Silver City 0 mi :: 117 mi :: Overcast, cool Resting is getting harder. We have lots of energy and want to get out, but also keep Ann off her feet. I run some errands on my own while Ann elevates and ices her ankles. Later we go out together to put a patch on…

Silver City 0 mi :: 117 mi :: Sunny, breezy Determined to sleep in, I’m wide awake at 7 am. Oh well. Silver City is perfectly organized for hikers. Hotel, food, coffee, gear store, laundry, and post office are all a few blocks from each other. We have a casually busy day visiting these places.…

Tyrone Mine to Silver City 13 mi :: 117 mi :: Sunny, warm, breezy The heavy machinery up in the Tyrone mine worked all through the night. We’re glad we didn’t camp any closer. Ann’s feet seem much better when we start walking past the big copper mine. The variety of colors in the huge…

White Ridge Canyon to Tyrone Mine 16 mi :: 104 mi :: Sunny, warm, breezy I wake up at sunrise, get dressed, and head back down the road for water. I find a full stock tank, but the spigot is under water, so I have to filter it. This is the first time we’ve had…

Ninetysix Ranch to White Ridge Canyon 17 mi :: 88 mi :: Sunny, warm, breezy It’s calm in the morning. We sleep in until 7:30, it feels so nice. While we’re walking the fenced corridor we stopped at last night, a bunch of gorgeous horses run up on one side. They’re part of the ranch…

Black Diamond Draw to Ninetysix Ranch 15 mi :: 71 mi :: Sunny and windy! The first half of our day is spent looking for roads that aren’t there. We even go to a GPS coordinate – nothing but fences and cows. Either things have changed since the guidebook author hiked this segment, or he…

Howell’s Ridge to Black Mountain Draw 18 mi :: 56 mi :: Sunny, warm, breezy We tried a food experiment last night – soaking macaroni and beans to see if they’d rehydrate without cooking. This morning after four miles of ancient roads and bushwacks it sounds good, so we have it for breakfast. Ann is…

Hachita Ranch to Howell’s Ridge 17 mi :: 38 mi :: Sunny, breezy, warm We decide to walk the six miles to reliable water at a windmill before breakfast. On the way we pass two watering holes with usable water that appear to be spring-fed. We encounter some tracks in the road, one set Ann’s…

Sheridan Spring to Hachita Ranch 10 mi :: 21 mi :: Overcast, then sun We begin the first true day of the Continental Divide Bushwack. Here the trekking poles prove their worth as tools for balance and moving thorny branches. We fight through brambles and cactus up about 1000 feet to a pass, then down…

Mexican Border to Sheridan Spring 11 mi :: 11 mi :: Clear, sunny, and warm Peter drives off in the jeep, leaving us to our own devices on the Mexican border. The fear I felt before returns, but is gradually replace with the bliss of starting a great adventure. I mention this to Ann, who…