I left Pie Town late that afternoon after dilly dallying all day. It was a dirt road walk out of town but I popped in my tunes and enjoyed the solitude. Since I had left so late, I was still hiking when the sun began to set and finally disappeared behind the horizon. I grab out my headlamp when I could no longer see my feet. It blasted on and as I lifted my head, the light encircled a sign. It read 'CRAZY GUY, WARM SHOWERS'. I panicked, standing alone in the dark, on a dirt road. Where was this guy and why was his sign so ambiguous and creepy. I moved faster, spinning every so often to be sure that I wasn't being followed. I got to where I was going to camp and nearly leaped onto Sketchy(another hiker) as she went to find water. I slept well knowing there were other hikers around. I got up early the next day and hiked on ahead of the others who were just beginning to stir when I left. It was a pleasant morning filled with dancing down the dirt road that would connect us to the next section of trail. I was moving faster than I expected so when I checked my maps, I had gone a few miles past the water source I needed to stop at. I had to decide if it was worth walking back or if I could make it to the next water in twelve miles. I had a liter and a half left and decided I could make it work. It was a hot day with no shade and I was beginning to think I should have gone back when a man on a tractor came up the road. He hung out the window and asked if I needed any water. I thought I was seeing a mirage but replied "yes, desperately." He handed me a bottle of water and an orange and headed off on his way, but not before I could blurt out "you totally just made my day." I happily hiked on eating my orange.
The trail popped out on the side of a highway so I turned down the road and found the little shoulder we were supposed to follow. The cars whizzed by but I was having a wonderful day and really enjoying the scenery that surrounded the area. I got to my destination of 35 miles around 5:30 pm but I was too bored to stop then and set up so I decided to try to make it to the next water source, a ranger station, 10 miles up. My brain tired on the beating sun and my calves ached but my feet kept moving, one if front of the other, until I reached the Ranger station. I had expected other hikers to be there but the place was closed and deserted. I wasn't sure if I could camp there so I found a spot hidden by some bushes and set up my tent. As I settled in and the sun went down, a pack of coyotes surrounded my tent about 100 ft away and began howling to each other. I slowly drifted to sleep listening to their songs. I woke up abruptly the next morning to a car door slamming. I thought for sure I had been found and was about to be scolded for camping in the area but no one bothered me as I packed up and snuck back out to the road. The hike into town was one of my least favorites as many people stopped their cars to hit on me and ask me if I needed rides. So frustrated, I called my mom and began to ignore the constant pests. I got into town and was heading to a buffet, when my friend Right On called. He was taking a zero day in the same town so I met him at the buffet and was very surprised to see about 15 other hikers there. I had caught the bubble and was a bit overwhelmed after not seeing other hikers for days. I was supposed to leave that evening but I was having too much fun with these new found friends so I stayed the night and hiked out with them early the next morning. It was completely different from hiking alone for so long and I relished in the company. We hiked to the top of Mt. Taylor at 11,000 and all 18 of us squeezed into the small summit campsite. We sat around a huge fire and had a bunch of laughs before crawling into our separate tents.
I was freezing cold all night and kept waking up to the rustling of those surrounding me. I got up early and made it out before most of the others but was slowed down significantly when I saw that the whole northern slope of Mt. Taylor was covered in icy snow. I fell many times before making it down to a saddle where the snow seemed to end. Lots of others had caught up and we leap frogged down the mountain, stopping every so often to take off layers as we descended in elevation and the sun came out. We all grouped up at the first water source of the day, still not wanting to separate. After some time, we started leaving, one by one, to head to the next water source. I got to the spot first and began looking for the tire cow tank as the others slowly caught up. It was no where to be found. Tons of us were combing the forest in the area where it was marked but it was not there. Some people kept looking but I decided to go on, looking for the next source. A half a mile down the trail we came upon the tire tank and kicked ourselves for wasting an hour looking in the wrong spot. We had lunch and then hiked towards some ominous looking clouds. The temperature dropped and the wind started to whip. People began calling it a day about every mile but a few of us hiked on. In the end it was just me and another hiker, named Cowboy Stripper, who found a nice sheltered spot and tucked in for the night. The two of us got up the next morning and started moving fast. I had to get to the next town in 2 days. It was 55 miles away so I was planning to do a big day and Cowboy Stripper decided to come along for the long haul. The morning was spectacular, we had incredible views and the hiking was pleasant. We ran into a couple new hikers and had lunch with them before moving on. As we walked away from our lunch spot, the clouds began to darken and the wind picked up. We were walking straight into a storm and the raindrops began to splash across my face. We hiked faster, seeing the lighter clouds in the distance. We were soaked and cold but moving helped and after about an hour, the rain stopped. We got to our next water source and turned the valve that was supposed to turn on a pipe that let out water. No water came out. We tried everything but nothing produced any liquid. Giving up, we hiking on, hoping to find something else. The afternoon was filled with bad weather, light headedness, and frustration at the trail for taking us up and down unnecessarily. The lack of food and water was getting to me when we crossed a road and saw a cooler. It was filled with water and peanut butter crackers that we joyfully partook in.
The temperature dropped further after our nice snack and the dark clouds came back overhead. Suddenly, it started to pour and we scrambled to set up our tents as fast as we could. Mine was thoroughly soaked inside and out by the time I got in but I stripped off all my wet clothes and tried to dry things out. Just as I was starting to get warm, the rain stopped. We cursed mother nature for her timing but went to sleep warm and dry. When I got up the next day, I looked around and realized we had set up in a field covered in cow pies. They were everywhere and all over my things so I stuffed it all in the outside of my pack and hiked on. I ate a bag of gummy bears for breakfast on the go and didn't stop until I was almost to the road I needed to make it to. I looked up and saw a car coming down the dirt road and got out of its way. As I threw out a friendly wave, I noticed the huge smile of my friend Logan, who I had met hiking in New Zealand and who was coming to pick me up from the trail. I was ecstatic, realizing that all this rushing was over and I could enjoy some quality time with a good friend. As I piled my stuff in the car, I realized I had not been in a vehicle since my incredibly bumpy ride that dropped me off at the border three short weeks before. He took me out to lunch and got me a shower before whisking me off to the airport. Truly an amazing human being to help me out so much on my journey. I'm headed home for a trailcation, four much needed days off to spend with friends and family. Mile 654.
