Day 1: April 19th 9:57am – Crazy Cook Monument
It was still dark out when I showed up to the pickup location for thru hikers needing rides to the Southern Terminus. We had a long, bumpy, and dusty three-hour drive to the starting point, Crazy Cook Monument. We left Lordsburg around 6:09am heading south finally making it to the small town of Hachita. We stop for a quick bathroom break and beverage. Last time I’ll be using a toilet, so I indulged. The pavement quickly turned into a rough and worn out semi-improved road. Our driver Kal was no stranger to this road and drove it like he was in the Baja 500. I thoroughly enjoyed his driving even when he took both hands off the steering wheel to talk about how vultures would stay afloat in the thermal drifts for hours and hours (insert hand motions acting as vultures flying in the sky). I don’t think the German or France fellas sitting in the front shared my same enjoyment. #foreigners
It took me two weeks before I finally settled into my trail flow. From the moment I step foot on the trail I felt rushed, I felt like I was in a race. I had an objective to complete and I wanted to crush it now. After months of anticipation, I was primed and ready for adventure. As I settled into my rhythm and daily schedule, I felt an overall calmness and peaceful bliss come over me. I was shedding my old life and transforming into a thru hiker. A dirty, smelly, bearded, tattooed, unshaven, hiker. And I was completely in love with it. Realizing my only job was walking, eating, sleeping, and taking dumps where ever I wanted to, and taking the occasional selfie. I needed to take a step back from the world I was living in and realize this new world was different, and it was hot. There was a sense of tranquility about it. I needed to accept this and not fight it. Something you can only feel to your core when you have taken yourself out of the environment you are so accustomed to. Get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Sometimes you have to go through the wilderness before you get to the Promised Land.- John Bytheway
After day one my feet were covered in blisters, my right Achilles heel was missing a chuck of flesh that wouldn’t heal till a month later. There was no time for healing you sally forth creating blisters on blisters. It was a painful lesson to learn but after a few hundred miles I knew my shoes were not the correct size, for thru hiking that is. I went up ½ size and got wide box toe shoes instead of my regular size shoes. Before I got my new shoes, I had walked several hundred miles in my Croc sandals, they helped my feet heal. I love those things. I still wear them on the trail from time to time.
I felt like Seabiscuit on the back stretch of the final furlong. Every day I would push harder and longer. I was unable to pull the reins back on my lobsterlegs and mind. The wheels kept spinning, my legs kept charging forward, my mind wouldn’t allow me to quit or rest. I woke up and it was go time, 1 HP engine screaming toward Glacier National Park. I had to remind myself daily the finish line was 3,000 miles away. This was an adventure, a long adventure and cannot and should not be won or conquered in a day, a week, or even a month. There was no need to rush, nothing to stress about, no zoom calls, meetings, timelines, orders, no bullshit from exes, no bullshit from anyone or anything. I had completely removed myself in every sense from the world I was living in. I had taken the blue pill and now in a new land with a new kind of rattlesnake to watch out for. I had everything I needed on my back. When broken down to the essentials in life all you need is food, water, and shelter. Everything else will fall into place. Trust me when I say this, I have found an abundance of happiness, joy, excitement and fun with just the items on my back and the open trail ahead of me. Open your eyes and heart and you shall have them filled beyond your imagination.
“I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.” – Anne Frank
Crazy Cook to Lordsburg: 3.5 days to walk 84.1 miles. Those first few days were brutal. Coming from a chilly Idaho spring the dry, hot, desert heat was a slap to the face. Actually, it was more of a hair dryer to the face. The air so hot your mouth would dry up in a matter of seconds, the snot in your nose became hard as rocks. Trying to open your nasal cavities only causes nose bleeds. Your water the same temperature as the air, hot as hell. You wish you could pour some water over your head and face, but you know it will only melt your skin off like the Nazis in Indiana Jones when they open the Ark of the Covenant, it doesn’t go well. My body took a few days to adjust. Walking from sunup to sundown with constant exposure from beating rays of the sun and a 45 lbs pack can quickly drain you. Majority of the shade trees were miles apart; some were literally eight miles apart. The desert doesn’t care though, you must push on to your next water source or become another pile of bones for the desert to proudly display. If you bleed on the ground, the ground will drink it. It doesn’t care that you’re cut. Four out of five water sources would be cattle tanks or cattle ponds, but when faced with the alternative of becoming dried up bones you welcome such a sight. I love all those cattle watering holes, even bathed in a few and then proceeded to fill my water bottles. If you watched any of my IG stories, you’ll remember my Elk-Cow-Piss water. Kept a small bottle in case of an emergency or a bear wants to fight. #ECP
The desert is beautiful in her own way. When spent enough time with her you begin to see her beauty. It lies beneath the dust, dirt, beaming sun rays, dried up water holes and streams. Her landscape shaped by howling winds, raging forest fires and past waterways along with the occasional manmade structure. Life and death intertwine as if they are salsa dancing. It’s beautiful. She has a story to tell all you need to do is listen.
You have plenty of time to think when all you do is walk all day. You ponder about walking for a month straight to finish one state just to start all over and begin another one. It’s hard not to chuckle to yourself. It seems a bit bizarre, it feels like it is going to take forever and believe me walking day after day can feel like an eternity. But as those days pass you realize eventually all things come together and you find yourself at your destination. Upon looking back, you realize yes indeed it was that hot, shitty, and tiring. But you finished that section and move on to the next adventure the trail has to offer you. All things come to pass no matter who long it takes. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not promised and today is just a dream. No matter what season you are in, no matter how hot, cold, painful, tiring you may feel it will all come to an end. It’s in between those moments that define us as humans. Will you rise-up and conquer, push through those trials and tribulations or crumble at the sight of hardship and difficulty? Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor. Tomorrow the sun will rise, who knows what the tide will bring.
The wilderness is healing, a therapy for the soul. – Nicholas Kristof
Every time I spend a decent amount of time outside, in the wilderness, camping, whitewater rafting, etc I always feel a million times better and never want to leave. Am I coming home after this journey? As of now only to pick up my daughter Mila then we’ll see what happens. Spending time outdoors reduces your symptoms of anxiety and depression. Research has shown that natural sunlight can improve your mood and overall self-esteem. Serotonin is your body’s natural mood stabilizer, and it helps reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Spending time in nature is also a great way to practice mindfulness, being present in the moment, and reconnecting with yourself and nature. “Studies have shown that people’s brains have higher levels of serotonin on bright and sunny days, regardless if it was warm or cold out.” – Lifeworks
As you can see from the pic above I am taking some time to soak up the last rays of sun and work on my mental health after a long day of hiking. Damn it feels good.
The trail always provides. I had been walking for miles out in the open with no shade, no protection from the wind and I was exhausted after a 30+ mile day. I needed a place to sleep, the trail provided this concrete pipe. When worn out and exhausted you can sleep anywhere. When depleted and parched you’ll drink any water. #thetrailprovides.
Each small town has its own vibe, and has its history. Everyone knows everyone and their business. Real housewives have nothing on these small towns. Part of the adventure is meeting new people, not just other thru hikers. Although once you start talking with other hikers and get a feel for them it’s hard not to miss that all of us are out there for similar reasons. No need to discuss it in detail or even directly address it. You can feel it, you can sense it. It’s not everyday someone goes for a walk from Mexico to Canada.
The trail, people, towns, wildlife, events, etc are all part of the adventure. I like having the freedom to allow the wind to blow my sails where ever it feels. Kick back and enjoy the ride.
One state down four to go. The Adventure Continues. #TAC
Fishtales from the trail.
Fish
Fishtales 