I got up around 7:30 and went down to the breakfast area and started making a waffle. Felix and his dad from Little Rock came in. Felix hiked to Hwy 9 / Hachita and his dad brought him back to Lordsburg for the night. While we were talking Wallace came in. He just finished the entire stretch from the border. Then in came a couple more hikers named Dan (Cheese) and a girl who I forget her name (Mac?). They leave with us tomorrow. Then a couple more hikers from London came in. There were many stories about all their previous thru hikes. I am truly the only newbie.
I learned about Rainbow people and their hippy-like gatherings in the forest. Juggernauts get gas for free by coming up to people as they fill their tanks and ask for a small sip. This works well with truckers who use company credit cards. They just pump a few more gallons in. And then there are the train jumpers. Bulldogs are the train people who patrol the yards and kick them out. Some areas at the gatherings are for the alchohol/drug people, while other areas are drug-free so everyone is happy in the rainbow camp (I suppose?)
I’m out shopping now in the Dollar Store after eating an old fashioned burger with green chili at Kranberries. Num. Pat and Judy arrived around 1:00. We drove Judy to where the CDT crosses Hwy 9 so she will know where to pick us up on Tuesday. The plan is for Pat and I to take the shuttle to the border tomorrow, hike to Hwy 9 and then get picked up by Judy to spend the night in Lordsburg. She will return us to the trail the next morning where we will complete the hike into Lordsburg.
We toured Lordsburg to pass the time. Lordsburg was established in 1880 along the route of the Southern Pacific railroad. The town grew from an influx of railroad workers, freighters, miners, and ranchers. There are some very dilapidated and sad areas near the train tracks, but things are slightly nicer near the Econolodge. I don’t know what poor Judy is going to do for the next 4 days stuck in Lordsburg, but it is really nice of her to hang around just to give us a ride into town for the night.
Well off to Kranberries for an early dinner. We have a big day tomorrow.