Geronimo Trail Camp to Valle Tio Vinces CG
Strava: 125.7 km, 1426m, 8:09, 274 shifts, 48 kph max
Valle Tio Vinces to Pie Town
Strava: 48.3 km, 490m, 2:31, 134 shifts, 48.2 kph max
We had planned to split the 170+ km distance more like 90 + 80, but in the end pushed on that first day to make the second day quick and easy.
We got up early in our cabin, cooked breakfast and took off at 6:30, temperature 3° C. A climb warmed us up and we continued on, with the first stop at the Beaverhead Work Camp where we loaded up on water for a dry camp. I could feel the extra 3+ kg.
Right when we got a bit over the 85 km midpoint the scenery changed and we were in a barren, flat, windy land. So we kept going. At 110 km we topped off our water at a church but camping did not look good. The map showed a Forest Service campground with great reviews so we cranked out another 400m climb in 15 km, arriving after 5pm.
It was beautiful and deserted although a CDT hiker came in while we were cooking dinner. He went to bed right away and I heard his fast footsteps the next morning, before 6am. I am in awe of the people who do this on foot.
Since we were going to easily get to Pie Town and provisions the next day, we ate all of our food, two dinners and tomorrow’s lunch. It was a feast. I was more tired than the previous days though. We all retired early. I read for 30 minutes until 8pm then my legs started cramping. An electrolyte tablet cured that and I fell deep asleep.
After nine hours of peaceful sleep, you just have to feel great! There was a little ice so maybe it was 0° in the night. I slept warm in my quilt with no extra warm clothes needed. Breakfast was the last of our oats plus two packages of granola with milk and blueberries. We packed up and set off at 7:30.
There was one climb, then the most gorgeous downhill. Smooth and the perfect angle where you can go fast but never touch the brakes. And somehow no washboard! Kilometers just fly by. We were up over 2500m for the first time, fresh with lots of big Ponderosa Pines.
It was a beautiful and easy cruise all the way to Pie Town. Just before arriving we spent some time talking to a couple hiking the CDT, day 18 vs our day 6 (different routes though). In town, we pulled in to the first place we saw called The Gathering Place. What a place it is! Pies of all types, and a full menu of breakfast and lunch. We arrived around 10:30 so everything was available. I had a veggie burger with onion rings, Daniel had a “Josh Special” and we shared pies and ice cream. And drinks.
Fortified, we rode over to “The Bunkhouse”, a self-serve “hostel”. You can sleep inside or in your tent. Lots of snacks and drinks and even cold beer. It’s $20, payable via a machine, enter the amount and wave your phone or card. Laundry included the most amazing feature I’ve ever seen: borrow clothes! Yes you can wash your cycling clothes and your regular clothes and don’t have to walk around naked. Full kitchen stocked with lots of food and great shower. We hung out with other bikers and hikers for a while, some staying at the other place in town.
After laundry and a long chat with the Swiss owner of the Bunkhouse, we cycled to the closer restaurant. Two had chicken pot pie with pie and salad and two had giant veggie pizzas with salad. We got four pieces of pie to go for good measure. The place was so classic. And we accomplished one of our major goals for the trip! Andrew said he was hoping to see “open carry” somewhere, sometime on this trip. The guy carrying two pistols had a ton of bullets on his gunbelt. He was very pleased when Wytze asked if he could take his picture. We couldn’t eat all the pizza (a pair of 14″ homemade veggie ones, quite hearty) so we brought them to the Bunkhouse along with four pieces of pie for later.
It sure was nice to relax in the Bunkhouse after dinner. We booked two nights in the upcoming town of Grants, thus committing to going the whole way tomorrow. The normal route is supposed to be difficult now due to lack of water so we’ll take the shorter alternative route which will let us avoid another dry camp.
Later in the evening, for second dinner, we shared our take-out quiche from lunch and four pieces of pie: pecan, peach, blueberry and coconut. A great end to a great day. For a town with only 166 people, Pie Town was a highlight of our trip so far.
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