DAY 21 – Pie Town camp to Beaverhead Centre camp (121miles)

Deciding this will be my last good night’s sleep I don’t set the alarm and just wake up naturally. I reach Pie Town at 9am and am happy to find the Pie-O-Neer Café open. The map only indicates a restaurant and I was worried I may have to wait for that to open at lunchtime. After a good breakfast, but without any pie, I stock up all my water carriers and head out.

I cross the Plains of San Augustin and in the middle of nowhere, and I mean the middle of nowhere, as from Pie Town the next services in Mimbres are 150 miles away, I go to change route card and discover it isn’t there under the old one. I have a moment of panic as I realise I’ve lost my last card that goes all the way to Antelope Wells. I have no idea where it went, but it’s not a disaster as I can use the instructions on the map. For some reason the miles come very slowly today and I’m counting them down one by one. I need music out here on my own.

Rolling down the trail as evening nears I’m drifting off with my mind in neutral when I’m abruptly brought to my senses watching a big black creature casually slope out of the forest and onto the track in front of me. It takes a few seconds for me to work out it’s a black bear as I’ve not seen one before, and it’s only about fifty yards away. I quietly stop and reach for the camera as I start backing away. I’ve nearly got my camera when the bear turns around to look at me, pauses a second, then takes off back into the woods.

I see the Beaverhead Work Centre at about 9pm in the dark and press on past. I wanted to try and get water here but am not sure I will be able to so late at night, so carry on past. I camp up a few miles further at the top of a steep climb and wonder if Bruce will be camping where I saw the bear.