October 13th, 2024
Mile Marker: 2469.1
Miles Hiked: 21
We started out the morning hike around 4 AM. Packing up our belongings quickly and eating as we walked out. It was chilly but we knew we would warm up quickly with the climb.
It was dark but we could see the stars twinkling away, such a beautiful site.
As we climbed up we saw the lights of Albuquerque in the distance and then eventually Grants on the other side. As we were nearing the top of Mount Taylor we saw the sky start to glow red as the sun was inching up.
We made it to the top around 7 and had 15ish minutes to spare before the sun would completely come up.
We sat, ate snacks, drank water, and felt our spirits being lifted as the sun rose. It was stunning.
After a little bit we hiked down as we were fairly cold once we stopped moving. The descent was equally beautiful letting us see far along the horizon. I felt a sense of peace and accomplishment, like I finally was in a groove being back.
Aster, Twilight, and I hiked the descent together, stopping at a spigot to get our last water for the next 10 miles. We met three other CDT hikers here and were shocked we hadn’t met them before. It’s always so surprising to meet new hikers this late in the hike.
We hiked along and Twilight started asking me questions about Peace Corps. We spent a while talking about what it’s like and my experience in Ethiopia. It was fun to reminisce, telling stories that I hadn’t in a while and new ones that I had forgotten about that came up with his questions.
We eventually made it to the Mount Taylor trailhead and looked at the road we were supposed to walk on for 5 miles to get into Grants, New Mexico and said no way.
The road had absolutely no shoulder and we didn’t want to kill our already tired feet, so we hitched.
Twilight decided to hike it and Aster and I stood on the side of the road for a total of 5 minutes and grabbed a hitch easy.
A truck with two men pulled over and let us hop in the back. We zoomed down the road and both had a huge smile on our faces as the wind cooled us off. This was definitely the right decision.
The men dropped us off right in front of our hotel and wished us well. How wonderful.
We checked into our hotel, went to Dennys for lunch, then resupplied at Walmart and did laundry.
By the time we were done with town chores it was 7:30 ish. We grabbed a Subway dinner and relaxed. My legs and feet are swollen and tired and I’m so happy to be sleeping in a comfy bed tonight. It’s been a long, hot, hard four days but I’m so looking forward to continuing.
I’m finding my way slowly but surely.
Sleep well.
Iz and Oz
Izzy + Ozzy 