A New Beginning in New Mexico

Hey there fellow hikers! My name is Debbie and I am new to The Trek, but not to the trail. I have been section hiking and photographing the Pacific Crest Trail for the past 3 years and I am taking another crack at knocking off a big chunk of miles again this year. I have already completed most of the lower elevation sections of the PCT, so I decided to head on over to New Mexico to try my hand at the first section of the Continental Divide Trail. This allowed some time to pass to wait for the unprecedented snowfall to melt on the PCT in Northern California, Oregon and Washington before I get there. The idea was to get a head start on building up my trail legs after a long and pretty sedentary winter season. This annual restart to become trail hardy is one of the few disadvantages of section hiking.

Best laid plans…

The journey to the CDT from California was filled with many obstacles. It all started with my decision to take the train to Lordsburg. I was just returning last minute from a photography adventure in Alaska, so I just grabbed my pack and gear and decided to grab my groceries in Lordsburg when I arrived at noon. Unfortunately, a freight train broke down on the tracks ahead of us and it took hours to remove it. After painting grease on the rails by a crew with paint brushes, the freighter was dragged off the track. By this time, we were hours behind schedule and it snowballed later at every stop. I didn’t arrive at my destination until after the only grocery store in town was closed for the night.

Now what?

I was scheduled for the shuttle to take me to the southern CDT monument the next morning before the store opened. Scrambling to improvise, I packed the limited food I could gather from the tiny gas station convenience store next door, the hiker box and a small resupply box full of snacks that I had brought for my next leg. Being flexible is a lesson I have learned well during my thru hikes of the last 3 years, so I chalked it up as part of the adventure and I was ready to roll!!!

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Comments 1

  • Tom Young : Jul 5th

    Thanks. Since I documented my hike in searching Google with “Thomas Ashley Young Going Home,” I have continued to watch the trail with keen interest. It’s articles like this one that help keep my thoughts alive.

    Reply

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