25th April 2025

I woke suddenly in the early hours, sitting bolt upright. Something had pulled at my leg, I was sure of it. I couldn’t hear anything over the wind and it was too dark to see. Dan awoke too because of my sudden movement. He rubbed my back for a while, reassuring me it was okay and it was just the wind. I laid back down thinking logically that it was the wind, yet feeling disturbed, sure that a phantom now lost to the wind tugged at my leg.

In the morning I still felt on edge; I was sure I hadn’t imagined the sensation. I looked down at my foot and thought I saw a series of holes in the tent by my feet. I put my glasses on for a better look. Sure enough, there were bite marks in the tent wall and mesh liner in the distinct shape of a Canids snout. I hadn’t imagined it: a coyote nudged my leg as I slept.

Disbelief took over the camp with everyone photographing the damage and coming over to hear the tale. And so, Coyote, became my trail name.

Before staring the trail, Dan and I felt that trail names were a little cringy. However, it only took a couple of days for our mindsets to change. The thing is, you meet so many people on trail that remembering names is hard. Trail names are normally derived from funny anecdotes on trail or from a characteristic of a hiker. They are much more memorable, especially when you ask about their origin.

Repairing the tent became the priority for the day. The outside was easily taped, but inside the mesh required stitching, and one gash in the mesh was too frayed to simply pull together. I cut off the label from my trousers and sewed it over the hole which seemed to work.

We waited out the heat of the day, passing the time by reading and writing. At 4pm we packed up and left the camp to attempt our first ever hitch. We found a spot at the side of the road where a car could safely stop. I stood up front with Dan about 50m behind me. After about five cars drove by, a pick up truck stopped and we dumped out packs in the back and got in. Delighted, we thanked John, the kind soul who took pity on us unkempt hikers. He dropped us right at the trail head and waved us off. Successful hitch complete.

Back on trail. The next 25 miles was an exposed section with only one water source as we ascended into the San Filipe Hills. The terrain is a combination of rock and orange dirt both of which is spotted with hardy plants which vary in colour from a grey-purple to a dull green. The whole walk looked like we were climbing a rock garden with succulents and cacti poking out of the stone. After six miles of climbing we spotted Elvis on the next ridge, his arms open wide welcoming us to a campsite.

We snuggled down inside the tent, both feeling elated to be back on trail. Again, it appeared to be a windy night, but at the time of writing there have been no more coyote encounters!