I knew that an early start was going to benefit me in the desert so I began today at 7:00. I hiked upon Gordon's van before Gordon and I went into Hachita so that I could phone home. I was having trouble with my mental focus due to some family concerns. I was amazed and shocked when Yogi walked into the little store in Hachita. Yogi was driving home to Kansas City after having just attended the PCT kickoff in CA. I asked Yogi about the desert heat and she offered me her Go-Lite umbrella. Thank you Yogi! I never understood, until this hike, why hikers toted umbrellas. Now I know. Anyone who is reading this journal who is planning to hike the CDT northbound, take an umbrella. This 770 mile NM desert is VERY different than the 750 mile CA desert which I had hiked twice. It really is brutal. I took pics of Gordon (Troll and Oblivious' vehicle support) with Yogi (a female hiking guru and highly regarded author.) I ate pizza, sucked down some fluids, before finding Troll and his son, WB, and Rest Stop. We spent some time under a huge shade tree before hiking up to our planned camping destination alongside Gordon's van. I studied my maps and GPS while hydrating and organizing. I visited the group and was completely ignored as they listened and shared war stories. Guys! So I went to Oblivious to ask my map questions. Oblivious had no clue how to even begin to read a map. So then Gordon and I went over tomorrow's plan before Gordon noticed that Troll's plan to meet Gordon was not going to work. My maps were the most recent of the maps used in our group. I marked what was to be Gordon's whereabouts tomorrow on my map, cooked another dehydrated dinner, and fell asleep. I had planned to begin by 6:00a.m. so as to beat the desert heat. Gordon informed Troll of his mapping error before the group's camping area quieted down. As I relax in my tent, I am preoccupied in thought about my family. Although I did get to speak with Bruce and he assured me that all was well, my instincts told me otherwise.