Lucy Ondo

Day 1 to day 6

April 2 to April 7, 2018

Ghost and I were happy to meet the other three thru hikers: Dirt Bag, Hopeful, and Bean. All are in their 20s and fast hikers. A good group of guys.

Left to right: Ghost, Hopeful, Dirtbag, Inspector & Gadget, and Bean at Crazy Cook monument at border of Mexico

(Inspector & Gadget are section hikers aiming to complete New Mexico)

Radar the CDT volunteer who drove one of the two shuttles taking hikers to border. Crazy Cook is in middle of nowhere via extremely rough rutted dirt roads. The ride took almost four hours.

Hopeful is helping unload our packs.

Ghost and me

It was eleven in the morning by the time we were headed north to Canada. We pass through a desert section with blazes to lead the way followed by a long walk up an old dirt road. The last few miles was a walk within a large dry sandy wash. Camped at the first water cache at mile 14.

The second day is bushwhacking through the many ravines over the flanks of the Big Hatchet mountains. I was trying to survive and did not stop to take many photos.

The only ocotillo I saw in bloom.

This second day is an introduction in the CDT trail motto “embrace the brutality” and is the toughest hiking in this first section. According to Radar 50% of thru hikers road walk this area to avoid the difficulty.

How I felt.

The third day skirts the Little Hatchet range and is much easier hiking as there is now a foot path to follow between blazes. Last year we were whacking along checking our gps every few steps until we saw a blaze to confirm we were on the CDT.

Everything out here is prickly.

On the fourth day the scenery improves and there are occasional glimpses of beauty.

Following is a bush I typically lean against for shade at breaks and lunch:

On the sixth day we got up before dawn, packed up our tents and hurried the last six miles into Lordsburg for a shower.

For a thru hike I had to start at border again. Should I think about hiking the Boot Hill of New Mexico again please take me out and shoot me.