85 Miles through the Chihuahuan Desert – A Warm Welcome to the CDT
We wrapped up three busy yet fun weeks of work in catering at Coachella Music Festival April 22 (yes, I saw Beyonce’s show with 150 musicians and backup dancers 😮). We had a big day of traveling on the 24th driving from Indio to LA in classic bumper to bumper traffic, late check-in for our flight to Tucson, bags and ourselves made it to Tucson, Uber to food, last second check-in to our bus to Lordsburg (Greyhound on time – impressive), and arrived in Lordsburg approximately 12 hours before our shuttle to the terminus that would leave the following morning. We were as ready as we would get for our first 85 miles traversing the desert floor back to Lordsburg.
Day 1 – 15.5 Miles
The CDTC provides a shuttle to the terminus as well as 5 water caches between the terminus and Lordsburg. The shuttle (more info here) takes about 3 hours half of which is on a 4 wheel drive access only road. Our driver, Jeffery, owns property in the area and shared his knowledge of the surrounding land as well as plant and animal life that survives the desert.
It was actually a little cloudy and around 85°F when we arrived at the terminus. We joined our old friend, Katie, and our new friend, Jake, and the four of us began our great journey north.
It only took me two miles to roll my right ankle which I’m currently icing. Ankle brace has been ordered 👍
Day 2 – 17.5 Miles
Today we played find the trail moving slowly from one post to the next. The rocks on top reflect the sun making spotting the next post a little easier. I am actually enjoying being so far out in the middle of nowhere. Every time I revisit the desert, I seem to like it more.
Day – 21.7 Miles
Our biggest day yet. We love hiking in the mornings and getting some miles in before the sun bakes us alive. We finished our first half of the day gathered around a water cache and enjoyed a siesta until about 4 pm. The caches are a gift from the CDTC saving us from the less than desirable cow troughs in the area. We are all so grateful!!
Day 4 – 17.4 Miles
The most remote and empty day yet. We marched around the barren desert floor with nothing but rocks, sand, and the occasional cactus to distract us.
Day 5 – 12.9 Miles
Our last stretch back into Lordsburg. We got an early start in order to avoid the afternoon heat. Another beautiful day in the desert! 85 miles across the desert floor earned us some beers and a shower.
85 miles down, whatever to go. See you sometime, Canada 👣🌞🌵🌎
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Infinite Geography 
Thank you for the sharing the journey and for the gorgeous pictures! Sorry to hear about the ankle. Looking forward to the next chapter. Stay safe!
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 awesomeness!
This looks like a gorgeous start to the trail! I love how barren yet beautiful it looks. It’s so different than what I’m used to up in Alaska and I’d love to hike something like that someday!
YAYYYY!!!! Love you guys so much!! Be sure to take pics of any desert creatures, critters, and crawlers you encounter!! Cheers to the first 85 down!
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