I said goodbye to Britty this morning after we dropped her off at the Albuquerque Airport on our way to the trail head. Our drive was 6 hours long and Julie, Troll's niece, was our source of transportation. Her kindness and generosity did not go unnoticed. Thank you Julie for everything! We arrived in Hachita about an hour before Gordon (Troll and Oblivious' hired trek support) and the remainder of our group. We watched the Border Control drive up and down the road many times as though they were wondering why in the world a man (Troll) was wearing a skirt. As we waited, Wilderness Bob placed his camera down low to take a pic underneath Troll's skirt. Troll was unaware as Wilderness Bob clicked away. It was too funny watching Wilderness Bob in his element. Wilderness Bob spent 24 years in the Army's Special Op's Unit. This guy was sneaky, smart, and funny. Clearly he knew how to survive almost anything so this CDT hike would be just a day in the park for him. He reminded me to eat and I was glad that I listened as I purchased a Honey Bun from the very little store. As we sat there waiting we observed an emergency run by the local fire department. I quietly asked Bob about the direction that Gordon would be coming into Hachita. Within minutes after he answered, Troll asked the workers in the store if the fire department serviced car accidents.

"Yes," they replied and off we drove. We all breathed a sigh of relief when Gordon's support vehicle approached. After all, Troll's son, Oblivious, was a passenger in that van! Whew! After a brief break, off we went again to the trail head. We passed Border Control and we were told that there we no immediate concerns. They asked us where we were heading and after we replied, "Canada," the Border Patrol Officer grinned and said, "I hope that you are carrying plenty of water." "And I hope that you are carrying plenty of bullets," one of the hikers said as we drove off. The road to the Crazy Cook Trail head is not accessible by car unless the driver wants to ditch the car eventually because most cars cannot make the drive through the poorly maintained (kind of an oxymoron, I know) dirt road. Lucky for us that Sam Hughes, who works for the BLM, happened to be coming the opposite way. Sam runs a shuttle to the trail head from Hachita for a $90.00 fee. We all dropped a twenty and stuffed our packs and ourselves into his vehicle. When we arrived at the trail head and unload our packs, my 4 L water bladder had unloaded its water. Oh shit! I immediately asked Sam if he had any water and thank God that he carried extra. I refilled my water bladder as I counted my blessings. We took turns stepping into Mexico to make the beginning of our hike "official."

We all emptied our bladders in Mexico. One hiker relieved himself with pleasure as he peed across the border. We thanked Sam and hiked up to the Crazy Cook monument, which is the official start of the CDT.

It was here that we took pictures again and we all began our hikes with a spring in our step. I was sooo excited to FINALLY begin my triple crown hike. I hiked upon a shady area, about 2 miles in, where there was a windmill and an adobe. Wilderness Bob and I delighted in exploring the adobe and taking photos of the ruins. I only totaled about 5 miles today, but feel good about my first day in the desert. I camped near everyone else and cooked a Mountain House dinner before settling into my tent. Falling asleep in my tent was easy. I was back in God's world.