Day 10 – 5/2/13 – 20.5 mi (173.6)

It’s not the official CDT, but it’s a welcome change of pace. Last night was actually cold (below 40F), and temperatures remained cooler than we’ve been experiencing throughout the day. We hit our first creek of the trail early in the morning and though it wasn’t running, there were pools deep enough to collect water.

We passed a valley of rock formations known as Devil’s Garden before a steep climb up to a ridge where we stopped for lunch. Strider’s lunch: half a jar of peanut butter mixed with crumbled chocolate chip cookies. Really.

At the end of the day, we descended into a canyon and stopped to camp at the confluence of the Sapillo and Gila rivers. It’s a beautiful campsite with plenty of water for to soak our feet. We’re all excited to follow the Gila upstream for the next few days.