Day 5 - Filling Our Cups

Date: Mon April 22

Start Mile: 76.8

End Mile: 83.6

Total Mileage: 6.8 mi

The Highlights: hiker trash meet ups and an amazing trail angel

Today we woke to wind. A cold blustery wind, the likes of which would have blown Piglet right through the Hundred Acre Woods. Packing up, we held the tent tight as we unstaked it and took the poles down, so it too would not blow off into the desert.

Today was a town day, so there was a bit of an extra clip in our step. Soon we would have coffee, air conditioning, and toilets.

The final stretch into town was mostly over gently rolling hills. The sun rose over the mountains to the east and we hiked through desert brush covered in tiny yellow flowers.

With about a mile and a half to go, the trail dumped us onto Highway 494 into Lordsburg. Unlike the PCT, where we would typically hitch into town from here, in New Mexico, the CDT route often walks you right into and through a town. The walk into town is part of the ‘trail’.

And so, we walked along the edge of the highway, or the dirt shoulder where one existed. We passed an animal shelter where I heard no sounds of animals nor saw any signs of an outdoor area where dogs might be able to run or even go to the bathroom. We walked past the Veterans Park where, other than a small memorial and an old army tank displayed out front, seemed to mostly be a dusty roadside lot for RVs to pull in for the night. And finally, along the edge of town, we walked in past homes. Other than one standout home, most looked worn and little cared for, paint peeled and weeds sprouted along the foundation. At one home, a string of Christmas lights hung limply along a chain-link fence. Maybe they will work next year.

Lordsburg was not much to look at.

We continued down the highway toward the interchange, passing several small motels, a gas station, and two of the only restaurants in town. Lordsburg seemed to exist partly as a service stop along I-10.

Crossing under the interstate, we walked toward our end target: McDonald’s. On the PCT, we had once planned several days of hiking around our desired arrival time at a McDonald’s that was just off trail. This stop was less about any actual desire for McDonald’s, but rather a lack of options. Plus, at just before 8:30am, we were well in time for the breakfast menu.

Inside, we plopped our packs down in a booth and headed up to order, each getting the breakfast burrito meal with hash browns and hot coffee, as well as a cold drink. Shawn also ordered a breakfast sandwich.

Our trail breakfasts consist of eating something every hour as we hike - a granola bar, power bar, fruit snacks, fig/fruit bars, PB pretzels, etc. This food is selected in part for ease of eating while hiking. And, while trading packaged food for food that came in a wrapper may not have been a huge upgrade, it was nice to have something warm.

It was also nice to use a bathroom and really properly wash our hands well for the first time in five days. On the trail, we do what we can to rinse off while at the water tanks with spickets and clear flowing water  (never the caches, where every ounce is for drinking), but most of our ‘washing’ comes in the form of hand sanitizer.

Sitting down with our meals, we met two other hikers - Wrong Way and her boyfriend, whose trail name is completely escaping me now. They had both hiked the AT, which was a one and done for the boyfriend, but he was here to meet up with Wrong Way after her first section or so before returning home. We chatted for a bit before they headed out. Wrong Way planned to start the section to Silver City tomorrow. Since we’re taking a zero (rest day) here in Lordsburg tomorrow, she’ll be at least a day ahead of us but if her name is any indication, we could see her again sooner than later.

As we ate our breakfast, Recharge and Monkey Man arrived and sat nearby. Throughout the morning, more hikers would  filter in and out, McDonald’s seemingly serving as the unofficial hiker meetup area in Lordsburg. Each time a hiker entered, they would immediately home in on their people and come toward the small section of booths and tables that were now our turf within the Golden Arches.

We’ve been here this long.

We met so many hikers here. The next new hiker to stroll in was Sugar, who we soon learn was the first trans woman to Triple Crown, having hiked the AT, PCT, and CDT consecutively over the past three years. She said that six weeks into the AT, she just knew that this was the lifestyle for her. She loved it.

This year she was setting out on a thru hike of her own creation. Her route would take the southern CDT through parts of New Mexico before linking to part of the Hayduke Trail through Arizona and Utah, traversing trails through Nevada, connecting to the Oregon desert trail, and finally ending on the last stretch of the PCT through northern Oregon and Washington. We chatted about past hikes, funny stories from jobs and volunteer work she’d done along the AT, and about some thru hiker personalities in general.

While very down to earth, her energy and motivation were inspiring, and she was super funny to boot. If you’d like to follow her journey, she’s on IG @seltzerskelter.

We sat at the McDonald’s all morning meeting hikers. Mash had camped near us last night, rolling in after we’d all gone to sleep and leaving before most were awake. He had started a day after us, so he was obviously moving. He was from just south of London and had hiked the PCT in 2022, which seemed to be a theme, as there were three or four others in the bunch that had done the same, including Sugar and Monkey Man, though none of them had crossed paths.

We also met Hiker Greg, who had just come from Trail Days in Silver City, and C7, an older gentleman from France who had just hiked the PCT last year. Losa also made an appearance and we chatted with him for a bit. He was likely going to hit the trail again later in the day.   

After five days without showering. My curly haired gals will understand.

A few hours and a box of chicken nuggets later, we packed up and headed out. After a brief stop at the Family Dollar to pick up a rag for some gear clean up later, we made our way down the road back to the Hampton Inn. Our home for the second time in a week.

Checking in, we met a couple more hikers - Swisscake and Todd, who were taking the shuttle to the border to begin on Wednesday. Swisscake will be blogging for The Trek along the way, in case anyone wants to follow more bloggers!

We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning our gear and ourselves. One of the benefits of the Hampton Inn had been that they had a laundry room with washers and dryers, though when we checked in we were bummed to hear that both washing machines were out of order. We could do sink laundry, but a machine wash would be much better. Back at McDonald’s, Hiker Greg had raved about an area trail angel named Felicia. She had also posted on Facebook that she could help hikers with pretty much anything we needed while we were in town. This in mind, Hot Mess reached out to see if she knew where we might be able to do laundry. The only laundromat in town was marked as ‘Temporarily Closed’ on Google. Minutes later, we’d been invited to her home to do laundry when she got home from work around 5pm.

And this is how we found ourselves walking through the side streets of Lordsburg in the late afternoon. Arriving to her address right around five, we knocked on the door. Her young son answered. He wasn’t aware that we were arriving, but was accustomed to hikers coming over the past few weeks. Actually, we’d later learn that tonight was the first night in the past two weeks that there were no hikers spending the night at the house.

Just heading out to do a little laundry.

We asked him if we preferred we wait outside until his mother got home. “Oh no, come on in,” he said, inviting us in. “I’m just doing the dishes.” We chatted with him while he cleaned up. His name was Micah and he was 11. One of the most polite kids I’ve ever met. He invited us to go ahead and get our laundry started in the washer in the hallway.

Soon enough, Felicia arrived home. She was short with beautiful long brown hair and a warm smile. She was dressed colorfully in a yellow dress and a long flowered kimono, just the kind of bright colorful outfit you might imagine of an elementary school art teacher.

As we waited for our laundry, we heard all about the party the teachers had thrown for the children at the elementary school that day and the ridiculously large and hot costume she had worn, sweating underneath.

We also learned about her life and the community. Lordsburg was a community that was just surviving, she said. A community in trauma, ravaged by substance abuse and mental health issues, like so many small towns across the country.

Felicia was originally from Lordsburg, with a past of trauma herself. This had eventually landed her in a group home before which she was adopted by a family in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Despite her traumatic past, she had gone on to thrive, going to school for eight years to gain the skills she needed to help children like herself, neglected and forgotten, trapped in poor home lives, unable to understand their own trauma or express their emotions.

She had started returning to Lordsburg seasonally several years ago to run summer camps for children and a few years ago decided she needed to return full time. She wanted to use her skills to help the community where she had grown up, which she had watched deteriorate over time with the opioid crisis and other issues.

And so, a few years ago she had returned, but rather than being a school counselor, she asked to be the school art teacher. Through this role, she sees every student in the school every week and feels she’s able to provide the stability and encouragement that most of them desperately need. She brings color to their lives and provides a safe space for learning and play, lends an ear, provides hugs, and generally gives the students the space they need to express their emotions and be themselves. She told us about many breakthroughs she’s had with students. She wants to show her students that they too, can thrive. They can have dreams and goals. And that they can achieve them.

Talking about the community and her role here was very touching and gave us more perspective than we might otherwise get just passing through. We asked how she had come to learn about the CDT. When she’d returned to the community a few years ago, she said, in the spring she started noticing all of these “gringos” walking around town. She asked others in the community, “Who are all these gringos?” Most people had no idea. They honestly hadn’t paid any attention. Many didn’t even notice until she mentioned it.

Like many hikers before us, Felicia welcomed us into her home like family.

Soon enough, she learned about the CDT and the journey from Mexico to Canada. She thought this was absolutely amazing, but also realized that this was a community where it might be difficult for hikers to find the help that they might need. And so, she opened her home, providing a place to sleep, warm meals, help for hikers nursing injuries, the use of her washer/dryer, rides, and so much other assistance. While the PCT is very popular, with communities rallied around it and many resources available, the CDT is not as established in this way, so she was welcoming presence here in Lordsburg.

As we were chatting, she also started making dinner for us to share with her and Micah, she would not let us escape without it. This kind of generosity was so far beyond what was necessary, but at the same time, so appreciated and it felt great to share a warm homecooked meal.

I told her that for me, a thru hike was about so much more than the trail itself. Visiting the trail communities along the way was an equally integral part of the experience. These long trails often walk through small towns that no one would ever think to visit, regarding them as little more than an exit ramp on an interstate across the U.S. A place to grab a sandwich and get some gas before hitting the road again. But as hikers, we make our way through these small communities on foot. We see them in a different way. We get to interact with locals at the grocery store, the post office, the restaurants. The entire experience is different than if we were to arrive by car. Locals are interested in what we are doing, providing an opening for conversation and learning for both sides.

Felicia also sees the benefits of this for Lordsburg. If hikers have a positive experience here, they will talk about their time in Lordsburg as they move up the trail. While some see a dusty outpost, she sees the beauty of the desert all around them and the potential of the city. She is truly doing the good work in this town.

It was after 7pm when we piled our clean laundry into our bag, our clothes clean, our bellies happy, and our hearts full. While Felicia would not accept any sort of compensation for her time, using her washer/dryer, or the dinner, she did graciously accept a donation to use toward her classroom, for which she purchases many of the supplies using her own money. Everything she does in this town  is to help the children and any little part we could do to help her was the least we could do for the generosity she had extended to us.

Sharing a meal of tacos and sopita with Felicia and Micah.

As we left to big hugs, Felicia was already looking into how to help another hiker looking for Leuko tape, something you couldn’t find in Lordsburg. A true angel in this community, both trail and otherwise.

For me, this day had been exactly what I needed. The first four days on the trail had been rough. The heat and rocks had beat me up, every muscle and tendon in my feet often screaming at me. At times, the views across the flat landscape had seemed unchanging and uninspiring. There had been beauty and highs, but there had also been more early low points than I remembered on our last thru hike.

But hiking into town today, we had filled our cups with the energy of other hikers and the generosity and friendship of Felicia. And she is right. While before we may have seen Lordsburg as some little nameless town in the desert, ‘not much to look at’, we will now look back fondly and remember it for so much more.