2024 CDT # 4 Cuba-Ghost Ranch-Chama NM

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.”

      Arnold Bennett – English novelist

Well, unfortunately, our getting new shoes was a change for the better BUT was full of discomfort- for me at least!
Once again, real life lessons about footwear and blisters are happening.  The frequency of this is ALMOST funny! The following is NOT a ‘poor me’ story, it is a ‘stupid me’ story…

Ok so, we depart from Grants like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz following the yellow brick road with our new shoes skipping along.                         

Day 1 is a half day and we hike 14 miles. My existing heel edge blisters are warm.                                              

Day 2 we overdue it with 29 miles (18 of them on  hard packed forest roads). I now have ball of foot tenderness along with enlarged heel edge blisters that pinch at each step and shin splints are acting up.                          

Day 3 (27 miles) I wear compression socks to aid the shin issues, tape donuts to all blisters and modify my gait because of ball of foot irritation. WHAT A MESS! I can’t get my mind away from my feet! At times I yell out with frustration and am dragging my ass well back from Jobie. I have never felt pain like this before which bewilders me. I breakdown and finally take ibruprofen. This does take the pain down a knotch to a level of discomfort rather than scattered sharp and throbbing foot pains. We are now hiking through some of the more scenic areas on trail, yet, I am stuck in my feet.     

Day 4 (23 miles) again amongst such a gorgeous landscape I am feeling pain and my focus is inward.
While taking 2 rest days in Cuba NM with some consultation (Thank you Geoff) I have a new plan. Massage ball the shins and soles of feet, continue to tape up and donut the blisters, rest, epsom salt baths twice daily (when in town), buy new insoles. Remove the compression socks to allow more circulation and reduce numbness/pain in feet, and loosen the shoelaces. Wear only one pair of socks.
Think healing thoughts and get back out there!

We climb out of the town of Cuba on a well engineered trail that makes the elevation gain not noticeable. The forests change as we get higher: pinyon/juniper trees surround until 6,000-7,000′ when ponderosa pine trees peak. At 7-8,000′ fir and aspen are everywhere and then above 9,000′ in the penthouse for trees we find healthy spruce. I can tell our altitude by the species of tree. I feel more closely connected to my surroundings by having learned this.

Sleeping in a screen tent with the fly off allows views of the Big Dipper and its nightly rotation. This is “cowboy camping” at its best. The graceful moon comes and goes as you listen for the chitters of the birds to wake you.

Our bedding consists of an orange “NEMO” waffle mat, a ” Klymit” lattice blowup mat (inertia ozone- all body bulges fit miraculously in the holes- game changer) a very expensive down sleeping bag (western mountaineering -10).

We chose to take the alternate trail that passes through GHOST RANCH which is where the famous modernist painter, Georgia O’Keeffe, lived and painted. Gorgeous setting with distinct rock formations, room to breathe and remote. The ranch is a shared space with various groups of artists, dude ranch enthusiasts, christian groups, and hikers all milling about in the beauty.

We have had some good fortune with wildlife spotting. Most sightings happen quickly so capturing a photo doesn’t happen. Instead we replay the instances again and again in our minds. Elk prefer the wooded areas and when sighted amongst the trees they are dashing away with their whitish bums bouncing. Once a herd of 40 or so elk were crossing a grassy meadow skittishly following each other. They looked like camels on a trot as they held their heads high with necks stretched out and their hinds all tucked under.
Antelopes have such distinct markings with black lines accentuating their heads and pronghorns and brushmarks of white on their toasty brown torsos. They are curious beasts. Jobie came over a small rise in an endless meadow to find a group of 8 antelope. They all in unison raised their heads and stood full frontal staring at him. As he advanced in their direction they turned and relocated a short distance away only to face him and continue their unified full frontal staring. They repeated this play several times until they were satisfied and moved on.
We caught 2 javelinas by surprise near a cattle tank. They were munching on grass and prickly pear cactus which allowed us to approach closely. We came upon some in Arizona a few years back in a similar environment. As soon as they spotted us they scrambled away in a panic on their short legs.
We have seen lots of beaver tracks and their handiwork along the Gila river, skunk evidence, black bear claw marks on trees, mule deer by the dozens, tufted eared gray squirrels and coyote sightings, poops, and song. We followed mountain lion tracks on the trail for miles one morning. The prints look smaller than what we have seen previously in Canada. The rarest mammal has been the Mexican Gray Wolf which we spotted on day 2 in the shadeless desert. After speaking to some US park rangers our sighting was confirmed.The wolf had a thick coat of fur and its stature was NOT that of a coyote. The muzzle was fuller and body much larger. These wolves were reintroduced decades ago and are slowly making their return. It excitably took our breath away to see this wolf.

Running on tired creates a downward mental spiral, therefore, our plan is shifting to focus on slowing down and enjoying more which includes more breaks, and less distance per day. The fear of not finishing this long long trail in one season has weighed on me. We are  now settling down to allow “whatever will be will be” and get done what we can. I feel better just saying this!

We finished New Mexico! (Our mileage is 613 in 28 full hiking days). Colorado are you ready for us??

Things that surprised and impressed me about New Mexico:
More trees and cooler temperatures (after the southern desert section) due to the higher elevation.
No BUGS at this point in the season!! As Canadians this should be noted!! Although there are too many crisscrossing roads, there are fewer inhabitants scattered about these huge open meadows than expected. Only 2 million people live in the whole state.
We have come across more elk than fellow hikers on a daily basis. Refreshing!
Spring is invigorating here with the new green of aspen leaves, the busy, happy birds and the vast grass meadows which all help to cleanse the soul.