A long-distance hike is mostly walking, but the stories that stick are the people and oddities along the way. A recent dispatch from the Continental Divide Trail follows hikers through the high desert of New Mexico, on the unofficial Cebolla alternate route near El Malpais, where volcanic rock, endless wind and endless sun set the tone.
One highlight is a short detour worth knowing about: La Ventana, a natural sandstone arch visible off NM-117 and the Narrows Rim Trail. Known as "The Window," it now overlooks a parking lot complete with picnic gazebos and pit toilets — a reminder that even dramatic geology in New Mexico often comes with roadside infrastructure. The hikers found trail magic stashed there in a cooler, mostly water and sodas, which matters in this parched stretch.
The segment is a showcase of the trail community. A former thru-hiker nicknamed the New Mexico Toolman was shuttling hikers back to Grants for resupply after a postal mix-up sent one box to San Diego. Another trail angel, a triple crowner named Mosey, handed out cold drinks and snacks from his SUV. Hikers also traded the night sky with passing Starlink trains — those evenly spaced satellites that now punctuate wilderness darkness — and bedded down at Sawtooth Basin Ranch, which offers water and legal camping to CDT travellers who follow the posted rules. There, a resident cat adopted one hiker for the evening and spent the night attempting to invade another's tent.
For anyone considering the CDT, this stretch between Grants and Pie Town captures the trail's character: long, exposed dirt roads, little shade outside the odd juniper, wildlife from badgers to windmills, and a rhythm that depends on the generosity of strangers. It's demanding country — water sources and shade are scarce — but the human infrastructure, from ranches to random coolers of soda, is remarkably strong. This is a story for hikers dreaming of the CDT, or anyone curious about what a five-month walk through America's spine actually feels like day to day.
Original story: The Trek
