Cuba, NM

Cabazon, a free form rock formation bigger than Wyoming’s Devil’s Tower

Coming out of Ghost Ranch, the weather started getting pretty yucky on us. We learned quickly the hilarity of New Mexico mud: when it rains, the mud sticks to your shoes and then more mud sticks, and next thing you know, you are walking with heavy clown feet. It was a bit of a bother, but also funny to watch all the mud on our shoes.

It rained all the way into the San Pedro Parks wilderness and we camped higher than we had been planning–10,000 feet. There was snow all over the ground and the wood was very wet and difficult to get the Bushbuddy woodburning stove started. Ironically, though, there wasn’t much water to be found that day. I eventually got the fire going, but right as it boiled, I spilled the water and had to rebuild the fire and boil what little water I had left. That was a cooooolld night.

In the parks, we got snowed on and postholed through calf deep snow. Route-finding was much better than the Jley maps make it out to be–I suspect the posts that mark the “trail” may have been more visible in the snow. “Yikes,” I kept thinking, “if the San Pedros are this cold, wet, and snowy, what is Mt. Taylor at 11,300′ going to be like?” Right when I thought the trudging in snow/being snowed on would never end, we started going down, and instantly, saw golden aspen and a beautiful valley. We had a great time off and recuperation at Circle A Ranch—when I noticed Harry Potter 4 on their bookshelf and comfy couches by a big fireplace, I knew we had to stay there. MJ and Jack were so nice to us and we were their only guests. Amazing to have such a beautiful place to ourselves. They let us pick apples from their yard, which made my day, as my only sadness of hiking Southbound is that I’m missing out on my favorite fall rituals, one of which is picking apples.

Sipping tea, eating brownies I made in their kitchen, reading Harry Potter, sitting by the fire, and watching the storm rage outside…a very happy Snorkel.