The first night in Grants was spent in a hotel room with two other hikers. I took care of laundry, ate a boatload of pizza, and watched a few hours of mindless television. With snow levels in Colorado still well above hikeable levels, the decision was made to take a zero and stay in Grants a second night. The town is thinly spread on the remnants of Route 66 and has not aged well. For Sale signs occupied every other store front and sun-bleached neon indicated services not offered for the last few decades.
Situated just of the trail, the Lava Flow Hostel was a bright spot in the dilapidated town. For $10, I booked the BYOB (bring your own bed) option and managed a few hours of sleep on the living room floor. A gaggle of hikers occupied the Hostel’s three buildings. The hum of conversation meandering around snow levels, wildlife sightings, and plans for the next segment of trail.
As luck would have it, a friend from my 2011 Appalachian Trail thru-hike was in town with his wife. Matt “Sweet Tea” and Emily “Eagle Eyes” Brown had just finished the Mexico to Grants section of the CDT and were in the process or re-working their summer adventure plans. In possession of a rental car, the Browns scooped me up and we spent an afternoon catching up over lunch and a few local beers. Though a decade has past since we walked 2,000 miles of the AT together, Sweet Tea and I picked up right where we left off. It was a joy to see the last ten years hadn’t changed the humble, kind, and thoughtful man I walked all those miles with in 2011. He has lived in a few different states and is now married to the wonderful woman who was the voice on the other end many a phone call all those years ago. I cannot wait to see where we meet up next.
An afternoon departure, a stomach full of chimichanga, and a paved road walk left me feeling a bit sluggish strolling north of Grants. By the time my shoes hit dirt, I was ready for the long ascent toward Mt. Taylor. While scrolling social media the day before I noticed a post by NPR about a super blood mood and lunar eclipse taking place the following morning. Figuring the summit of the tallest mountain on the New Mexico CDT would be a cool place to see a lunar eclipse, I hiked within four miles of the summit and set my Casio watch alarm for 2:45am.
A dense bank of clouds covered the second half of the lunar eclipse but the moonlit ascent of Taylor and stellar sunrise filled me with gratitude. Wrapped in my down quilt on the summit, fellow hiker Carrot and I waited for the sun to rise. Though I was still groggy from a restless night, the symphony of colors was worth the effort.
The remainder of the section to Cuba was some of the best hiking up to this point. Not to say there weren’t any more road walks, long hot waterless sections, or cow-pie filled fields but there were also beautiful canyons, regal volcanic features, and breathtaking views from arid mesa tops. I’m footsore, smell like football locker room concentrate, and have been eating junk for the last 3 weeks but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
