The boys never caught up to me last night. This morning the same hunters that blinded me yesterday drove by and told me they had all camped together and “finished a bottle of tequila”. So maybe I won’t be seeing them until the next town 🙂
The hiking started with 3 hours of descent and then a big climb after lunch up Wagontongue Mountain. The rest of the day was up and down on pretty rough terrain, sometimes with a trail, but often just cross-country. There were lots of trees to shade me but it still got rather hot.
When I got to my afternoon water source (a pool deep in a canyon), I discovered that one of the parts of my chlorine mix had sprung a leak. The stuff only works when you mix two parts equally, so that was it, no more treating water in this section. With visions of Giardia dancing in my head, I gathered the water I needed from a trickle above the pool, and then hiked off. It probably took an hour before I took a sip.
I think I’ll be OK, I’ve drank a lot of untreated water on this trail. The only thing is that southern NM has a reputation for poor water quality, so this really isn’t the place to be without a treatment method. I’m not sure how I’ll get something at the next “town” either, as its really just a tiny store. Problems for later I guess!
Daily Summary
Date: Oct 18, 2011
Day 117
Daily Distance: 32.6 miles
Trip Distance: 2353.9 miles