[Day 15] Davila Ranch & Pie Town

I awoke to Patrick — the spotter at Mangas Lookout — waving down at me. He was on overtime this morning; it was supposed to be the day off he receives every two weeks on duty. The life of a spotter seemed like something I could do in my retirement life (should I unlikely survive to old age; I have much exploration planned) — remote cabin living with ample time to study, read, and wait for a fire event.

After a brief talk with Patrick, I was on my way. It was an uneventful hike for the most part. I was waiting to see some elk in these forests but came across nothing. I cruised the 12 or so miles to Davila Ranch.

Davila Ranch is a donation-based CDT stop. It’s an open air setup with all the amenities — shade, water, electricity, laundry service, shower, toilet, Wi-fi, refrigerator full of eggs, potatoes, and onions, tons of canned beans, and a kitchen stove setup. It sits on an old homestead about 13 miles from nearest civilization. Thank you to John and his daughter for all the work they do to provide this space for hikers.

After three hours at Davila Ranch, I completed laundry, shower, two meals, and a recharge of all my devices. I was back on the road, headed for Pie Town.

Pie Town is a small unincorporated community with a population less than a couple hundred. It is designated as a ghost town. With the many run down and vacant buildings on the way in, I might agree. I walked my way to the Toaster House, a free hostel dedicated to cyclists and hikers. There were about seven other hikers chatting it up on the deck, but I shied away from conversation, took a bunk, and secluded. It’s not that I’m anti-social, but hiker talk tends to have an ostentatious manner coupled with fear mongering. I think its an effect of herding a group of semi-(un)professional athletes: people will be boastful and uncharacteristic to impress and suppress other’s confidence. I prefer to interact direct with hikers, opposed to group talk.

I grabbed my bunk, skipped dinner, opted to eat a dehydrated ice cream sandwich I found, and crashed for the night.

Signing off,

Zeppelin