After hanging with the cyclists for a day or so, it was sad to see them bike off. I especially liked Kai from the Netherlands. He said he had to give me a hug goodbye. Aww!
Goldie drove me to the trailhead west of town, and I was off by 9 a.m. It was a challenging, if beautiful, day.
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Heading for Skull Bridge
The first few miles were up a steep hill, but there were sweeping vistas on top. From there, the trail meandered along the mesa rim, offering numerous great vistas.
The cyclists said there was a 50% chance of rain today and 90% tomorrow. No! Of course, it did rain today. It was rather heavy at times, and I was on the mesa, which felt a little sketchy when it was thundering. But I tucked myself into an evergreen during the heaviest rain, so it wasn’t too bad.
Rocky End to the Day
I finally hit a long downhill stretch, but it was super rocky, so I didn’t make good time. The downhill led to Rio Chama and the Skull Bridge Trailhead. I’d hoped to go a few more miles, where there is supposed to be a cattle tank gushing water. Rio Chama, in contrast, 
is muddy.
But I was tired, so I set up my tent at the trailhead and successfully pre-filtered the river water, using my November Project gaiter. After the filtering, it’s crystal clear!
Tomorrow looks like another day with lots of climbing – from 6,500 feet to 8,500 (1,981-2,591 m). Sigh. And I don’t know about this storm coming …
I can’t wait to be finished. Four weeks was too long to hike such a difficult trail.
Snowshoe
Today’s Miles: 14.2 (22.9 km)
CDT Miles to Date: 799.2 (1,286.2 km)
CDT Miles to Go: 2,300.8 (3,702.8 km)
