Night Hiking Under the Full Moon in the Gila

This morning I got up around 6am and made some coffee. Then, little by little, he began to pack his bags. I’m obsessed with these nice, bright mornings. It’s such a blessing after it’s been so dark in the mornings for so long. We were both packed and ready to go around 7am And then we left and started moving again.

From where we camped for the night, it was about 19 miles to the next water source. I’m thinking about doing the high route through the Gila River area. It is the same mileage as the lower route that passes through the river. The lower route simply takes you across the river hundreds of times. It takes much longer and you stay on your feet the entire time. The views are incredible, so if I hadn’t been there before, I would definitely be doing it right now. But this time, I’m going the high route to keep my feet dry.

But since I’m in higher elevation, the water source is about 19 miles away this morning. If I stayed on the Gila River section, I would get to the water earlier in the day. It looks like Steam Engine will go the Gila route. Which makes a lot of sense to be able to reach all members of the group. But last night when we got to camp, Steam Engine realized he had left his water filter in the cow trough. The one we used in the dark at the end of the day.

That put him in a bit of a complicated situation. He would have to back off and wait for everyone to catch up or continue with me. These water sources here are really questionable. It’s definitely not a big section of trail to lose a water filter. I wouldn’t feel comfortable drinking most of this water without filtering it. Initially it was not clear exactly what he was going to do. It seems like he was leaning toward reconnecting with his group. But we would have to see what happened. I was excited to get out and start another day of hiking with someone. Honestly, any mile I do with another person is a gift.

The morning ended up being absolutely amazing. We climbed a little and then crossed this incredible area of ​​grassland. The views were huge and reminded me a lot of Montana. For a brief moment, we were certainly no longer in New Mexico. That was one of the most incredible trail mornings I can remember in a long time. The sun was right in the perfect spot rising in the sky and everything had a great glow.

Steam Engine and I walking the path.

Sometime early in the morning, we arrived at the fork where the lower and upper routes of the Gila River were. This is where I was going to continue along the Alta route. And where Steam Engine had to decide what it wanted to do. I joked with him saying, «What? Don’t you want to do another 35 mile day?» And in the end, I guess he did. Not having a water filter, it certainly made more sense for him to continue walking with me. Otherwise, he would basically have to sit at the intersection and wait for everyone behind him to catch up. But it’s not like I’m sitting next to a water fountain. So if it takes too long for the other hikers to reach you, you might run out of water in the meantime.

This section of the trail was really cool. We walked down towards this pond and I really enjoyed the views.

In the end, Steam Engine decided to take the High route and continue walking with me. Which was pretty exciting! I was planning on doing about 35 miles today. That would prepare me to arrive at Doc Campbell’s tomorrow morning or early afternoon. That’s the next resupply location. The only thing I really care about is getting enough mileage today to prepare well enough to be able to walk into that store tomorrow. And I don’t even know what time the store opens or anything like that.

After reaching the high road we continued and were still on a nice dirt road for a while. You had to climb quite a bit on the road. But it really wasn’t that bad. Then, about 16 miles into the day, we passed a nice designated camping area and trailhead. I remember being here last year because a guy drove by and stopped on the road. In fact, he ended up giving Sparkle and me a small watermelon. So when we got to the trailhead we cut it off and enjoyed the delicious watermelon.

A desperate source of water. Fortunately I didn’t need water.

Today when we got to the trailhead I had a toilet that I used. Then we sat for a while in the shade at a picnic table. We were having a great day. So we could easily afford to sit down and take a short break before continuing. From the trailhead, we still had another 4 miles to go to the next water source. It’s starting to get hot and I was definitely starting to run out of water. Although I had brought the perfect amount for the stretch. Either way, I was eager to get to the next water so I could drink plenty.

We had some more climbing to do and eventually the trail leveled out before descending to the river. I knew in my mind that we would have to go down to the river and then up until we were out of the river to get back to the high route. But I was just trying not to think about it. That’s the downside to doing the high route on the Gila. Either you cross the river and get your feet wet, or you climb a bit. You can’t get away with it if you don’t do it.

It’s been a really fun change of pace, walking with someone.

After about an hour, we reached the next water source. The trail descended to the Gila River and then we crossed it. But we were lucky and didn’t have to get our feet wet. Then I sat on the other side and was finally able to get some water. Fortunately, the stretch between this water source and the next was much shorter. I think we only had to go another 9 miles to the next water. Although when we reached the next water in 9 miles, it would be the last water until Doc Campbell’s post. So tonight we will dry camp again and tomorrow morning we will have to go a long distance before there is water. But that’s just one of the problems with hiking in New Mexico.

We both sat by the river for a while before continuing. Then the trail stayed flat briefly before starting to climb again. And for the next hour or two we had a lot of climbing. We had an initial climb that was long and quite steep at times. Then it seemed like we had reached the top. But shortly after we went down again and had to go up again. Honestly, it was a good grade and I was able to get into a good rhythm. So I didn’t care too much. I was glad I didn’t get my feet wet either! It is a very cold time of year and I have no desire for my shoes to freeze at night and my feet to burn with that horrible feeling of cold water.

When we reached the first water source, it was only 2pm and we had already covered 20 miles during the day. It felt good to finally get back into the routine I’ve been in for so long. I had a lot of fun getting a zero and slowing down to hang out with this great group. But there’s something incredibly satisfying about putting in the miles. At least there has to be, otherwise I have no idea what I’m doing here. I filled up with enough water to get me the 9 miles to the next fountain. And the time between the two water sources passed incredibly quickly. Honestly, it was quite shocking.

Around 5 pm we reached the next water source. And what would be the last water source for the day and to Doc Campbell’s post tomorrow afternoon. Just before we got to the water source, we checked and saw how far away Doc Campbell’s post was. And Steam Engine checked what the hours were. Doc Campbell’s stand doesn’t open until noon, so there was really no need to travel 35 miles during the day. If we ended up doing 31-32 miles during the day, that would leave us about 13 miles to Doc Campbell’s post tomorrow. If we went any further tonight, we’d end up arriving at the store tomorrow morning, hours before it opened.

Enjoying the views on the upper Gila River route.

That meant that after grabbing water, we really only had to walk another 30 minutes to an hour at most. Which was a really nice feeling! Steam Engine also negotiated with me that if we stopped a little early, he would make a fire. Which I guess was a win-win because I was already thinking we should have a slightly shorter day. It was getting dark when we took water from that last fountain. Which was actually a very clear and pleasant stream right next to the trail.

After grabbing water, we had a little more climbing to do. We then continued until we found a good camping spot for the night. Steam Engine made a ring of fire and I set up my tent. Then I approached the ring and he lit the fire very quickly. This is now my third triple crown fire of the calendar year. And the funny thing is that I had all these fires in the last few days. Before meeting this group of hikers, I hadn’t had a single fire on the trail all year. Now I can have three in a week! What a luxury!

Some of my favorite sections of the high route were these pine forests.

We both sat by the fire and had dinner. I actually boiled water and made a dehydrated Mountainhouse meal for dinner. Then I even made some hot chocolate! I hadn’t realized it at the Toaster House in Pie Town, but I basically had no fuel left in my canister. So the last few days have just been a ticking time bomb waiting to die. When I made dinner tonight, I wasn’t sure if I would have enough water left to boil it again. But then I managed to boil it one more time to make hot chocolate. Now we’ll just have to see if there’s enough fuel left to make coffee in the morning. But at least tomorrow I’ll be able to get more fuel.

We both sat for a long time by the fire. It’s so nice to sit by the fire after a long day. We did a little over 31 miles, which still feels pretty good. Especially considering the fact that we were now resting by the fire in the camp. After a while, the fire started to die out and it was getting late, so I headed back to my tent for the night. Then I just did my stretches and called it a night. We’re only about 14 miles from Doc Campbell’s post. So if we leave at the usual time tomorrow morning, we should definitely arrive right when they open.

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