Pie Town - Grants, NM (Mile 424.6-534)

(Mile 424.6-534)   June 3rd - June 6th 

I’m 534.6 miles in! The walk from Pie Town to Grants, NM, was pretty much all road walk. 16 miles out of Pie Town I made a stop at the TLC Ranch for some great food and a place to camp. Larry, Charity, and their family are incredible! We all helped cook the meal then sat around the table and just enjoyed eachother’s company.

The following morning I got on the road I went through the Cebolla Wilderness to get off the road for a few miles and into some canyons. The asphalt is pretty rough on the feet, so I was glad to get back on the sand and dirt. I picked up a hawk feather (my favorite bird) that was laying on the trail and stuck it on my pack. I’ll carry it all the way to Canada.

At some point later in the night mice chewed through both my shoe laces, chewed the cork handle of my trekking pole, and ran off with one of my socks! I fixed my shoe laces with 550 cord and grabbed a new pair of socks and I continued down the road.

Later I got back off the road onto the Narrows Rim Trail to get on top of a canyon that overlooks the El Malpais lava fields! For miles the ground is just black with trenches, razor sharp rocks, and lava caves. The Rim trail is actually a loop so to continue on I had to find my way down the cliff sides to get back on the road. It comes out overlooking a massive sandstone arch that is a stunning sight to see. 

As I was walking down the road trying to get to my campsite a car stopped and a European couple gave me an orange, banana, and a coke. The kindness of strangers always comes at just the right timing. It was 8:00 at night and I was at 21 miles my feet were aching with each step so I was incredibly thankful for their generosity. I camped later on that night at the Joe Skeen Campground. I did 24 miles that day so I didn’t feel like setting up my tent so I just threw my sleeping bag on top of the picnic table and went to bed. The benefit of the desert is there are no mosquitos at night.

The next morning I continued walking down the highway towards Grants. I walked over the overpass of I 40 and ate lunch at a subway at a gas station. I then finished the last 5 miles and made it to my hotel in Grants. I believe I have a strained ankle so I’m taking a few days to heal up before continuing the 110 miles to the next town! This section was kind of dull due to the trail following the roads, but I’m one step closer to Colorado!