The true CDT trail is referred to as the red line. There are many alternate routes you can hike that branch off of the red line. Some make the trek shorter. Some make it easier. Some are more scenic. Until Silver City, we were following the red line. Out of Silver City we picked up the Gila (pronounced hee-lah) River alternate. Most hikers take this route because the Gila River canyon is stunning. It was incredible! The big downside is that you cross the river constantly for about 5 or 6 days. Be sure to read the post about the Gila.
First of many water crossings.
The path was a racetrack. We made great time until the second day when we had two challenging climbs that took us to Tadpole Ridge elevation 8,000.
Part of our first climb
Pictures don't really capture what the trail actually looks like. Captain Scoot shot some great video while walking. Be sure to check it out.
Along the way, we met Doug the Hermit. Doug has lived in a 12x16 cabin for 27 years just off the CDT. He goes into town once a year for supplies. He felt that this was his calling from God to be a hermit and to pray everyday. We ran into Doug and talked to him for about a half an hour. He's 73 years old and doesn't plan on ever leaving his cabin. The story he told us is that he cleared the way for an ATV trail to the cabin and the owner of the land built the cabin for him and said that he could stay there for as long as he liked. The rancher that now owns the land appreciates that he lives there because he keeps the well and spring open for cattle.
On the third day of this section, we hit the 200 mile mark. We're still feeling some aches and pains from the first 200 miles. We hadn't at this point earned our trail legs. Trail legs generally kick in around 300 or 400 miles into the trek and your legs start to crave walking all day long.
We also saw our first bear! Captain Scoot was 100 yd in front of Pooh and rounded the corner and there was a full-sized, adult black bear. The bear didn't know we were there as we were walking upwind and it was on the opposite side of the Gila River. The noise from the Gila masked the noises from our walking. He was less than 100 ft from us and it's a bit nerve-wracking even though black bear attacks are extremely rare in the US. After we announced our presence, he took one look at us and ran up the walls of the canyon. He was looking back occasionally to see if we were following.
That night, we hung our first bear bag. A bear bag is where you put all of your food and anything that might smell like food into a bag and hang it at least 15 ft above the ground from a tree. Prior to that, we've been sleeping with our food in the tent.
Part way through this section, we visited Doc Campbell's Outpost. This is a great place for hikers to resupply, rest and let your shoes dry. They also have laundry and showers available for hikers. We arrived around 11:30 and grabbed some sandwiches for lunch. We ate with Bootstraps, a fellow hiker we met on the trail the day before. There is an RV park across the street from Doc's that has space for tents. It also has mini apartments for rent and there was one available! A bed for the night! There were several hikers coming and going throughout the afternoon. It was fun getting to know the other hikers.
The area around dock Campbell's and the RV park is the site of a geothermal hot spring. Captain Scoot attempted to get in the hot spring but it was too hot and he abandoned this effort. The spring also fed the hot water for the faucets and the shower directly. The shower was set only on cold water and the water was still so hot you could barely wash your hair. And if you closed the lid on the toilet, condensation formed pretty substantially. So we agreed to leave the toilet seat up.
After an afternoon of relaxation we were ready to get back on the trail. We were up early Monday morning and were back on the trail by 7 a.m.
Look for more photos on Instagram.
Days hiked this section 4
Total days hiked 15
Miles hiked this section 47
Total miles hiked 210
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