Day 15: Wintry mix to and from Reserve

Mileage: 11 miles (274.4-285.4)

We woke up around 6am after it had rained all night. Natty remarked that it almost looked like snow was on the tent because of the semi-transparent material. Turned out it was actually snow, about an inch of it, the slushy kind that is basically just wet slop. We didn't get started hiking until around 7am after both getting ready and shaking off the tents. We only had about 5 miles to the road, from which it was a 28 mile hitch into Reserve, NM, where there was a place to get a hot meal. 

After 8 days without real food, I decided I'd hitch in with Natty and return to the trail later that afternoon. After the two hour slog through mud and freezing rain, it took about 40 mins of thumbing to get a ride. The driver, Dave, was a hydrology student from New Mexico Tech in Soccoro and he was headed West to get water samples from nearby seeps. He had a sweet German Shepard who loved attention once she let her guard down.

Natty and I pigged out in Reserve, having breakfast and lunch within a two-hour period. All told, I had chili-cheese fries, toast, hash browns, a three egg omelet, chips and salsa, two cups of coffee, hot chocolate, a slice of pecan pie, and half an enchilada before I realized I might explode if I ate anymore.

After doing some internet stuff and talking a bit to Laura and my mom, I took the other half of the enchilada to go, said my goodbyes to Natty, and set out to hitch back to the trail. 

I was out on the road for awhile and was getting pretty discouraged, but what did you know, Dave, the driver from earlier pulled up in his silver Honda Civic and picked me up once again. This time with his German Shepard excited to see me. While we drove it started to drizzle a wintry mix and by the time we got back to the trailhead it was full on hail. Though it was luckily just pea-sized, it was pretty discouraging.

I'm not sure if it was missing having a hiking partner like Natty, talking to Laura and my mom, or what, but all of a sudden I felt completely alone. It's funny it took 300 miles, but it just hit me that I was totally alone out there, exceedingly small in such a chaotic universe. I tried to hike off the feeling but my feet kept sinking in a few inches of mud, continually caking itself around my shoes, making them feel like lead weights.

By eight o'clock it was dark and it was full on snowing and I still had to setup my tent. I was freezing and my hands weren't quite working but I managed to set it up and crawl inside. Thankfully, it was pretty dry in there and once I got into my sleeping bag I fell asleep pretty quick. Right before I fell asleep, I told myself I was not sleeping outside the next night. That meant getting the 35 miles to Pie Town in one day.