Just Start – The Trek

There is a saying that states: the hardest thing is to just start (or something like that). For the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), there are many logistics that play into making it to the start of the trail on the border of Mexico and the US. My partner, Devin, and I were fortunate enough to have a family member willing to drive us (thank you Bill!), and Devin handled most of the arrangements. So, in terms of getting to the Southern Terminus, I really just sat in the backseat (literally and figuratively). That part was easy. 

Starting the trail

So, once we got to Crazy Cook Monument, the official start of the CDT, it was actually time for me to do something. The “thing” was to begin walking the 3,100 miles of the trail. A thing that feels like an impossible feat anytime I think about it for too long. This is what the saying actually meant. Starting something that feels too huge is the hard part. The mind counters, “This is too hard, you shouldn’t even try.” These thoughts have worked on me in the past. I have quit things before I have even begun them. Was this going to be one of those things? 

One Step at a Time

Spoiler alert, it wasn’t. I started hiking the dang thing! I took the first step, the next one, and the one after. That first mile felt really good. The mindset that got me on the trail was to just take it one day at a time. This had transformed from day to mile to even one step. 

The first four days have been far from easy. From long water carries, to 80 degree days and relentless sun, the New Mexican desert is unforgiving. When the weight of my backpack (and the pure scale of the trail) becomes too heavy, I repeat to myself “one step at a time,” and then Jordan Sparks’ song starts playing in my head and I skip off into the sunset! Not really, though it does ground me. I am able to take a breath before my mind starts spiraling and emotions start bubbling over. I am able to approach the next “step” of what I need to do to be successful on trail. Whether that is blister care, drinking more water or literally taking another step. 

Next Steps

I hope to keep this mindset through the rest of my time on trail. I’m not always perfect, and sometimes let my emotions overwhelm me (a contributor to my trail name Cloud- a story for another time). However, the goal is not to be perfect, but to be better at reminding myself that I am capable of doing the big, huge, massive, impossible thing, if I just start with the first step. 

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