It was hard to leave Nita's Toaster House in Pie Town after days of eating pie and drinking soda, but eventually we had to. Clutch, Dayhiker and I started the road walk early evening and found a quaint spot to camp in the trees beside a dirt road. Most of the trail from Pie Town to Grants is dirt road walking with some Highway walking thrown in to keep you on your toes. Water is fairly scarce but we located a well on a ranch and a cow tank next to a solar windmill. No matter how much cow dung is in the area, you still drink as much if that water as possible. Treated of course.
The landscape on the second half of rhe section is beautiful, with large mesas on both sides of the trail (tabletop mountains) and the extensive El Malpais lava flow. From the top of one of the larger Mesas at the Narrows there is a great view of the lava to the west and the la ventana arch and mesa cliffs to the east.
I managed to pull my first 30 mile day on this stretch and enjoyed night hiking on the quiet roads. Whisps of cirrus cloud, a bright moon and shooting stars made 2 nights of road walking a surreal experience. Unfortunately I got my first blisters this year on the soles of my feet, but after a zero day in Grants they have pretty much healed up.
Next stop is Cuba, NM in 5 days time. En route we get to climb the highest peak in New Mexico - Mt Taylor (11,300). 24 days in, 400 miles down.
<3
ReplyDelete