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61: Gila Alt

Morning sounds: Raindrops on my tent; the bugle of a nearby elk; a singular cow moo in the far distance; a bird call a can’t identify, sounding like a ticker tape; a hummingbird’s wings; coyotes yipping

About a mile into the day I arrived at a major crossroads between the “main” CDT and the Gila Wilderness alternate (or “alt” in CDT-speak). Most CDT hikers choose the Gila alt, getting to hike through a long canyon filled with water, pictographs, and hot springs. Sounds lovely! At this point the already faint mainline CDT all but disappears, at least in terms of something one could plausibly ride on a bike (based on my recognizance this morning).

After much deliberation, I opted to ride the first ~20 miles of the Gila alt (and the Gila alt High Route alt) before rejoining the GDMBR.

As forecasted, a series of thunderstorms rolled through this afternoon, driving me into my tent for a few hours. When the last black cloud finally cleared the western horizon, I repacked and soon dropped into a lovely riparian desert canyon. The canyon offered an entirely new landscape and environment. As you might imagine, the Continental Divide Trail offers many stunning high ridges and very few canyons. I immensely enjoyed being among willows, green grass, and canyon walls for a few miles.

The canyon terminated at a lake with a campground and even a water spigot! After a brief climb, this evening’s ride has been along the bench of a large plateau overlooking a valley. Though predominantly gravel road and double track, I’m quite pleased with my route choice today.

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59: Pie Town

Part of the fun of this trip is getting to “discover“ and experience places that are part of the lower of the CDT or GDMBR. Pie Town is one such place. Located in the middle of nowhere and home to a few hundred people at most, Pie Town feels immediately welcoming upon arrival, from the prayer flags fluttering on porches, free in-town camping, to the demeanor of the staff at The Gathering Place restaurant when I walked in. (And, yes, the pie was excellent.)

And then there’s the Toaster House, a free hiker/biker hostel. A CDT/GDMBR staple since time immemorial, the perennially open house is festooned with old toasters and hundreds of pairs of worn out hiking shoes. I availed myself of a hot shower and took advantage of the well equipped bicycle maintenance station in the front yard. It was such a neat and cozy place I was tempted to just stay and hang out—and might have if not for the foolish thought that I could make it to Silver City by noon on Saturday to pick up my next resupply supply box.

Those hopes died quickly when I soon found myself peddling across a large plain with no hint of a trail in sight, only a series of cairns and post stretching to the distant mountains. (In retrospect I wish I had taken the common Pie Town Road Walk Alt. / GDMBR, rather than ride 13 miles of highway to no trail.) Once I reached the foothills a more defined trail appeared, but here to going was slow on the soft surfaces. Where opportunity presented itself, I bailed off onto jeep roads intermittently, and eventually onto the GDMBR for a few quicker miles as the sun set, stopping around 7 pm to grab some water for dinner from a stagnant cow pond.

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