CDT Day 26: Whimsical Landscapes I Didn’t Expect

I packed up quickly and took my second-to-last sip of water that I’d saved from the night prior, then headed down towards the cow trough three miles below. It was a nice, cool desert morning and as I descended the landscape opened up into a series of mesas and rock protrusions.

The grass was green as far as the eye could see, and the spring-fed trough shimmered like a magical pool. It was perfectly clear, and hadn’t been degraded by the cows in the area. The comments I’d read about this water source from the year prior made it seem hardly drinkable, and I knew they must’ve gone to the wrong spot. Never fully trust the comments on the hiking apps, often they read more like business reviews more than objective advice.

The silty soil was soft beneath my feet and it felt more like I was at some ancient stone fountain than a random place for cattle to drink. I continued down the trail calm and hydrated, soaking in the beautiful hills I was rolling up and down. I was reminded where I was when I saw a tarantula hawk sulk through the plants directly next to the trail, and was grateful my pole hadn’t hit it.

And then…ouch! I felt something pierce the skin on my calf and looked to see something latched onto it right where my sock ended. Large biting flies? I wasn’t quite sure. Before I knew it, there was a swarm of them and if I slowed or stopped it felt like they were everywhere. I started running down the trail, hoping to lose them but failing. I kept reminding myself that they couldn’t possibly follow me for the entire day, 20+ more miles. It would pass.

Potentially an hour later, it finally did and I could again return to focusing on the interesting rocks and desert flowers that were strewn throughout the wilderness study areas I was now passing. I spent the next couple of hours mesmerized by the colorful minerals and miraculous shapes, stopping to talk to the lizards and take about 50 photos as each thing I passed in the Empedrado Wilderness Study Area seemed unique and important.

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