Start: CDT north of NM 59
Finish: Winston, NM
Miles: 18.13 / 315.52 total
Ascent: 940 feet
I woke up this morning knowing this was likely going to be my last day on trail. Something had come up at home, and though I would decide after I got some WiFi in town and could communicate better than with text messages over my Inreach.
I packed up early and was ready to go before it was light out, so I started off by headlamp. I wanted to hit the road early to maybe catch someone going into work.
By headlamp, the CDT was harder to follow, and I lost it a couple times. Harder to see the cairns and faint treadway with the overgrowth.
As each thing happened, I enjoyed it as likely my last. An elk bugled. I passed a CDT trail marker. The trail went from single track to a 4×4 road.
However, fittingly, the trail went to single track for the final stretch to the road. A fitting end I think.
I arrived at a CDT trailhead at the road crossing to NM 59 which even included a vault toilet. Such luxury.
The road was paved which I had not been expecting, so I set up to hitch at the trailhead which seemed like a great spot. It is always good to help identify yourself as a hiker instead of a homeless person to try to get a hitch. The distinction by outward appearance can be quite subtle.
I waited for 30 minutes and not a single vehicle passed in either direction. Not a great sign. I could see from my map there were ranches and such down the road, so I figured I would start walking towards town (Winston) since that would put more places for people to come from between me and town. I didn’t expect to walk very far, but worst case I could make it to Winston today regardless while taking my destiny into my own hands rather than straight out relying on others.
I started walking. I walked, and walked, and not a single car passed me in either direction. In fact, it was about 2 hours before the first car passed me going the opposite way.
Around hour 3 of walking, 2 vehicles passed me going the correct way, but didn’t stop. NM 59 ended about 13.5 miles from where I started on it, which I could tell from the mile markers slowly counting down. I walked out that entire 13.5 miles with only the 2 cars passing me (plus the 30 minutes of waiting).
I turned onto NM 52 for the home stretch into Winston. Shortly after I passed a sign saying 9 miles (of the original 24) remained to Winston, the 3rd car stopped and picked me up. In that time, there were only 7 cars in the opposite direction. I walked a whole 15 miles of road while waiting for a hitch. That is by far my longest hitch ever, but at least I made it.
There isn’t cell service in Winston, so the General Store pointed me to the church which had open WiFi. After calling back home, I did decide that I needed to leave the trail, so the last of everything I was observing on my hike was relevant.
I was still in the middle of nowhere, so I got another hitch back to the interstate corridor, and worked my way down to El Paso for a flight home.
That is pretty much it for this hike. I will put together a retrospect for at least the portion of the trail I did at some point.
Signing off for now.
Yeti
