kristoHIKES.com: May 2022

Well here I am in Cuba, New Mexico, over 500 miles hiked so far on the CDT and one month complete. Northbound for Canada. Again. 2500+ miles of hiking, for 5 months straight. Again.

It's been great so far. Nearly perfect weather for the most part and my body is finally starting to agree with my mind that another long-distance hike is in fact, a great idea. I've been ahead of all the fires that have been occurring along our trail, however there is talk of shutting down the national forests of New Mexico due to the other areas currently enduring some of the worst fires in the history of the state. That will leave me with decisions of either some unsafe and rather major road walks around closed areas, or to potentially skip ahead and come back to finish missed parts later, which isn't really an option as anything I would be skipping ahead to is still covered in several feet of snow. At this point it's just a waiting game to see what the forest management teams decide to do and what options I have after that...

Some highlights:

• being bluff charged by a 1200+ lb Bull defending his watering hole...

• summiting Mt. Taylor 11,305 ft in 60mph winds

• running into old hiking friends from trails passed

• Gila Wilderness, crossing the river 200+ times and the hot springs. Especially the day I hiked 20 miles and still was able to soak morning, afternoon and night.

• San Pedro Parks Wilderness and taking unofficial routes that aren't on the app everyone is using to guide themselves. Felt like I had the mountains and trails to myself.

Top Media Consumed:

Music:

• Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead

• Billy Strings - anything really

• Greensky Bluegrass - LIVE vol 1 & 2

• Tool - Undertow & Æenima

Audio Books -

• Dharma Bums - Kerouac (for the 5-6x)

• Where the Deer and Antelope Play - Nick Offerman

• All the Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy

Podcasts:

• Ari Shaffir's Skeptic Tank