9:20am
Sharon just dropped me off at the Greyhound bus terminal in downtown Tucson a few minutes ago. I am seated in the lobby awaiting my bus. The feeling is serene and calm. I am on my way. The past months of preparation both for this trip and for my absence at home are behind me and 3000 miles of trail lie ahead. It is such a feeling of comfort. Perhaps I was born to be a hobo. I have my “bindle” with everything I need sitting next to me, a clearly defined goal ahead of me and supportive and loving friends and family behind me. What more could a person ask for? For the moment, the nervousness that has defined my emotional state the past months is absent. I am at peace. I cannot say enough kind words to express my gratitude to Arle and Sharon for their kindness, generosity and friendship. They welcomed me to their home, drove me all around the area showing me the sites and made feel totally at home. Their friendship is truly a gift. If you read this Sharon, Thank You!
Suspicious people at the bus station. They lock the bus station doors all day long. You have to knock on the door to be let in, and only if you have a ticket or are going to buy one. But still, suspicious people. They are carrying packs and trekking poles. I haven’t arrived in Lordsburg yet and I already know two folks I will be sharing the trail with, Lee and Sue from Colorado. They are only doing the New Mexico section and will be on my CDTC shuttle bus tomorrow morning with me. Yes, I am doing the trail by myself, but no I am really not. Two trail buddies already. Lee is a hiking/scrambling instructor with a group in Colorado. He is a wealth of information regarding the Colorado Rockies. I will pick his brain endlessly while hiking together.
10:45:
The bus is loaded and we are ready to go. The bus is exactly what you would expect on a Greyhound. It is packed and was nearly an hour late. 2.5 hours to Lordsburg.
2:40pm:
After two and a half hours rolling through desert, I step off the bus into Lordsburg along with Lee and Sue and Anne and Jacque Charles, a couple from France. I walked with them to the Econolodge. Their English is very poor, Anne’s better than his. They are staying two nights in Lordsburg. Tomorrow thy will pack food for the next 15 days of the trip-up to Silver City. They will leave a day behind me so it is likely I will not see them again. He is quite heavy as is his pack and I suspect will struggle from the get go. I emphasized to contact me if they needed any help and gave them my room number.
I bagged up my stocking hat, rain gear, gloves and pack cover and delivered it to the front desk to hold until I return in five days. Temps are high and no chance of rain. North of here and in the days ahead it gets colder and they will be needed, but no use carrying them for the first leg.
If there was a shuttle to the border available right now I’d jump on it. I am ready to go. But, that doesn’t happen until tomorrow morning. So I’ll laze around Lordsburg today and begin in the morning.
A word about this blog. I can only post it when I have signal and I don’t know how often that will be. It may go days without an upload then suddenly have a bunch on entries. I plan to write everyday, but uploading depends on getting getting a signal.
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