Sec 6, Pie Town, NM to Antelope Wells, NM - D28

07/07 Day 28 New Mexico  Geronimo Trail Ranch, CDT alternate, Pinos Altos, Silver City (70 miles, 14.5 hrs)

We dared talk about the finish today but the Tour Divide was not letting us go so easily.

The end was so close.  A mere 200 miles.  My stomach hurt.  My legs tired, hell I’m tired.  It is going to be hot even for me who trained in the already 90 degree heat at home.  Home.  I was ready to be there. 

The 4 of us packed up and once more rolled off in the dark. 

Right away, the forest road climbed and descended; 3 mile climb, descend; 2 mile climb, descend.  The cues seemed to be on an endless loop of “begin steep downhill, start up, top out…” 

As was our pattern, STB and I had moved ahead of the S. Africans so it was just the 2 of us some time after daylight when we stopped for a break.  It was a hill top with a beautiful morning view.  We had been there long enough that I thought we should be leaving when the S. Africans rolled up.  We chatted for a bit and as they left, STB made no motion to leave as well.  She murmured something about wanting to take a few more minutes.  I thought maybe she just wanted to soak in the last morning in the wilderness so I didn’t press.  After the S. Africans left us, she told me she could not feel her left side.

Sun coming up over a ridge in the Gila's

The S. Africans; Luke is an ER doctor, Marion is a Physical Therapist.  And Sheila did not say anything about her condition and just let them leave.  Really.  Of course I admonished her but it was too late now.  They were gone and here we were.

I am a problem solver.  My first reaction was how could the situation be fixed.  STB was calm and did not give any indication that this was a life or death situation.  What was I allowed to do?  If I physically helped she would be disqualified.  So just looking I could see even pupils, no drooping of the face or mouth, and normal coloration of her skin.  As I mentioned, she was calm and had total cognitive ability.  To me it had to be some sort of pinched nerve.  I got her to lie down and relax for a bit then gently go through some stretches.  Nothing worked.  Time was ticking by as the sun rose bringing the day’s heat with it.  Our options were to go back to the ranch or forward.  This is Sheila Torres-Blank and we’re going forward.  She had to walk with her bike not having the balance to get on and ride.  Behind her, I could see her dragging her left foot as she walked.  I saw no point in mentioning it.  I think we walked for a couple of miles when a car came by.  “Sheila, am I flagging down that car?”  “No” she says. 

She took some ibuprofen at some point and after a while was able to get on her bike and ride.  Ibuprofen or a matter of time?  Don’t know.  Careful and slow, but we were now able to make measurable progress.  Not really a technical rider, I worried about her on some of the crazy long, rocky descents we had that day.  But she got stronger as the day went on; not 100% but capable. 

One of the long sweeping descents.  I followed with a watchful eye. 

Climbing out.  Pushing on. 

We took refuge under a tree at mid-day to rest and eat.  I had my first can of Beenie-weenies with Ritz chasers.  Even hungry on the TD I would not call these good. 

At about 30 miles (crap it had taken us a long time to cover 30 miles) we topped another CD crossing and rode along it for the next few miles. 

I had stopped for something and while STB waited for me, she aimlessly read ahead in the cues and let out a loud “SHIT!” 

We had failed to note as we hastily glanced at the maps last night, that we were required to take a new alternate for 2011.  It was single track and hike a bike on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT).  We would shortly be turning off the main route and so not going past a ranger station or to Mimbres, our next presumed water sources.  The new CDT alternate is not noted on the map.  It is in our cues if we’d taken the time to scan ahead last night. 

Already exhausted, we followed the cue “L on gravel Sapillo Campground Rd”.  Along the way we spotted some firemen doing some training and they were kind enough to give us 2 water bottles each.  When we reached the campground we were briefly excited to see water pumps at the bathrooms but that was dashed since they were not working.  We’d have to make do with what we had. 

The CDT alternate was 12 miles long and hard.  Really, really soul searching, hard.  We followed blazes similar to those on the Appalachian Trail.  Soon coming to a place so steep, I put the bike down and climbed up to be sure we were following the correct route.  I could not believe it was.  Cussing like a sailor, I heaved the bike up.  Anger is a great source of energy.  I kept pushing up at a brisk pace, telling myself I’d stop and wait for STB once it flattened out.  I got to a flat spot and waited…and waited.  Then I got worried and called out.  Nothing.  I left the bike and jogged back to the last place I’d seen her; a steep pitch with rock valleys off each side.  Had the numbness come back and she’d gone careening off the trail?  Almost in a panic, I turned around and saw another blaze on a tree.  The trail had split and I kept going up and STB not seeing me, went left, the correct route.  I ran back to my bike, rode down what would have been a blast under different circumstances, and headed down the left trail.  About a mile down the trail, STB and I met up as she was coming back to look for me.  Wow.  Too close to the end to be loosing it. 

Slick rock at the top of the big push up the start of the the CDT alternate

The CDT trail will follow around the sides of the next canyon

So for miles we pushed and sometimes rode a skinny, off-camber trail with a down-hill side too steep to contemplate a miss-step.  The trail went into a wildfire area where finding the blazes was more difficult.  There were huge fallen logs to cross and cactus.  STB got another flat on the trail but made quick work of replacing the regular tube with a slime tube. 

A bright spot of the day for me was when the trail joined a fantastic section of fast, steep rolling double track following a down hill drainage.  My Willits just loved this stuff!  One drop was particularly steep so I stopped at the bottom and called back to STB to take care.  I did not hear anything and after waiting a bit, left the bike and hiked back up.  She’d had another flat.  The valve on the new slime tube had failed so time was taken to repair the puncture in the old tube and use that instead.  An aside, we heard later that it was the steep drop on this section where Juston Simoni wrecked, ending his epic Tour Divide bid. 

  

Once we finally got off the trail and heading back to the main route, the job was finding water.  We met 2 forest workers just returning to their truck who kindly gave us a couple of bottles.  Perhaps we did not need those but who knows what could happen in the relatively short miles to Silver City.  I was gun-shy.

Thankfully nothing.  We rode the smooth fast Hwy 15 through Pinos Altos and contemplated stopping at the town ice cream shop but really Silver City is where we wanted to be.  As we got close to town, there were amazing rock spire formations along the deep canyon walls to our right.  It is hard to appreciate beauty when you are exhausted. 

Another 15 miles and we were in Silver City.  We had expected to be here by 2:00 and it was almost dark and 8:00.  It took a while to find an available hotel; a dank Motel 6 on top of a hill.  The last thing we wanted was to ride down that hill to eat and have to come back up.  The small restaurant behind the hotel was just closing but agreed to stay open and feed us.  So grateful. 

Off to bed.  Tomorrow is, we hope, the last day of our Tour Divide.