Day 29 (May 24, 2021)

586.1 to 607.9 (21.8 miles)

Just a nice day to hike.

Almost all was actual trail today, with just a little bit of ATV track at the end leading to my eventual campsite. Though sunny most of the day, temperatures were moderate and a light wind made things even better.

More ups and downs today, with one final climb onto a mesa that eventually led to my campsite being the biggest. I have been dreading steeper climbs but am slowly discovering it is more in my head than my physical ability. I have been trying to do them too fast. If I deliberately slow my pace and think about controlling my breathing, I finish the climb without being wiped out. Still working on it.

I didn’t see any other hikers today, which is surprising. There are two hikers behind me that I expected to pass me today. I hope all is well.

The main goal for the first half of the day was a water cache maintained by a family near a major road crossing. There is another source several miles prior to that one but Guthook comments say it is not very good and currently has a bloated dead cow next to it. Water cache it is.

No great stories from today. Decent miles, great landscape, hard time finding a decent place to put up the tent. The area I selected to camp had been apparently opened to cut firewood in the last couple of years. There was a lot debris left over and not much small grasses left from vehicle traffic, so the soil loose and sandy. But, with a little patience I found a spot between two small piñon trees.

My average mileage since leaving Grants is working out as planned to get to Cuba tomorrow.

The landscapes, views, sunrises, and sunsets are really hard to describe and almost becoming ‘commonplace’. They shouldn’t be.