Cuba to Grants, NM (10/21-10/27): 105 Miles
I’ve been putting off on this post because it means it’s just another step towards accepting the hike is over!
This was our last stretch of trail, our last time leaving town to get to the next and the last 105 miles that would connect our footpath. We left Cuba with full bellies, excitement and of course, some highway walking. Soon enough after leaving the blacktop surface, we were back on sand and surrounded by mesas, particularly Mesa Portales.
I’ve grown to love the desert and all that it offers: the beauty, the vastness, the challenges, and even the unknown. Twisted juniper trees guided the trail, as the sandstone cliffs dominated the surrounding landscape. Water was scarce - some dry and some frozen. We were thankful for the trail angels that planted a few water caches.
We hiked through 50mph winds for the majority of one day, with a few hours of rain stopping us to hide in our tent to stay dry. The skies cleared up, so we packed up the gear and trekked forward for water and 4 more miles to our campsite. We awoke to snow the next morning and waited it out till 10am - the latest we had ever stayed in our tent.
We again packed up and moved forward, finding that the winds were still whipping and the snow was getting more abundant as we gained elevation towards Mt. Taylor. Though we were still moving our bodies, the sun was setting and we walked all day with wet, frozen feet. Our bottles of water had chunks of ice in them, and my face was red from the winds. We crawled into our tent earlier than usual to get retain our body heat, cook dinner and wrap up in our sleeping bags. I remember Ross saying, "We just gotta get through the night" - I knew he was saying it with a smirk on his face, but I felt so cold that I somewhat took it seriously. This night was a chilling night of 20°F.
Mt. Taylor would have been our first real climb of the hike back at the end of June, but instead, it was our last. It felt surreal being here - knowing how hard this climb would have been several months ago, but as I approached it, though still out of breath, I felt confident in my strides. Leading up to our last climb wasn't the beauty you'd imagine the trail being - it was just a muddy jeep road up till the final mile, where it quickly turned to a snow-filled single track with towering pines. Our final mountain, the grand finale, our finisher: our last time looking at the top from the bottom to prepare for the climb, our last time being out of breath on the way up, and our last time being high in the sky with the birds and the clouds. We reached the top at 11,301’ in the final hour of daylight, soaked in the views one last time, and descended down to our final campsite. A campsite that was nothing spectacular, no amazing views - just a simple spot tucked under a pine tree to stay dry one final night.
Our last day of trail was a relaxed 20 miles - a fox sighting, flat terrain, and cool weather with the sun kissing my face and legs one last time. One last time. It sure didn't feel like it.
Passing the Cibola National Forest sign, a snake coiled up on the blacktop, and a "Do Not Pick Up Hitch Hikers in this Area" sign (due to a jail right off the highway), we road walked about 3 miles into Grants, our last CDT Community town. We stopped at a Family Dollar to grab a cold soda and some soap and shampoo. But we still had just a little bit more walking till we reached our *true* terminus - the Allsup’s Gas Station we had walked to back on 6/5. This gas station was our spot where we connected our footsteps, our footpath, our journey. For the CDT, this terminus felt oddly more appropriate than Glacier National Park. More beautiful than GNP? No. But, indeed, more fitting.
We saw the sign in the distance, taking our final steps towards the corner lot covered in advertisements and black top. We embraced eachother, took some photos, and went inside to grab a burger and chicken tenders from the hot rack. Then, we walked a bit more to the Lava Flow hostel. We were finally done with trail. A sense of accomplishment, relief and shock washed over me. We had just hiked 2,714 miles from Mexico to Canada. Later that night, we celebrated with some SOBO hikers with pizza + karaoke at Pizza 9.
We’ve been home since 10/27, and although it feels good to be home, I am already missing the simplicity of the last 6 months. I don’t quite yet have the words to express what this hike has provided me, but I do know that this journey will forever hold a special place within me.
I embraced the wanderlust of this trail, but more than anything, I embraced the brutality. Along with views, people, places, mountains, valleys, wildlife, flowers, dark and blue skies, hard times, joyful times, and everything........everything in between.
I’m so happy you all followed my posts along the way - thank you SO much for the support. It has been incredible.
We did it! We are officially a part of the CDT Class of 2022!
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