After a yummy breakfast, Don took me to the post office to pick up my resupply and then dropped me off at the trailhead. I decided to take the Mt. Taylor alternative route which leads to the summit whereas the CDT stays at lower elevation, avoiding the peak ascent. I started hiking uphill towards Mount Taylor or Tsoodził (Navajo or Dine pronunciation: [tsʰòːtsɪ̀ɬ]), meaning Turquoise Mountain in Dine who consider this mountain sacred. It is the tallest mountain I have attempted to climb so far at 11,301 feet. 

Right when I was getting into a groove, I heard a rattling sound. A rattlesnake, the first one on this trip! I detoured around the snake and it looked like the detour had been established. I wondered if the snake’s home was right on the trail.

I saw one hiker. I was looking for water and they told me there was no water so I needed to go back to the cow tank or the official CDT and then hike a mile to get it from a spring. I already went to the cow tank and couldn’t bring myself to take that brown water with mosquito larvae wiggling. I saw a drainage on the map and I smelled the water so instead of listening to their advice and the app, I followed my nose and instinct upstream. After a while, I found a few pools with clear water! My senses are getting better. The land and plants usually tell me where the water is. I saw snow on top of Tsoodził and it’s melting every day so there had to be something flowing down the stream.

That evening I decided to camp at 9,946 feet, 1.7 miles from the peak. I like to sleep below 10,000 when it’s possible to give my body a good rest. From the camp, I could see the top of the mountain lit by the evening sun.

The next morning I left my camp at 4:50 am. I saw three deer on the way up. Little before 6 am, I reached the summit. Soon, the sun came up and it was magical. I gave some prayers and appreciated this opportunity, a safe journey so far, and the incredible beauty that I’ve seen in New Mexico. I also thanked all the people who have been helping me on and off the trail. 

I made my breakfast on the summit and took my time to absorb the magical light and view. I reflected on exactly a year ago when I took my first step into the Mojave Desert at the southern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail. I had no idea how that journey would change the course of my life. At the end of the PCT, I remembered that I wished it never ended. I was in harmony with myself and nature. So here I am. A year later, I am on another long journey. It happened to be the day to see a beautiful sunrise from the Dine’s sacred mountain. What a great way to celebrate this incredible opportunity that I have!

After breakfast, I started to descend on the north slope. I knew it would be full of snow for the first half of a mile. Even though it was early in the morning, it wasn’t cold enough for the snow to be frozen that I was post-hauling so much- sometimes I was buried to my waist and hauled myself out on my belly! It took me 40 minutes to move .4 miles then it got mostly clear from the snow. 

There was another summit called Cerro Pelon, a little over 10,000 feet. It wasn’t too far from the trail so I decided to summit it as well. I was so glad that I did because I wasn’t able to see the north view from Tsoodził, but from Cerro Pelon, I could see a clear view of the north and what was ahead of me. I saw mesas and interesting shaped volcanoes.

For the next two days, it was cloudy and even it rained a little bit! I inhaled deeply the desert aroma activated by the rain as much as I could. The land is thirsty, and the rain eased the dryness of the land. One of my favorite moments was seeing tiny water droplets on the grass lit by the sunrise. They all turned into golden sparkles, brightening the entire world. 

Another moment was when I decided to stop at Los Indios spring. When I arrived, the crystal clear water was flowing among aspen trees and the water tasted amazing. I thanked the water God for the sacred water. 

The last 45 miles to Cuba was probably the best New Mexico section of the CDT besides the Gila River section. I thought it was the classic landscape that I was envisioning for New Mexico – a huge canyon after canyon with mesas, volcanos, and layers of rainbow-colored sandstone painting the land. It was incredible that I stopped many times. It was like walking into nature’s rock castle one after another, seeing interesting shapes and colors of rocks. Sometimes I thought I was walking into a maze. When I took a closer look at them, I noticed many shades of the same color. Flowers added more flavor to it, making the scene more alive. Seeing the evening golden sun lighting the canyon after the thunderstorm was stunning. The trail was also very obvious most of the way to Cuba. Finally, I was walking the well-maintained trail! 

After the storm, the light and the sky were adding more colors and contrast to what I was seeing. Then I noticed the first sagebrush. I like its flavor, especially when I’m hiking. I asked for permission to pick a part of it and tasted the fresh first Sagebrush on this trip.

There is one more reason why this section was the best. Right before passing the 600-mile point, I crossed a paved road and came to a parking lot. I saw a huge white canvas tent that says “CDT Camp Oasis.” As I approached closer,  I heard, “Welcome! Come on in!” There were four trail angels from Albuquerque Hiking Club. I learned that someone from the club is there every day through the end of May to support us. There was a menu and I was encouraged to order something for lunch. What I’ve been craving the most is fresh fruits and vegetables. I was delighted to see “Spring Mix Salad” on the menu. I ordered the salad, which came with baby leaves, tomatoes, carrots, and celery, and I added my nori seaweed, nuts, and SafeCatch tuna. It was delicious. I was grateful and touched by their generosity. They asked me to put a pin on where I’m from on the world map they had on the wall. I put one in San Francisco and another in Tokyo, realizing that I was the first Asian thru-hiker for this season. They said that last year there was only one Asian person. They haven’t seen black or brown people either. When I looked at the map, there were a lot of European folks, especially from England and Germany. CDT continues to be a white space and the food they had reflected that fact.

I asked them if it was easy to hitch a ride from Cuba to Albuquerque. Bill, one of the trail angels said, “I’ll be here tomorrow, and on my way out I’ll come to Cuba. It’s only a 20 minutes additional drive. Does 2 o’clock work for you?” Amazing, isn’t it? These people are truly angels. When they offer help, it sounds like a not big deal to them. For me, it is a huge deal. The next day, I told Bill in the car that when I’m hiking, I have everything I need. When I come to town for resupply or something else, I feel most vulnerable because I have to rely on people I don’t know for help. Every encounter I have with people like him is critical for my success and I was grateful for his offer. He said the amount of joy and reward he receives from supporting hikers has been remarkable for him. It sounded like a win-win situation.

From Cuba to Albuquerque, it was a beautiful drive. Bill dropped me off at my friend Zoë’s house. I am taking a zero day tomorrow and have to make an important decision about whether to go to Washington DC or not. A week ago, I found out that Outdoors Alliance for Kids (OAK), a national strategic partnership of 100 organizations from diverse sectors with a common interest in connecting children, youth, and families with the outdoors based in DC, selected me as the 2024 “OAK Leaf Award” recipient for my leadership in connecting young people to the outdoors. They invited me to join the celebration in Washington DC next Tuesday, May 21st. 

When I arrived at Zoë’s home, I looked up the sky and saw the moon. It’s getting closer to full, meaning that it would be almost a month since I started hiking. As I stared at the moon, I asked for guidance – please help me to make a decision that would guide me in the right direction. Whatever I decide to do, I hope that it will honor the truth of myself, and all relationships, and enhance connections. 

*I am using the official CDT trail mileage. The Mt. Taylor alternative is longer in mileage. The actual walking distance or mileage is different.

Appreciation: Don and Bill for giving me a ride, the CDT trail camp team from Albuquerque Hiking Club for being wonderful trail angels, and Zoë for hosting me in Albuquerque 

Best learning: the more I open my senses, the more I trust my gut to feel the land. I was happy to find water that wasn’t on the app. Other wildlife find their water without technology and we humans are also created to find what we need when we practice using our senses

Challenges: post-holing in the deep snow on the descent from Tsoodziłr and water scarcity 

Disappointment: Hearing that no BIPOC has come through the trail camp which is almost at mile 600. I know they are out there and I’m hoping to meet them soon

Exciting moments: seeing the classic landscape of New Mexico- rainbow-colored canyon after canyon, a couple of days of weather that brought us rain, a field of water droplets reflecting the morning sunshine, lots of wildflowers, hospitality, and kindness of trail angels