Day 11
Day miles: 18
Trip miles: 210
It was nice having a lazy morning at Doc Campbells. I woke up around 7am, got packed up and prepared to go. My shoes and socks were drying quickly in the hot morning sun. I had showered the night before, and although I didn’t get all of the dirt off and my clothes were still filthy, I felt like a new man.
The store owner came by around 8:30, leading three beautiful goats off to their pasture. He circled back and opened the store for us. Food!
I sucked down a microwave breakfast burrito and a burger, along with some coffee. After feasting, I set about taping up my blisters that were still tender. I have a few.
Michael, a hiker from Virginia rolled in. I hadn’t seen him since I met him at one of the water caches in the desert. Blueberry followed shortly after, her silver sun umbrella gleaming under the morning rays. It was, however, time for me to head out.
Stormy was hanging back to wait for the others because they were all planning to visit the Gila cliff dwellings. You can actually drive to see this – no hiking needed. I saw it in 2019, and while it is definitely worth visiting, I didn’t feel the desire to see it a second time. Instead, I decided to spend time on a part of the trail along the middle fork of the river that I did not hike in 2019.
I stopped briefly at the visitor center to look at some exhibits and read about the efforts to save, then to reintroduce New Mexican wolves into the wild. There are currently wolves in the Gila National Forest, and I believe also in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness where the Black Range is. I wanted so badly to spot a wolf, but it was not to be.
The hiking from the visitor center to the junction of the middle fork of the Gila with Little Bear Canyon was spectacular. In the first quarter mile there was a natural hot spring right beside the trail. It was slightly smaller than the popular Jordan Hot Springs, which I would see later, but still gorgeously clear.
I passed caves and old cliff dwellings. There were a couple of caves right off the trail. I tried to climb up to one, but didn’t make the final move to get over the ledge because I was by myself and worried about getting back down.
The area was rich with wildlife. I saw deer, several beaver dams (didn’t see the beaver – they were busy…), fish, frogs, prey birds, etc. There were some old-growth trees as well. One of them was wider than me with my arms spread out!
Surrounding all of this were tight, towering red cliff walls. It really was a sight to see. I spent a lot of time just looking around, and it made me really glad that I hiked the Gila alternate again.
I went to Jordan hot springs, which is a natural hot spring just up a side trail. I was convinced that in 2019 I had not seen the real Jordan hot springs. Back then, it wasn’t in the Guthook maps, and for some reason I thought it was bigger. In actuality, I did see Jordan hot springs – it was now on the map, and just for good measure, I followed the trail behind it leading up the cliff. There was nothing else.
Feeling somewhat vindicated, I took a long soak and chatted with a few section hikers. I probably spent 45 minutes there. The hot spring was beautiful, with a crystal clear pool, clean rocky bottom (e.g. not muddy or gross), and a waterfall at the back, pouring forth warm water into the pool. It felt good on my battered feet.
Having seen no sign of the others, I continued hiking. As I looked for a place to camp, I saw a small bear down by the river, foraging. I took some video of it, until it realized I was present and scampered off.
I ended up camping alone along the Gila. I was about to set up at the first site, but it looked like a coyote or wolf kill zone. There was almost an entire cow skeleton, along with some other bones strewn about. I walked a little farther and bed down.
Today was incredible and I’m so glad I got to see the section of trail between the visitors center and Little Bear Canyon. It will definitely stick in my mind as one of highlights of the CDT.
Day 12
Day miles: 25.9
Trip miles: 235.9
Last night I saw a headlamp briefly point my way in the dark, then turn around. I was mildly amused to see that Draggin’ had caught up and camped at the kill zone. We spent a few minutes discussing our respective blister situations, but I headed out quickly. It was in the high 30s, so too chilly to chat for long without moving.
The day flew by in a long series of river crossings. I took a lunch break in a cave just beside the trail, which was both cool (literally and figuratively) and comfortable. I was hiking to get out of the Gila. It would be my last day of wet feet sanded down by river silt and grit.
The Gila is worth the potential physical consequences (blisters, exacerbated blisters in my case). It truly is a beautiful and unique experience. But, I was beginning to realize that I wasn’t going to pop out on the other side unscathed. The blisters I had that were relatively under control prior to entering the Gila were expanding and filled with river grit. It’s impossible to keep the inside of a popped blister clean through the Gila, and mine had long since exploded in my shoes (though they were taped up, which helped).
Nevertheless, sometimes on trail one just must press on. I pushed through a lot of pain on the AT. It is part of what makes the finish so much sweeter. Besides, the scenic distractions make it a little easier to just march north.
As I was getting close to Snow Lake, which marks the end of the river crossings, Stormy caught up to me. I am pretty much in awe of his ability to bang out the miles so effortlessly! We walked up to Snow Lake together, as I learned that Towely and Blueberry were farther behind.
Snow Lake was incredibly low compared with 2019, when it was full. The water line was visibly and materially receded. We stopped at the pit toilets where there was a potable water spigot and trash receptacles. Draggin’ caught up as we were rinsing our socks out at the spigot.
We sat for a while in the shade while our shoes and socks dried in the sun. The wind whipped around the pit toilet building, so we all three huddled on the shady side to block the wind. A small vole kept popping up to the surface from his hole near the trash receptacles, just barely peeking up. It looked like it was eating grass, but it may have been impatient for us to leave so that it could vole around.
We left with one more stop for water to go – a nearby cow pond. I veered off trail at one point following a trail, but not the CDT. I went cross country, but ran into a barbed wire fence and had to hike along it until I found the gate.
At the cow pond, I didn’t want to walk further, but I also didn’t want to camp at the “local saloon” either. When water is scarce, camping at the water source disrupts the supply for animals that regularly rely on it. Cows might still come down to drink, but elk, mountain lion, bears, etc. – maybe not. I also didn’t really want to be there if they did! So we hiked on, which meant climbing up.
A lone elk was on its way down to the pond as we climbed up. Rather than going around us and following the cows that were traveling down to the water, it ran back up the ridge. I got a shot of it before it disappeared, and by the time we reached the top, it was at least a mile away in the distance. Elk are such powerful creatures. If I could travel like that I’d be able to hike the CDT in a month, leisurely!
Stormy and I decided to camp up on the ridge. It was as exposed as it gets, but the wind didn’t seem too bad and the sunset was killer. We would also get the sunrise in the morning. Draggin’ showed up and joined us. It’s nice having company when camping in an exposed location like that. If I wake up to 60 mph gusts and have to grab my gear and run before it becomes part of a badly run yard sale across the high plains, I know there will be two others doing the exact same dance.
I was thankful to be done with the river crossings and excited to be getting into higher elevation (we camped at about 8600 feet). I fell sound asleep before I could finish typing, and as my sleeping pad slowly deflated from a leak that had been worsening in recent days. So it goes with trail life.
Day 13
Daily miles: 28.7
Trip miles: 264.6
I woke up at 3am to a flat sleeping pad. I knew I would need to replace it before Colorado. I was pretty sure the issue was the valve stem, not a puncture, but it is hard to properly fix them on trail. For now, it was good enough. I’d deal with it in Pie Town. I blew it back up and slept for another hour. Sunrise, as expected, was beautiful, but I didn’t linger around because (1) it was cold, and (2) there was no cover to do my morning business.
Most of the day was spent on a loooooooooooong dirt and gravel road walk. The CDT travels through a huge logging operation (at least part of this section is). I stopped to do my morning business and get my headphones out at the first decent clump of trees. When I finished, I realized I was completely surrounded by cows. It felt so strange! They had silently moved in. I hoped they weren’t offended at my use of their space, but then again everywhere I looked were cow patties. As I emerged from the cluster of trees they spooked and scattered as if I were an alien. Apparently they didn’t even know I was there.
I was happy to have a podcast to listen to walking that road. I stopped at a solar cow trough to grab some water, then pushed on about ten more miles to a water cache. Draggin’ was there and we again discussed our respective feet issues. It wouldn’t be a thru-hike with Hungry Cat without some exciting foot drama! I should just change my trail name to Blistered Cat.
I took an ibuprofen and had a snack before grabbing water. Once that ibuprofen kicked in, I got a second wind and managed to push all the way into the Govina Canyon alternate. I didn’t take this short alternate in 2019, so I decided to check it out. Honestly, while it was ok, I wouldn’t choose it again over the traditional route. It had a very rocky old road at the beginning that was painful on my feet, but that later transitioned to single track trail.
I found a place to camp after passing up more pond water. I had enough to last me until a more pleasant source in the morning.
You might be wondering – why is he hiking higher mileage if he has blisters? Well, it is a little over 130 miles from Doc Campbells to Pie Town. I planned on six days of food, but I was carrying a tight six days. Even a lean six day carry is heavy. At some point, I got hungry and rationalized that I would eat into my sixth day supply and just get into town more quickly. Once I started, I committed to shortening my timeframe and ate more. It’s what a hungry cat does I guess.
Either way, it will be good to get into town to clean and rest my feet for a few days.
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