On Thursday, we got dropped off deep in the desert of southern New Mexico. Many thanks to Leslie & Tanya for driving us, especially those last 33 miles over rough roads. Left at the border, we ate spam & cheese sandwiches with chili cheese fritos. Then we began to walk, my excitement at actually being on the trail making that first days 14 miles seem easy.
We walked for 5 days through rough desert, feeling grateful to be doing so in 50 degree weather. On the afternoon of day two, fog turned quickly to a squall with beating rain & charging wind. We had not prepared for pouring rain, and by the time we found a safe place to erect our tent, much of our gear was sopping wet, including one of the sleeping bags. Fortunately, one was dry, and we had two emergency blankets with us. We made it through the night with minor suffering & mostly warm. It took most of the next two days to get that sleeping bag dry, just in time for last night's steady rain & wind.
The desert is such a different place when covered in fog & rain clouds. We've enjoyed such gorgeous days and delighted in a couple of glorious sunrises. The coyotes, birds & jack rabbits seem excited by the weather, each of them darting around, the coyotes yipping us awake each morning.
This afternoon we walked into Lordsburg & promptly got a room at the Econo Lodge. We are loving the comforts: shower, toilet, trash can, restaurant. Our bodies are struggling to adapt to the new demands we're placing on them. We're wore out, yet grateful for the time & resources to be out here.
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