Continue to Pie Town

Day three to Pie Town;
I slept really well but gee it was a cold one this morning. I lay in my tent and contemplated whether to get up or just lie here for a few days! John, the guy who invited me to tea last night, popped over with a jug of coffee and an ‘over easy’ egg 😊. What a guy!! We sat chatting for ages but then I knew it was time to hit the road. I was only 35k from Pie Town but I also knew it was all uphill! Once I got going and overcame the initial feelings of fatigue and groaning body I actually felt better overall though no where close to what I’d call comfortable or confident. The Ks whiled away and the landscape took my mind off my diminished power output. The road dawdled up hill at a very respectable 4-5% so it was very manageable indeed and for the first time in a week I was starting to feel slightly human (only slightly but I’ll take that over ‘not at all’). Bob was whiring away nicely and I had adequate water on board to stop and gulp some every few kilometres.

I got to pie town in a few hours feeling pretty good. If I have any chance of overcoming this illness I have to give the body every fighting chance, which means just backing right off and accepting that I’ll only be good for a few hours a day, and no more. Pie Town is known for….its pies! Apparently the most expensive pies stateside but among the very best. I decided to head straight to what is called Toaster House (see photo of how it came to be). It’s simply an astonishing place just for hikers and bikers, completely donation based, where you can get a bed or camp. There’s a shower and tons of food left by prior visitors. I was the only cyclist there with the others all CDT walkers…..yep, nutters who walk from the Mexico border to Canada along the CDT….averaging about 6 months to do it!! Amazing folk, old and young alike. All suffering from blisters and sprains but also all living their best life out there on the trail. I had my first shower in days, cleaned Bob, and tried to eat and drink every hour as best I could. This community of like minded masochists is such a joy to be among and we all craved that connection after days of isolation from like minded folk.

Whilst there were beds I decided to crash on the floor in a quiet area inside so I knew I’d get some sleep, as these communal places tend to be filled with snorers! After a night of howling dogs the last thing I needed was a room full of snorers! I was just so happy to be among fellow travellers and not having to be so alone. Around 4:30 a guy rocks up at the shack with sodas and beers and cooked up a storm of ham and cheese rolls for us wandering souls – he explained that he’d been helped so often on the trails it’s his way of pay back….extraordinary people here that’s for sure. I needed to attend to a few blisters and cuts on my feet – there’s a full blown medi kit here so it was easy to rub in moisturiser and creams to my extremely dry and cracked skin. Mind you watching the hikers patch up their hands and feet made me grateful I had Bob! The evening was spent exchanging war stories and tales of joys and tears, a common language among long distance travellers. And because we were all hikers or bikers by 9pm there was not a sound to be had as everyone had tucked up for the night. It was the first night since Silver City that I wasn’t overly anxious or overly ill….delicious!

Pie Town recovery:
I used today to just decompress and try to work out what to do next! I walked to the famous Pie-O-Neer pie shop and indulged in a lump of pie and cream!! I’ll lose signal again soon but wanted to drop a blog so those following know I’m alive. It’s been a very challenging time these past few days/week but I’m starting to get better tho the chest remains very tight, and the fever is abating slowly. I have resigned myself to only getting 30-40 miles a day done as that’s all I can physically and mentally cope with. That’ll mean I’ll need to try get further north (drive or fly) so I have any chance of getting up to Canada! Right now that seems a million miles away!