Well, I basically didn’t sleep last night. Every car woke me and dogs barked all night, making me think they were coming for me :). So that made the hike today painful. Pizza Hut was still disagreeing with me too, so I barely ate all morning.
I walked past this giant mine for about 2 hours in the morning, it was just a mountain or a pyramid maybe, of tailings. Then I climbed the only mountain around and on the way up got my first real desert water. It was out of a cow trough and the pool feeding it was totally fouled by cows. I took as little as possible.
At lunch I realized I had made a horrible miscalculation about how many miles it was from Lordsburg to the border. I thought 60 miles but when I added it up while looking at the water situation, I came up with 85. So my leisurely finish is now going to be a sprint! Also, the water looks pretty terrible the rest of the way.
In the afternoon it got really hot and my lack of sleep and food caught up with me. I had a little nap at the next water, another trough but this time at least the water was pretty clear even if in the trough it looked bad (lots of things alive and huge algae blooms). Then I used a Gatorade powder packet and that helped me push the rest of the evening.
I hit a solar powered water tank right after dark, and it still worked! Best water since town and I guzzled a litre and wetted my hat, bandana and shirt. I really hope today us just an exception and I get used to the heat or it gets cooler. As it is, I’m going to be up well before dawn to try and beat the eat a bit… And then walk 35+ miles, while stopping in Lordsburg to buy food.
Daily Summary
Date: Oct 23, 2011
Day 122
Daily Distance: 34.8 miles
Trip Distance: 2501.9 miles