Gila Wilderness
Day 2
Studying the map the previous day, we concluded that we should alter our course and head up the river avoiding gaining anymore elevation. The idea sounded great and the first mile confirmed our hypothesis. And then we reached the first river crossing. It’s one thing to cross a stream in without a backpack. Strapping 35+ lbs to your back and it’s little surprise that 8 straight river crossings slowed up the trip.
Flight of fancy
Spotting a nice campsite, the decision was made to make camp here and launch an early afternoon dayhike. Optimism swell, and we firmly believed that the 5000 feet of elevation gain to Mongollon Baldy was within reach. Prepared to hike back in the dark if need be, we started out with water, snacks, and a flashlight. 6 more river crossings and more ambiguous trail markers lead us to a “wilder” section of the river. Scrambling over and under the rocky riverbed, we were having a glorious time, despite our “lostness”. Soon the river narrowed, the rocks grew to boulders, and all signs of the trail had been lost.
So where’s the trail, again?
Seeing a steep washout on the eastern side of the river, we decided to climb up to get a better look. Eventually, our adventurousness lead to idea that we could actually summit the mountain. In our earnest, we never considered the chance of loose rocks further ahead. About half-way up, I took a gamble on climbing up a steeper route. Within 10 minutes, the ground below me suddenly began to give way. Scrapping for anything to secure a good hold, I found a rock just as my feet slide out from underneath me. A large rock rolled over my exposed big toe (one of the rare moments I wished I wasn’t wearing Chaco sandals). Light rain started dusting the valley and clasps of thunder were within earshot. It was time to come down. Not wanting to give up on climbing this without a single good picture, I gingerly slipped though several thorny bushes, stepping into a clearing. Beautiful
What’s a trip without an infamous “foot-foto”
The climb down was worse than the climb up. Several moments I held threw myself at the mercy of the mountain after a couple poor steps caused mini-rock avalanches. But as you would expect, Jeremy and I made it down without injury. I immediately found the largest boulder and gave it a big hug as a sign of my thankfulness to be back on solid ground. The walk back to camp was relatively uneventful, and we enjoyed a good night’s rest.
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I keep looking at the temp in Oslo, and of course thinking about you. Gran
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