Follow Strider's Rambles

Day 17

I woke at 6 am and did phone stuff until the group alarm went off at 6:30. Then I jumped from bed and started the room’s coffee pot. Thorn and I got a hitch from the Chiricahua Apache Nation; three men from three generations who were on their way to meet a benefactor giving a chunk of land back to the nation. When we reached Alma, the middle-aged man, with lustrous black hair, extended his hand to help us out of the truck. We were touched by the chivalrous gesture. Bird and Pop got a ride from an old man with a cute pit mix named Spooky.

For 5.6 miles, we walked up Mineral Creek Rd. An RV Park had decorated their road adjacent space with derelict tractors and also had a field of old farm equipment. It reminded me of Montana. The road ended at the Mineral Creek Trailhead. We followed a trail that wove back and forth across Mineral Creek within steep-walled Cooney Canyon. It was very scenic with ash-flow tuff, rock spires, and small cascades. In a deep pool of water, my friends took a quick dunk in the chilly creek. I submerged my feet. Then we ate lunch on adjacent smooth, flat rocks.

We followed the creek for several miles. It was ankle deep in most spots, though all of the crossings were rock-hoppable, theoretically, each of us slipped at some point and ended up with a wet foot. The trail became forested and we did our best to avoid small patches of poison ivy. There were some relics and ruins from 1800’s era silver & gold mining. After 4.3 miles, we turned left onto the Log Canyon trail. The excellent trail rose steeply, 1100 ft. within a little over a mile, to a saddle. We reconvened and descended about 500 ft. to end up in Spring Canyon.

As we sat at the road’s edge, filtering water from a small pool we’d found in the drainage, a truck stopped. It was a trail angel named BB! He’d dropped off some CDT hikers and decided to take Bursum Road to Glenwood instead of backtracking through Reserve. BB regretted that decision, saying he felt like he’d been on the road for days as it wasn’t in the greatest condition. It worked out well for us, we got trail magic! I ate an apple and three cuties. BB had thru-hiked himself and explained that his trail name was short for battered & bruised.  While doing a PCT section, he ended up getting a free helicopter ride and 26 stitches!

Our day ended with a four mile, gradual ascent along Bursum Road. A truck full of hunters stopped to check in on us. The driver asked if I needed water and if I’d seen any turkeys. We camped at the Redstone Trailhead, ~8,500 ft., pitching our tents in a tight cluster. It was rapidly becoming a chilly night and everyone wanted the protection of tent walls. I helped Pop find and patch a hole in her Nemo air mattress. Bird made a small fire to heat her semi-frozen burrito and we all enjoyed the fire’s warmth.

Day 18

I got a great night’s sleep, warm and cozy within my sleeping bag. I have firmly decided that I’m not a sleeping quilt gal. It took a long time for people to stir and run through their morning routines. Happily, I felt perfectly layered and content to wait. We took off as a group; three miles of road-walking ahead. Once the road leveled out, I chatted with Thorn. This summer will be her fifth season of trail work in Rocky Mountain. She wants to move to a different park next summer, perhaps Glacier or the North Cascades. We also discussed small trail towns that we’d found charming.

At the Whitetail Canyon Trailhead, there was a vault toilet. I was amongst those who excitedly used it. Then we got on the Crest Trail, which passed through an area that burned in 2012. There was downfall at almost regular intervals and I mostly went over vs. under it. The bark was a smooth gray, idea for sitting on if a downed trunk was slightly taller than my legs. A strong breeze swept across the ridge and whistled through the slender, denuded trees. We got strung out so that I only occasionally glimpsed Thorn behind me; Pop was far ahead. When my energy waned, I stopped for a snack and coffee. Thorn passed and a half mile later I caught up to her and Pop at a 10,375 ft. saddle. We sat on logs around a fire ring, out of the wind, and waited for Bird.

When we set out, I was full of energy and took the lead. The trail circled east around Whitewater Baldy. I crossed a patch of snow and saw several patches amongst the trees. The downfall increased in frequency and a couple spots required careful navigation. The trail rose to cross the northeast slope of Center Baldy before descending to the day’s only water source (besides our initial camp). We ate lunch at Hobo Spring and I made chocolate pudding for the group.

Following lunch, the trail ascended again and offered fantastic views of the Mogollon Mountains. I stopped multiple times to take pictures. I’d finished my audiobook earlier in the day so I listened to country music. After 3.7 miles, I reached the summit of Mogollon Baldy. At 10,770, it is the highest point directly on the GET. On top there is a cabin and a fire tower, which are seasonally staffed. We took a group picture on the cabin’s porch. Due to the wind, it was chilly so we were all eager to resume our hike.

The last section of trail was mostly downhill, however it was also less defined and a lot more brushy. I got ahead of my friends and was thinking how I hadn’t seen any critters all day, other than a fuzzy bee at the spring. Then I saw a large creature moving across the trail ahead. It was a medium sized black bear! I watched it for a couple minutes before it saw me. When I tried to get closer for a better picture, it finally heard me and ran off.

Shortly after the brush thinned out, we finally entered an area with live pine trees. It seemed like a good spot to camp. Pop decided to cowboy, while the rest of us set up our tents. I admired her spirit, especially as we were still at 8,700 ft. I also loaned her my down hood.

Day 19

When I got up in the middle of the night to pee, I saw a shooting star. It was a colder night than the previous one, yet happily Pop stayed warm. While I checked on her, I saw two mule deer run through the trees. Once underway, we hiked several miles through semi-burned woods to White Creek and I heard a turkey gobble twice as we descended the final switchbacks. We took a break at the creek. All of us gathered water and I made coffee.

The trail turned towards the West Fork Gila River. On a sharp switchback, I startled a turkey roosted in a tree and it soared across a steep-sided gully to escape me. A couple lizards scurried at my approach, the first that I’d seen since near Alma. Soon we reached the West Gila and the first two crossings were rock-hoppable. At the third, I succumbed to the inevitable and unzipped my pant’s lower legs. Before we forded again, the river narrowed into a slot as it wound through rocky walls. Bird spotted a beaver; she, Thorn, and I took a snack break to watch its antics. It floated and did somersaults in a deep pool.

As we watched the beaver, we also waited for Pop. However, it turned out we were actually off trail and she likely went past. Bird wanted to follow our side trail, figuring it would meet the trail where it crossed the river. Thorn & I followed, but it got more and more sketchy. When we reached a washed out hillside, Bird began to descend to the creek. I checked the map and saw the trail far above with the next creek crossing a mile away. I knew Bird’s way would be difficult going, so I turned back to seek out the trail, with an agreement to meet them at Lilley Canyon. Even with backtracking, I beat them there by a large margin.

The shenanigans put us even further behind Pop. Bird used her Garmin to message Pop our location and we continued onward. There were over 40 Gila River fords, this time I didn’t keep my own count. Most crossings were only calf deep, none over my knees, and half as wide as the ones along Eagle Creek. Also, the water was usually clear and the trail was easy to follow in between crossings. It was a warm day and the cold water felt refreshing, though it did begin to chafe the back of my calves. Neat rock formations and spires made up or decorated the canyon’s walls. At one point, we encountered two trail runners going the opposite direction.

Around 4 pm, we caught up to Pop and I showed her adorable beaver pictures. Two trail curves later we passed a pile of long, slender spears of basalt rock. There were more rock spires and the trail ran alongside the base of a rock wall pocked with holes. Then we reached our goal campsite and it was wonderful. There were sitting rocks, a stone table, creek access, handy limbs for hanging items, and flat ground. Bird was sad – understandably so – because she lost her Alpha fleece hoodie and realized it in camp. We all cowboy camped side-by-side in a row. I enjoyed gazing at the stars.

Day 20

It was fun to sit bundled in sleeping bags as we chatted and ate breakfast. Bird called it a slugfest because we were all reluctant to put on our wet shoes and damp socks. Sunlight lit the upper reaches of the canyon before I initiated a packing trend. A few fords along, we admired a single, weathered cliff dwelling tucked into the canyon’s wall. My feet felt numb from the cold of the chilly morning water crossings, however soon we had traversed 11 fords and ascended into a pleasant ponderosa forest. The sun’s warmth enveloped the trail as we walked across a flat mesa. A couple miles and three fords later, we reached Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.

Bird and Pop had explored the cliff dwellings on the CDT so they went ahead while Thorn and I passed over a bridge and hiked the one mile loop trail through the monument. It began in a canyon with a spring fed stream and we learned about plants and animals used by the Mogollon residents. At a curve, a striped, long tailed lizard posed for a picture and I identified it as a Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail. Then we ascended to the cliff dwellings. They were impressive, built into huge caverns in the rock. There were short-walled dwellings composed of rocks and mortar, with holes where beams once held a roof. It seemed like a fun place to live, with ladders and rock ledges, plus an impressive view.

From the dwellings, Thorn and I walked 1.6 miles along paved roads to the Gila Visitor Center. Bird & Thorn had toured its museum then completed activity books and were being sworn in as Senior Rangers. They received cool patches to acknowledge their achievement. Thorn wanted to become a ranger as well. At first I didn’t want another item to add to my nomadic life, though Pop & Bird swayed me with their enthusiasm; the patch did have a magnificent yucca plant. So Thorn and I got sworn in as Rangers and took activity books to go. Bird asked a guy for a ride and he didn’t have room in his vehicle so he asked another guy who was idling his car in the lot. That netted a ride from Neil & Steve, two life long friends exploring New Mexico together, and three miles later we were at Doc Campbell’s Post.

The post is an iconic CDT stop that I missed when Top Shelf and I followed the redline through the Black Range. I picked up my resupply box and got two homemade ice cream flavors: butterscotch and coffee, both delicious. We hung out for a long time, did laundry, showered, and chatted with CDT hikers. My friends ate pizza and I got chocolate ice cream. We briefly met Captain Jack, another GET hiker, whose name we’d seen in a couple trail log books.

Pop and I walked down the road to the Gila Springs Campground, past a field filled with goat moms, each with twin babies. The baby goats were absolutely adorable! They climbed onto things, ate hungrily, or cavorted about. At the campground, the kindly camp host Oggie gave us the spot adjacent to two hot spring pools and the cold/ hot water spigots. He also cooked up bratwursts left behind by past campers and fed them to the meat eaters. Patrick, a CDT hiker, joined us at our picnic table as we ate dinner. He lives in a small Texas town with his wife and son and is currently hiking solo.

After dark, us gals skinny dipped in the closest pool, it was really hot! The water first stung then soothed my chafed calves. Bird, Thorn, and I chatted with a friendly couple from Tucson. Then Thorn and Bird got out and I stayed in to keep Pop company. Back in my tent, I put a nourishing comfrey lotion (a sample from the Alma Store) on my calves. There was a bunch of splashing from the river that flowed on one edge of our site and I wondered if it was a late night swimmer or a critter. I was still alert so I completed my ranger activity book. The night was a perfect temperature for sleeping only in my tank top, sans leggings.