We started hiking under the light of the full moon. A baby cottontail munched happily on a plant nearby before bouncing into the bushes. A young rattlesnake lay tightly curled on a patch of asphalt, flicking its tongue lazily as we passed, its tiny tail rattling in the wind. Skunk gourds grew next to the road, their long vines heavy with small, softball sized fruit.
We soon veered off the highway and headed across the desert into a relentless wind. The terrain seemed flat, so when we stopped for lunch under the shade of a juniper tree, we were surprised to discover that we had already gained over 1,000 feet in elevation!
After lunch we began climbing in earnest, eventually topping out on a ridge where we discovered .... trail! Thus far, actual trail tread along the New Mexico CDT has been sparse, consisting instead of cairned cross country routes interspersed with dirt 4WD and ranching roads. Finally hiking on actual trail tread along a ridge underneath oak and juniper trees felt luxurious. We happily cruised on trail for the rest of the day.
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