CDT 2024 - Day 29, Zero Day and hiker shuttle.

A Quiet Day.

Smoke and the setting sun, Chimney rock. Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico.

After breakfast, about 1030 in the morning, I headed off to pick up the three hikers near Coyote, NM. Peggy was going to stay at Ghost Ranch and walk around with Beau to allow enough room in the truck for the hiker gang.

The firefighting helicopter was in the field across from the ranger station getting ready to lift off again as I went by toward the rendezvous. I arrived there a bit early and pulled out a chair and sat near the trail and read my book for a while in the sun. Shortly after noon ChukarBird and E-Rod arrived and not long there after Alligator came waltzing in. We loaded up and on the way to the Ranch we made a short pit stop at Bode's store in Abiquiu for snacks, beer, and a bottle of wine. Arriving back at Ghost Ranch the boys got registered and found a good campsite with a sun shelter and they settled in (meaning they got busy with the beer) and we agreed to meet up to walk over together to the dining hall for dinner.

On a side note, rumor has it, there is a hiker on the trail named Rose. Now Runningbird seems to be the only one to have met her or to know of her existence. Her actual name was Rose and Runningbird felt that she was so lovely that the name Rose fit her, and it should remain her trail name as well. Now the rumor goes that Rose only had carrots and radishes in her backpack as her trail food. Also that she uses her underwear in her trail shoes to add more cushioning to her socks. Up until now, ChukarBird and friends believed that Rose was merely a figment of Runningbird's imagination. However, over the last couple of days there had been a Rose sighting and the rumor was true. Well, at least most of the rumor was confirmed true.

The boys all showed up a bit early at our campsite to go to dinner as they were pretty hungry. In general, I think thru-hikers are always pretty hungry. Runnningbird decided to show us the "short-cut" trail that went from the campground, up and over a ridge and down the other side to the dining hall. Unfortunately, because her feet were still sore from the post-holing, she wore her flip flops. On the way up the ridge one of her flip-flops slid off and she took a spill but she said she was fine.

We all enjoyed a nice meal together and the boys confirmed to Runningbird that they had seen Rose on the trail. After dinner we came back on the regular trail - not so steep. We had already decided to stay another day at the Ranch, and the boys were going to take a Zero day here also, so we agreed to meet to go to breakfast togethe in the morning.

Ghost House at Ghost Ranch.