CDT Days 9-11: Silver City

Saddle Rock Riparian Area to Silver City: 18.5 miles

total miles: 161.3

We had another nearly dry stretch to make it the 18.5 miles to Silver City, so we filled up on the good water from the spring. Three miles later we drank a liter from one of the nicest cattle tanks on the trail; it looked like one of those touch and explore exhibits at an aquarium, and was surrounded by red-blotted house finches.

A few miles later we started the 12 mile road walk down highway 180 to reach Silver City. Along the way we saw roadkill twice, a mule deer and a cat. I’ll spare you from the photos. Normally, these macabre sights wouldn’t be worth mentioning, but I’m participating in Adventure Scientists’s roadkill project. They use volunteers who hike, bike, and explore to note roadkill occurrences and where they happen to understand the impact roadways have on wildlife. I snapped my photos, and filed my finds for the project, which helped break-up the long walk to town.

We made it to town just after lunch, and checked into our hotel. The Comfort Inn offers a reasonable $60/night hiker rate, and we decided to stay for three nights to take two days off. We decided to stay two days because I needed a pair of new shoes, and I also had a prenatal appointment in town. We also told ourselves we’d take it slow at the beginning to keep my body healthy, so we figured an extra day in a town with many services couldn’t hurt. We even splurged and rented a car for a day to get all of our errands done without racking-up miles in town.

I ordered a few shoes from Zappos, and found a pair of Altras that fit me, and then was able to return the rest for free at the UPS store in town. My prenatal appointment went well; I’ve lost 4lbs, but nothing to be concerned about. We heard Piglet’s heart beat, and even picked-up a kick on the fetal doppler. It was an unusual errand to have to run on a zero day, but a relief to know that we are both healthy. I feel good, and hope to continue feeling that way. Silver City has a lot of character, and has been one of my favorite trail towns on all the long trails. Everyone has been quite friendly, and we accomplished everything we’d hope to do. I even found my favorite natural cheese puffs at the food co-op, which makes Piglet and me very happy. It’s the little things that make my day.