Grants to Cuba: The CDT Adventure Continues

Continuous Footpath
Between Grants and Cuba, I didn’t really write a whole ton. Though, I think that I learned where the term “ants in your pants” is from. (We accidentally sat on a log with a ton of ants, and they were crawling on our legs and it felt like they were still there miles later!) I have also decided that the new drinking game (water of course) will be to take a drink every time someone says the phrase “continuous footpath”.

This section started with the area around Mount Taylor, which was beautiful with huge trees and some elevation loss and gain. It was extremely refreshing to have a change in scenery, and get to spend some time under the trees. We ended up packing out some different things to eat this time, one of which was a bag of bagels. It’s funny because I remember a friend telling me that they pack bagels with nothing on them in their bag as a snack, and I always thought that it was strange.. but now I can understand why this might be a great idea if you are really hungry and need food!

Learning about the Magic
It is Day 26, and this morning I noticed something beautiful on the map. Something miraculous that I hadn’t noticed before… In about 50 miles, there are tents set up for hikers to get free food and drinks! I saw someone talking about it online before, but didn’t realize that this is where this was! They apparently have a ton of vegan options, and they have food there for 24 hours per day for 3 weeks! This was the best news ever! This place was called the Oasis. We spent the next couple days hiking towards the Oasis.

Water Weight
The route had two 25 mile water carries (partially because I am a water princess). Regardless, it was hot and dry, and long water carries meant extra weight and a more difficult hike. About 5 miles into our first big water carry, we met a really nice section hiker who asked us if we had enough water. We told him that we did, and he told us that he was going to be driving back to the trail the next day and would bring water. I thought that was nice, but didn’t think we would see him. The next day, we were about a 1/2 mile from the next water source where I was going to have to go down a canyon about 400 feet and 0.4 of a mile, and then back up. I was ready to go and get the water, when we heard a jeep pass by. It was our section hiker friend with water and one of our fellow hikers was with him in the car. Turns out that I didn’t have to go down to collect any water after all! Shortly after this, we met up with Slay under a tree for some lunch where we chatted for at least an hour before continuing on into the hot afternoon.

The Oasis
When we arrived to the Oasis, it was hot and dry, and we had just run out of water. The sun was beaming down at 150% capacity, and the sand was bright. I had secretly been hoping that they were making vegan pancakes at the Oasis, but I would take anything! As we walked up, this nice man came over and explained where we could find the cooler for the cold drinks. At the Oasis I ate: 4 Oreos, some grapes, a lentil dish, 1.5 pops, half of a coffee, and 3 clementines!
Inside the Oasis tent, the vibes were a little weird… The volunteers were extremely friendly and were offering to make us food (salads or a hot meal), but there were a couple of silent hikers who were not engaging in any conversation with anyone. We ended up talking lots with the volunteers and anyone at the table, while the other end of the table remained silent. Before we left one of the volunteers at the Oasis said that he thought we were the happiest hikers on trail! We later learned that the volunteers at the Oasis were still raving about us after we hiked out.

2% Humidity
We walked an extra 12 miles after the Oasis to sleep, with about 18 miles remaining the following day to get into Cuba. The next bit of terrain was interesting: lots of elevation gain and loss, and what I would describe as desert moon rocks. Back at the Oasis, someone had told us that tomorrow if will be only 2% humidity, and that the humidity on the moon is 0%. I put on some extra chapstick.

Cuba Bound
The next day, we walked the last stretch into Cuba. We were tired and excited to get into town to take showers and eat food! We ended up meeting up with Pack Runner, Free Will, and Batona to split a hotel (two double beds, and a space in the middle for a blow up air pad). It was a hilarious set up. I’m glad no one noticed or got mad that we had five adults in a little hotel room!