The Continental Divide Trail 2012: May 13th--- On the Edge of El Malpais to Grants

     The entire morning was pretty much following the path the indians forged across the badlands to connect the pueblos of Zuni and Acoma. Many of the rock cairns and lava bridges built by the Ancient Puebloans are still used to hike the route today. Although there are a few examples of the smooth, ropy pahoehoe, the overwhelming majority of El Malpais lava is the aa variety, meaning free chunks of very angular pieces of lava, or platy aa, meaning the lava breaks in large plates. Nobody wants to lose there footing, because the resultant fall would leave them bleeding like a stuck pig. It's more of an overland route than a path. The hard abrasive lava leaves no trace of a footprint, so a person must navigate by using the cairns, wooden posts, or occasional CDT emblems they see. The general rule is to always have the next cairn in sight before leaving the one you're at. If you get lost here, you will be severely punished and not by a Park Ranger but by the terrain itself, which is unforgiving. Carry enough water because the heat, especially in summer will radiate off the black basalt, plus there's not much tree cover out there. If you're out here later than you planned, there are a couple of places to camp along the trail. About three and a half miles in there's a little depression among the rocks that has supported the growth of one flourishing pine tree. The tree has shed enough needles over its lifetime that combined with the dust that has collected in this small haven over years, there's enough "soft" ground to lay down a couple of sleeping bags. This is actually where Wyoming and I shared our second breakfast. Protected on all sides by the rocks, it also shelters you from the wind.
     I found the crossing of the Malpais a wonderful trek. Searching for the next trail marker kept me constantly engaged with the surroundings. It was like a combination of hide-n-seek and simon says with a bit of a treasure hunt thrown in. I was seeking, sometimes the cairn was hiding and when I found it, Simon says proceed. Usually the treasure was the geological surprises that I'd find around the corner. At some point, I moved ahead of Wyoming and found myself walking solo again. I think my long stride and lighter pack helped me manage the trail a little quicker or perhaps we both wanted to be lost, but only in our own reverie.
     The eight and a half miles wandering across the ancient flows obviously takes longer than that same distance over normal terrain. However, it's not an endless process, so inevitably you come back to "solid" ground, the path under foot becomes clear and there is no longer a need to have a cairn every ten or fifteen yards. The trail leads across sporadic grassland and meadow interspersed with stands of pine before terminating at a parking area near NM 53. Although it has picnic tables, I had other plans for a rest stop.
     Crossing the rural highway, I headed down the dirt road that passes through Bonita Canyon. Near the gate, there's a large pine and a cairn on the left. If you look a bit higher in the small trees on the beginning of the hillside, you should see a CDT emblem. The Mumm's second water cache is located at their base. It's here that I took a break from the sun and a liter from the supply of hidden water. Snacking on some granola bars, I waited a while to see if Wyoming could be seen entering the car park, but she didn't during the time I was at the cache. I was a little worried, but figured that if she managed 2,700 miles on the PCT, she could more than likely do the same on the King of Trails.
     Even though hiking was on the dirt road, the scenery in the canyon was pretty. I suppose that's why it had received the name Bonita.  Most of the walk was in wide open range with trees starting only at the side slope, then continuing up to the mesa rim. A few miles in, some caballeros in a pickup pulled up and informed me that there were a couple of hikers ahead of me. I thanked them for the heads up and asked them to pass along a similar message to Wyoming if they passed her. When they drove off in her direction, I had a good chuckle--- it was as if we hikers had our own little pony express. Ha!
     Well, I knew they were out there, but that didn't prevent me from being surprised when I came around a slight curve in the road where the trees pinched in and saw Why Not and Shroomer sitting there smiling at me. I had fully expected them to be much closer to Grants, but they confessed they'd had a long lunch break while waiting for me to show up. They asked if I wouldn't mind walking into Grants together. Sounded good to me.
     Another couple of hours in Bonita Canyon before making the right turn into Zuni. The walls in this canyon were narrower and more dramatic than Bonita's. Unfortunately, the road was much busier and each passing car proved that it was also much dustier. Hack! Cough! Sneeze! From time to time, we'd fall into line, two or three abreast and swap stories, revealing a bit more of our personal histories. At others, especially in Zuni Canyon it was more on our own as the inevitable pull of town lengthened our stride and quickened our pace.
     When Nancy got cell phone reception, she placed a call to the Mumms to see if they'd be able and willing to meet us at the McDonalds on the CDT route. We were happy to hear that they would, because I think all three of us were eager to find out who these trail angels actually were.  It turns out that Carole, whose bubbly personality exudes caring, is the archetype of a trail mom, while rugged and wiry Hugo is a bit more reserved. We thought we'd be driven back to their house, but they had other plans, treating us to a fabulous dinner at a popular local diner. After the plates were polished clean, we were taken back to their lovely home, where we could take care of what are the two most important domestic duties of dirty, smelly hikers--- a shower and laundry.

28.6 Miles