Deming, NM to the Mexican border

From Deming we only had 60 miles to the border, and we could all feel the excitement building. The last 60 miles followed either paved highway or jeep road. Our route skirted around the only mountains in the area, the Floridas and the Tres Hermanas. Water was scarce and weather remained sunny and cold. The worst, however, was when we awoke in the middle of the night to find that our cowboy camp had been invaded by giant red ants. Brian actually got bit on his lip and looked like a plastic surgery gone bad for about 24 hours. As we walked the highway into the town of Columbus we were happy to see our tax dollars at work; as evidenced by the hundreds of border patrol vehicles we saw driving up and down the highway. We strolled into our final town and gathered the group to hike the last 3 miles together. With our packs full of champagne and beer we hiked the last 3 miles to the Mexican border in style. We made it to the border on November 17, 2009 and just like that, our 2600 mile journey across the country was over. It was time to celebrate!

We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who supported us throughout our journey, both on trail and off. We are so lucky to have such amazing friends and family. We look forward to seeing you all very soon.