5/21

The Gila River Canyon is so lush I feel like I could be in Kauai. The hot springs are the best I’ve ever seen. We cross the river 84 times. Floods from 2013 washed out the trails so we just bounce from one sand bar to the next slowly stumbling up the river.

Waiting out a storm in a cliff dwelling.

Climbing out of the canyon and I’m on a high altitude plain on the divide 8-9000 feet.

I hope my shoes don’t turn into flip flops.

My filter is pretty much shot, leaking cow shit water all over. Gonna switch to bleach pretty soon once we get into some better water sources north of here.

I have 2 sets of maps but they often contradict each other. Sometimes the trail will just disappear and I’ll continue cross country trying to follow a line on a map. Choose your own adventure!

On Friday I sleep in til 7 with the intention of slowly rolling into Pie Town. But by noon I’m 50 miles away from the post office (which closes for the weekend in 21 hours). Well shit, I’m pretty much committed at this point. With my team double d (Dio and Danzig) in my ears I roll into the night slamming malto juice and tripping over volcanic rock. I do 44 miles and get up at 4 to hit the final 12. My snot freezes to my beard and I just keep telling myself the sun is gonna come up.

Pie town has a sweeeet hiker house and locals who wanna buy us beer so I’m gonna end up taking my first zero day after 340 miles. We have a fantastic vinyl collection. Weeeeeeee!

Silver city was super rad. Big mt bike and outdoorsy town. Alec’s place is a stopover for hikers and bikers rolling through.

Coulda sucked me in for days but the Gila River Canyon was pulling hard so I hiked out. I don’t make it 10 minutes outta town before someone offers me a beer from a front lawn.

Big shoutout to Matt who gives me my first beer on the trail. He works in the outdoors industry so I can finally nerd out about gear.

In a day, I’m climbing over a pass and meet Crazy Joe in the most unlikely place to expect trail magic. He’s camping for a year out of his Jeep. He gives me more beer and we discuss locking rear differentials, street kids in Chico, and 12,000 ft passes on the continental divide. Beers are welcomed after 2000ft climbs.

Tuft of mountain lion hair or thru hiker dread locks? Dunno… But now I know what one of those things smells like. Not lovin it.

I drop down into the much anticipated Gila River Canyon. After desert hiking for 180 miles this place is an oasis. It’s hard to describe the feeling of seeing running water after a week of drinking out of hot caches and cow troughs.

Remember when you were a kid and you’d walk up a creek for what felt like miles and miles (but it’d only be like 400 meters)? Well it’s kinda like that, except we’re walking the Gila River for 55 miles.

In the middle is Doc Campbell’s outpost where I have a package. My next resupply is in 140 miles. Someone asks me if I have enough food… “I hope so!”

The only real food at docs is homemade ice cream, so I’m pretty experienced here. Won’t have a problem getting calories.

I’m staying at a hot springs campground, they’re not open for the season yet so I’m the only one here so I’ve made camp in a lawn chair next to a hot pool.

Hit 190 miles in the last week so I’m gonna sit here in my hot spring with a beer watching the turmoil in the clouds and the pines swaying in the Gila wind.

Onward to Pie Town. No updates for a bit.

Update: I think I might have a lactose intolerance…