart! She was kind enough to take me back to the trailhead so I could finish my day and get ready for the final push into Silver city in the morning. The dog rode on my lap as if to let me know all was alright.

Ravenswing farm and these people will always be a very fond part of this journey. I will return here someday.

Pitching my tent in the trees close enough to the main road to see the lights of the vehicles on the road I turned in for the night. Another successful day on trail.

Final Thoughts 

“We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” —Marie Curie, French physicist and chemist

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