HIKE DIARY
Backpacking & thru-hiking
is not always blissful
NM: Narrows Trail to Grants, 8 miles (with hitch)
The final day of my hike is past a glorious arch then across amazing and ancient lava fields before heading to Grants and home.
NM: Pie Town to Narrows Trail, 16 miles (with hitch)
I hitch most of the long, dusty road, but my walk continues on long dusty road ending in a miraculous campsite with a watering hole.
Second Spring
Spring reminds us that change is inevitable, and no matter how uncomfortable that might feel, change is also full of promise.
NM: Big Pond to Pie Town, 12 miles (with hitch)
It’s a short day since I hitch a ride for the last several miles of road, but ends with incredible generosity.
NM: Aragon Well to Martin Canyon, 24 miles
Three beautiful tanks offer water today as I climb up and over 9,000+ foot Mangas Mountain.
Let the Day Unfold
The lowly New Zealand sandfly teaches us about impermanence, to keep moving forward and to stay open to possibility.
NM: Cox Trailhead to near Aragon Well, 18 miles
It’s a glorious day of sunshine and beautiful views, plus good water sources. I climb up and out of the Gila and back to grassland where I camp all alone.
NM: Gila Tank to Cox Canyon Trailhead, 18 miles
The landscape looks like prairie and I’m concerned about a snowstorm in this exposed landscape, but luck out with only a few squalls.
Life is Wide
“Life may be short, but it’s also wide” suggests we accept life’s limits while also being astonished by its abundance.
Never Quit on a Bad Day
When everything goes sideways and you’re having a bad day, repeat the mantra to not quit today but instead give yourself the self-love, the break, the reset to get back on track.
NM: Gila River to Gail Tank, 13 miles
I almost leave the trail with a couple of cowboys, but a miscommunication leaves me waiting, then moving on just as the sky lights up orange and yellow.
NM: Middle Fork, Gila River, 18 miles
The walk through the river surrounded by quirky towers continues before I climb above for an 11-mile hike to again return and camp on the Gila’s banks.
