08    Cuba - Ghost Ranch     91 kilometers

Cuba

Ghost Ranch                             91 km

What a change since before Cuba. From desert to real forest and running creeks back to desert. Leaving Cuba was a lengthy road walk. First on paved tarmac and later on gravel. And then the real trail started. It went up and up but at a gradual pace. And all the time there was a running water in the Rio de los Pinos. Towards the top the CDT criss crosses open wet areas. This reminded me of the fjells in Sweden. Good thing is I wore my leather boots. So I could just march on without getting wet feet. In the afternoon I went downhill again to spent the night in the Cecilia Canyon. This night was considerably warmer. In the morning I got water from a real creek and not out of a cow tank. After passing highway 96 the CDT went up again. This time much steeper. Endless downhill switchbacks waited for me in the afternoon. At the bottom I got again water from a creek. The trail followed it downstream and slowly the waterflow disappeared. Today I saw a herd of about 20 deer. What a sight. For the night I was back in the desert. And this was one of if not the warmest night on the trail so far. I started very early to reach the Ghost Ranch for lunch. This part was classical New Mexico desert. Hardly any trees and otherwise just knee high shrubs if any plants. And everything is bone dry. Arrived here today in time for lunch. In the lobby of Ghost Ranch I enjoyd a cold drink. I have a bed in the bunkhouse with communal showers.

Blow downs across CDT

Snow in San Pedro Parks Wilderness near CDT

From post to post across the open meadow.

Beatle infested pine forest

Rio Chama

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