Once we were back on the trail, the hike went pretty smoothly. It didn't take long for us to come to another water crossing. Having dry shoes for a couple of hours was nice.
We saw our second bear. This time it was much further away.
We saw our second bear. This time it was much further away.
The views in the canyon continued to amaze us. Constant water crossings and wet feet were getting old. There are several trails that you can take to the rim the canyon, and we decided to take one. The trail was going to be a steep climb out of the canyon, but the thought of dry socks was too appealing to pass up. So after 5 days of wet shoes, we left the canyon.
This alternate route took us up to a ridge and across a barren grassland. It's really amazing how quickly the landscape changes.
While waiting for Pooh to catch up, Captain Scoot took a short hike up the ridge to take some pictures. To our west he noticed smoke and what appeared to be a forrest fire. Using our garmin in- reach satellite device, he called in the suspected fire. The forrest service was aware of the fire. You may have heard about the Hummingbird fire in New Mexico. This is the fire we saw. Since Scoot saw the smoke on the ridge, the fire has grown to over 2,000 acres and part of the CDT trail has been closed. Fortunately, we were ahead of the fire and the closure didn't affect us.
By the time we reached the ridge, we were ready for lunch. The wind was fierce and cold. We decided to hike to a lower spot and try to get out of the wind. Soon after leaving the ridge, Scoot noticed a campsite below and we made our way down to it. The campsite had picnic tables and a toilet! When you eat sitting on the ground for days on end, a picnic table is a beautiful sight!
As we were getting ready to hit the trail, we started talking to a camper, David. David was turkey hunting and was loaded with supplies. He was kind enough to top off our water, gave us oranges, and much needed lotion for our legs (it's incredibly dry here). We enjoyed talking to David and can't say enough about how kind and helpful he was! Trail angels are the best and really help to keep our spirits up!
From the campsite we had more road walking to do. This time it was a dirt road which is a little easier to walk on. Our destination was Snow Lake, 5 miles away. We were making really good time. But things happen. When we got to Snow Lake, we missed the CDT trailhead and continued on the road. This wrong turn cost us several miles on the day and really dampened our spirits. Once we were back on the trail, we decided to camp for the night. We needed to recharge.
Road walking to Snow Lake
Our destination, the town of Reserve, was getting nearer. We still had a lot of road walking ahead of us. We took it in stride, keeping our sights on getting to Reserve while hoping to get a hitch for at least part of the walk. Two days out from Reserve, we woke up to a 10 mile road walk. After the first 5 miles, we stopped for breakfast. As we were eating, a pickup with two hunters stopped and asked if we needed any water. Scoot replied we had enough water, but we could use a lift to the trailhead (still 5 miles away). Almost immediately they waived at us to jump in even though they were heading in the opposite direction from where we needed to go. The driver sat in the truck bed and held our packs while Scoot drove to the trailhead. We can't thank them enough for the lift! This section of the road was up, up, up.
From the trailhead we began our descent to Reserve. The path wasn't straight down, but it was more down than up. There was a fire in the area in 2018. The forrest is a long way from recovery.
On our final day before reaching Reserve, we climbed Wagontongue Mountain. This put us at 9,000 feet of elevation. After summiting, we looked for a spot to have breakfast that was out of the wind. From our breakfast spot, Scoot was able to call the hotel in Reserve and book a room for us. The hotel, Mountaineer Inn, would also pick us up from the trail. Bonus! Reserve is 25 miles from the trail. Our pick up time was 2:30. After breakfast we were on the clock! We made it to the trailhead with time to spare and Leslie, the hotel's owner, was right on time. Beds, showers and clean clothes were within reach!
Water on this section was scarce at times. We're thankful to our fellow hikers who updated FarOut regarding the water sources. What was already dry for the season and what was available. We used this information to determine how much water to carry between water stops.
Filling up at a pond.
We decided to take two zero days in Reserve. We both developed a rash on our legs while in the Gila River canyon and decided to give ourselves some healing time.
Reserve is the county seat. It is a tiny town, but a busy place. We can easily walk to the grocery store and the many restaurants on Main Street. Reserve even has a brewery. We went there Sunday night and a few of our fellow hikers joined us.
Hanging out with Gerald, Rockin Robin and Magic Mike
Our next destination is Grants via Pie Town. We should be in Grants on May 4th.
Let us know if you have questions and enjoy the additional pictures on Instagram.
Days hiked this section 6
Total days hiked 21
Miles hiked this section 87.9
Total miles hiked 297.9
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