Grants, New Mexico

I am in Grants, New Mexico, after hiking a solid stretch from Chama to here.  I am with a group of 14 other hikers, and we have decided to stick together for the remainder of the trail.  Who said that this trail was a solitary experience?

New Mexico has been awesome with its long. easy, mesa walks, warm desert terrain, and stunning, colorful scenery.  This has been such a change of pace from the cold, snowy, slopes of Colorado, and a reward of sorts for us southbound hikers.  I also just went over Mount Taylor (11,301-feet), and that peak represents the last time I will be above 10,000-feet on this entire trip.  Yeah!

My next stretch looks to be pretty easy, as I walk to Pie Town.  I understand that there are lava fields in the Malpais National Monument that pose a challenge, but for the most part, it looks like I will remain at 6,000-7,000-feet.

I just updated my trail journals, but I am still behind.  If you are reading my journal, please bear with any mistakes in typing, etc.  Unfortunately, wi-fi internet is shoddy at hotel rooms, so I have to go to places like the Grants Chamber of Commerce - Mining Museum to get things done.  I have also updated my videos, which you will notice on the side the screen here on the blog.  I also uploaded all my current pictures on Flickr.  Check them out.

Again, I am having the time of my life out here on the trail.  I have only 418-miles to go on this journey, and a big part of me does not want it to end.  However, there is that part of me that wants to get this trail finished - that is that part of me that wants to sleep in a warm bed, eat healthy meals, not freeze, and not feel pain in my hips and feet at the end of the day.  In spite of the visual rewards on this hike, it is sometimes taxing on the body and psyche.

I will probably not be able to update things for a while, as I make a long journey from Grants to Mimbres, NM without internet and other digital services.  I hope to make another update in two weeks.  See ya!