Twig Adventures

June 25th, 2019 Chief Mountain, Canadian Border mm 0 to Many Glacier campground, 1 mile from CDT mm 35 Distance in miles: 28 0800-1900 What a journey it has been. Due to my long hiatus, I don’t know what to call this start? Re-start? Day 1? I’m going with that. It was a fantastic start, perhaps the best first day ever. I’ve loved every first day though and it’s hard to compare them. Today saw us getting up at 5:30 am after a rather restless night. I was too excited to sleep, plus it was light out until 11 pm, then light again by 4:30 am. It had been a long day of travel the day before, first to Kalispell[…]

So, it’s been some time, hasn’t it? The roller-coaster of life manifested in a way other than the ups and downs of the trail. It happens. Be forewarned, this is a long one! When last I posted, I’d been having a rough go of the trail, at least weather-wise. It had rained steady all night and Relentless and I woke to a sodden, cold day. We hiked out through the lovely field from the day before, only it had since turned into a mud pit…the kind that balls up on your shoes and even trekking pole tips, making everything it touches instantly weigh 10 lbs more. I’d already had it with this day by the time we got back to[…]

Friends, it is with a heavy heart that I had to suspend my journey along the CDT, as well as daily blogs. I have been called home to Colorado to face one of life’s more difficult eventualities. My dad is ill and may not have much time left. I made it 376 miles along the various routes, just 35 miles short of Grants, NM. I was doing well and feeling great. The CDT threw some curveballs but other than being cold and a bit wet, I was surviving. I definitely needed a warmer sleeping pad and maybe a few more layers. Plus, I was nearing the snow line and would have had to soon flip or wait for a lot[…]

May 9th, 2019 TLC Ranch mm 440.5 to mm 452.5, then to Cebolla Canyon Alt mm 17.5 Distance in miles: 29.5 0700-1800 I woke up to everything covered in frost, including the inside and outside of my tent. There was nothing to do but to pack it up, stiff and frozen. We said our goodbyes to everyone and hit the road, the first hikers of the day. The landscape was so extraordinary with all the frost and dew. The sun came up and started drying everything. Twelve miles went by like nothing and then we had to decide on a route. The main CDT goes in a big horseshoe to encompass the chain of craters, a series of old cinder[…]

May 8th, 2019 Pie Town CDT mm 424.5 – TLC Ranch mm 440.5 Distance in miles: 16 0900-1400 I slept amazingly well considering that there were 7 of us sleeping in the loft. No one snored and I didn’t need my earplugs. We all slept in a bit…well, it was at least sleeping in for me. I wasn’t in a hurry to leave since the weather looked absolutely crappy outside. I had also planned to wait for Relentless. He ordered a new tarp that was supposed to arrive mid-day. But then he cooked up an idea of walking to the next guest ranch, 16 miles up the road, and hitching back to get his tarp. There was a lot of[…]

May 7th, 2019 Davila Ranch Rest Stop Pie Town alt mm 26.2 – Pie Town CDT mm 424.5 Distance in miles: 14 0830-1330 For the first time this trip, I wake in the night and can see no stars. It’s an overcast day. Later it becomes partly cloudy. Relentless makes an awesome breakfast of eggs and potatoes from all the goodies in the fridge. I post blogs and am amazed to find that my app is finally working! The wifi at this remote place is great…what wonders! Relentless and I leave leave the stop rather late in the morning but it’s only a 14 mile walk on the road to Pie Town. Along the way, I of course find some[…]

May 6th, 2019 Aragon Well mm 375 – Davila Ranch Rest Stop, Pie Town alt mm 26.2 Distance in miles: 27 0645-1730 It’s a somewhat uneventful hiking day but the reward at the end is great. To start out the morning, I mistakenly dump dehydrated refried bean flakes into my pot, mixing them with a few spoonfuls of nido milk power. In the dark, the bag of beans looks the same as my muesli. It’s as disgusting as you might imagine and I can only stomach a few mouthfuls. I don’t even bother to eat the right breakfast. As I depart, I can see Wraps huddled in his sleeping bag, cowboy camping under a tree. It’s cold again and my[…]

May 5th, 2019 Gila Alt. mm 101.1 – CDT mm 375 Distance in miles: 26 0645-1830 There were some intriguing sounds overnight. I heard a whip-poor-will, owls, coyotes, and some unidentified grunting coming from some beast. A cow, elk, deer…who knows? It’s also very cold once again, into the 30’s. I could lay in bed until it warms up some. How nice would it be to start hiking once the sun is already shining? But no, that’s not what thru-hiking this long of a trail is about. The early bird gets the miles. Besides, it’s the best feeling, after suffering for hours walking in the cold, when the first rays of sunlight finally hit. It’s magical. I walked about 4[…]

May 4th, 2019 Gila Alt. mm 73.6 – mm 101.1 Distance in miles: 27.5 0630-1830 It was so very cold when I woke up…into the 30’s. Putting on wet shoes and socks was bad enough but I dreaded starting off immediately with river crossings. We had to plunge into the icy water in our first 30 steps. Then over and over again after that. I couldn’t feel my feet and my rash burned. I was wearing all my layers, including my tights. They got wet below the knees but I didn’t care. Thank goodness that there weren’t any waist-high crossings like the first day. We only had to go about 4 miles to the end and were so happy to[…]

May 3rd, 2019 Mm 49.4 – Gila Alt. mm 73.6 Distance in miles: 24.2 0630-1930 It was a long, tedious, but beautiful day working our way up the river. I slept well and was ready for a full day. The canyon walls are very high, steep, and narrow in this section, which means there are even more river crossings. But all the while I felt like I was surrounded by magnificent castle walls. I have enjoyed several river canyons from a raft but this is one of the grandest I have seen. Too bad I was on foot and had to be looking down most of the time. There was really good trail up to Jordan hotsprings, a popular overnight[…]