15-04-24.  Day 13.  Gila Cliff Dwellings

It sprinkled as we were going to bed and it started to rain at 1:00 am for a few hours.  I was suppose to get up at 5:00 am. but at 5:30 I was still in bed. It’s hard to get up when it’s been raining.

We packed up and hiked to the porch of Doc Campbell’s so we could get out of the rain and eat breakfast. The rain was off and on as we road walked to the Gila Cliff Dwellings.

They are about a mile off the trail but a must stop on our way north. Sourdough filled me in on the history of the 40 year time frame when the (pre pueblo) cliff dwellers lived here.

As we walked to the Little Bear Canyon trail head we met a group from New Mexico Junior College.  They rolled out the first trail magic for us, Little Debbie Snacks… YUM!

It was Friday and the first time we saw hikers on the trails. We hiked to the Gila River and headed upstream to Jordan Hot Spring. When we arrived there was a group from Arizona taking a Leave No Trace and Leadership 18 day class. To bad we were hiking to Canada. We still had miles to hike weaving in and out of the Gila River. I found my Darn Tuff wool socks did the best to hike in. The nylon and Seal Skin socks attracted every stone in the river bottom to lodge between my foot and my Tevas. Ouch…

The first day on the Gila River I said, “this is the best”. That was then and this is now the best. The canyon walls were mesmerizing.  I am so blessed to be able to hike this trail.

2 miles Before The Meadow on the Gila River.      12 Miles

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