Hashtag Bootheel! Currently sitting in some nice cool air conditioning inside an Econolodge in the small southern New Mexican City of Lordsburg. I spent the last 4 days walking here from the Mexican border across the state’s bootheel. The sun during the day down here is hot and shade is hard to come by but it’s nothing unreasonable. At night and early mornings are cool and crisp with the morning hours providing some of my favorite miles to walk. The sunsets and sunrises have been impressive and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Milky Way with such clarity before. The stars at night are big and bright, in New Mexico. The best is when I wake up in the middle of the night and look up, it’s indescribable really, just lots and lots and lots of stars. Let me bring you back a few days and explain how I got started on this hike.

I’ve been traveling and hiking with my friend Queen B and on Saturday the two of us took a shuttle from El Paso, TX to Silver City, NM. Silver City was hosting a festival for the hikers put on by the CDTC(Continental Divide Trail Coalition) and we caught the Saturday evening portion of it. It was cool, I ran into some old friends and got to watch a presentation from Pepper about his winter thru hike of the PCT. We were hoping to start our hike the next day and Wizard from the CDTC was very helpful getting us rides down to the Mexican border. First, Peru gave us a ride to Lordsburg where we stayed Saturday night (this is the same place I’m at now, sorry for the confusion) and the next morning Radar drove us down to the Crazy Cook monument where the trail begins. It was an eventful ride. It took about 3 hours for Radar to drive a total of 5 hikers in a big 2500 pickup to the border. About half of the ride is bumpy back roads off the highway that aren’t really maintained. I drank a ton of coffee that morning and had to pee so bad.

There’s really not much down here, besides the tiny town of Hachita that we stopped at while driving down and maybe a  cattle ranch here or there in the distance. That doesn’t mean the desert isn’t alive. It’s greener than I thought it would be and I’ve seen a fair amount of wildlife including: a couple javelinas, a few herds of pronghorn, jack rabbits, cottontail rabbits, red tailed hawks, turkey vultures, small lizards, horned toads and a big gopher snake or something that I apparently missed stepping on less than an inch. I’m not sure what kind of snake this was and I wouldn’t even had known it was there if Queen B didn’t stop in her tracks and say, “Endless! What are you doing? You almost stepped on that snake’s head!”  I wish she didn’t say anything because now I’ve been worried that snake is following me and will try to slither into my sleeping bag at night to cuddle. I’ve been a little more cautious since then.

This section has been tough but a really good start to the hike. Tough in that it’s hot and not much water and navigation can be difficult but the elevation profile has been mild and the miles have been fun. At times it can be a little uncomfortable but it hasn’t yet been unenjoyable. I’m really glad to be thru hiking again and it’s been fun to be back among the other hikers. There has been probably about a dozen other people in this stretch and I think all have thru hiked the PCT or the AT before, but mostly both.

We did about 15 today and got into town before noon for a nice long half day break with a shower, hot food, and clean clothes. Planning on getting up and on trail at the b-crack of dawn tomorrow and continue walking north to Canada. Next stop: Silver City!

-Endless

PS All My Love!

PPS Check out my insta for more pictures of this last section @endlesspsummer

Day 1Crush City all the way to Canada, I hope! Queen B unsuccessfully securing a ride to Lordsburg from Silver City

I eat whatever I want and call it lunch

Shade fort

You’re never gonna make it! I sat on a piece of cactus the other day, cartoon character styleSnake!! Mexico on the left US on the right Crossing a road in the middle of nowhere Pyramid mountain