Made it to Lordsburg! Got in around midnight after a long day of travel. I started off the day fighting a monstrous head cold that had hit me out of the blue the day before. It was rough. Airports and Greyhound Bus stations are depressing enough places without a pounding headache and steady waves of nausea. I never stay sick for long, though and by noon I was feeling better and had found my appetite again. Things got even better when I walked into the Tuscon station to use the mens room and bumped right into Jess (Nightcrawler)! We had no idea that we would be on the same bus, so it was a great surprise and also helped ease the last few hours of the ride. Here I am snapping a selfie as soon as I walked in the Econo Lodge.
We excitedly barged in on a sleepy Meg (Delightful), who had arrived earlier that afternoon. The temperature was so perfect we opened the door and fell asleep talking and laughing late into the night. After a good nights rest I awoke to my first morning of many to come here in New Mexico.
I also woke up to the whoops and hollers of an excited group of hikers packing up and heading to the trail. I didn't have time to zoom in before they piled in the truck, but one of the whoopers ended up being Capitán, a hiker I met in 2013 that had volunteered along the PCT. She was in the area to do a section of the Gila (hee-luh) Wilderness with a friend. Then it was down to breakfast to meet the other CDTers at the motel.
The vibe at breakfast was ridiculous and fun and it was awesome to meet a lot of the people we'll be starting with.
Sorting our resupplies and trying on our snazzy new CDT socks made by Point 6. Then it was off to the store to get some snacks and fresh ingredients. A lot of the towns along the hike will be tiny and Lordsburg is no exception. High clouds and a strong breeze made for a pleasant stroll.
We've been keeping steadily busy; snacking, hydrating and doing small projects; the ladies making a super cool trail sign on Jess's Tyvek ground cloth, me stopping to type up some words.
As the afternoon rolled on more hikers arrived; some just to town, others that had just hiked from the border. This really is CDT hiker headquarters. We welcomed Lionheart and Beads to the fray, and I even spied the familiar face of our friend #Two as I passed by one of the rooms. He was part of our starting group on the PCT and this will complete his Triple Crown. His friend She Bear (they met on the AT) even treated us to some trail magic! What a great day. :)
To cap off the night we watched the sun set and drank champagne that Jess bought with juice and fresh strawberries. We toasted with a nice Austrian named Banana Pants who hiked most of the CDT last year and is back to tackle it again. Then we met Deja Vu who wasn't too familiar with smartphones, but was really knowledgable about the trail.
It was a good day. Tomorrow we take a three hour drive to the border. And hey, what's a hiker blog without a picture of a meal? (more on my love affair with Hatch green chile later) ;)