Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Sat, 4May2013 - The nice folks at Thomas Mtn Ranch
Sun, 4Apr - Dazzle and I left Pie Town 3 hours apart. Just as I was leaving Beacon showed up! Tough to leave the Toaster House. I met Rockstar and her friend, who were giving a ride to Medicare Paster so she could slack pack and rest her feet. We talked a while along side the road. Tom, who I met in town also is having foot problems. Guess I'm doing ok this year. Met the Thomas's at Thomas Mtn Ranch to get water and they sucked me in for two hours talking. What a great couple. Never caught up with Dazzle because I turned off at Wild Horse Ranch to hike the purple route up Bonine Canyon. Great weather for hiking!
Friday, May 3, 2013
Wed, May 1st - Makgas Mountain Fire Lookout
Ice in my water bottle this morning. Saw a fresh dead cow, met a real cowboy herding cows. Got disoriented where the new CDT splits with the old. I thought i either missed or had to continue on th CDT to the next spring. I ended up hiking an extra couple miles on the new CDT to get water from a spring then go cross- country to regain the route up Makgas Mountain, 9700 feet. Not a bad thing i guess since the spring i missed was dry i hear. Snow on road at the fire lookout. Caretaker gave me a tour of the fire tower and let me stay in the loft of the hut. great sunset.
Fri, May 3 - Pie Town and the Toaster House
Met Dazzle on the hike into Pie Town. What a wonderful town. Everyone is so nice, happy, friendly, and seem to love it here. Dirt roads and a stop sign as the center of town. Nita took us on car tour of town last night. Today I toured the windmill museum and the Very Long Baseline Array antenna. Group of us having dinner at the Good Pie Cafe.
Tue 30Apr2013 From to much to too little water
Sun, 28Apr2013 - Great view of the Moon over canyon wall rock spires. 125 stream crossings while hiking through the middle fork canyon with the rock walls towering around you. lots of elk, turkey, and a Crane. Stung by a bee in the foot so I hiked the middle of the stream for a 1/4 mile and all is well. Made it to Snow Lake where I met Mike and Meg again.
Mon 29Apr2013 - Water froze over night. Great hiking through canyons and flat mesas like you were in a cowboy movie but also a lot of dirt road walking too that I don't care for. My camera stopped working out of the blue. You can view old pictures but any new photos come out black. Maybe I can find a cheap camera in Grant. Lots of Elk today. Saw a very fast animal run straight across the Mesa for probable a quarter mile at high speed; a coyote or wolf?
Tue, Apr 30th - long day with little water. I rationed my water to 1/2 a liter an hour but was always thirsty. The CDT was first a nice tread, then no tread but well marked, then only cut tree blazes, then nothing. Lots of hills/small mountains so up and down but with lots of fire damaged dead trees to climb over and loose lava rocks. A real torture to hike. Lots of elk and deer. Found an antler with five points and over a meter long. I carried it for over a mile hoping to find a CDT sign to leave it near so others would see it but finally gave up, it was heavy! I left it on a dirt track I crossed and decided to follow it since I couldn't find a trace of a path anyway. After a while the jeep road turned south so I just followed a compass bearing toward the top of the nearest tall mountain the route went over. Finally crossed a better tread of the CDT near the top and except for downed trees could follow it. Climbed up the 1/2 mile to dameon spring but it was dry. Another mile added to my day without water. Camping at a windmill. I filtered two liters of ugly slime when the ancient windmill started working. I rain around to the pipe but of course it stopped. I waited an hour and was able to catch 1-1/2 more clean liters before giving up. Camping nearby I played cat and mouse with the wind but it always stopped before I got back to the well. Ii will filter more slime in the morning if I must.
Mon 29Apr2013 - Water froze over night. Great hiking through canyons and flat mesas like you were in a cowboy movie but also a lot of dirt road walking too that I don't care for. My camera stopped working out of the blue. You can view old pictures but any new photos come out black. Maybe I can find a cheap camera in Grant. Lots of Elk today. Saw a very fast animal run straight across the Mesa for probable a quarter mile at high speed; a coyote or wolf?
Tue, Apr 30th - long day with little water. I rationed my water to 1/2 a liter an hour but was always thirsty. The CDT was first a nice tread, then no tread but well marked, then only cut tree blazes, then nothing. Lots of hills/small mountains so up and down but with lots of fire damaged dead trees to climb over and loose lava rocks. A real torture to hike. Lots of elk and deer. Found an antler with five points and over a meter long. I carried it for over a mile hoping to find a CDT sign to leave it near so others would see it but finally gave up, it was heavy! I left it on a dirt track I crossed and decided to follow it since I couldn't find a trace of a path anyway. After a while the jeep road turned south so I just followed a compass bearing toward the top of the nearest tall mountain the route went over. Finally crossed a better tread of the CDT near the top and except for downed trees could follow it. Climbed up the 1/2 mile to dameon spring but it was dry. Another mile added to my day without water. Camping at a windmill. I filtered two liters of ugly slime when the ancient windmill started working. I rain around to the pipe but of course it stopped. I waited an hour and was able to catch 1-1/2 more clean liters before giving up. Camping nearby I played cat and mouse with the wind but it always stopped before I got back to the well. Ii will filter more slime in the morning if I must.
Sat, 27Apr2013 - Cliff Dwellings and Middle Gila
Another short but fantastic day. Packed up early but couldn't help jumping in the hot springs again on the way out of camp. Four miles or so to the Gila Cliff Dwellings start. What a great place. About a mile loop including hiking inside several cliff dwellings. On the way out I stopped at lower scorpion campground and did a side trail out to another small cliff dwelling and some rock drawings.
Hiked back to the Middle Fork of the Gila River using the Little Bear Canyon Trail which was really nice and had a neat slot canyon section. Back on the Gila River I made another 15 river fords and met the largest rattlesnake I have seen ever. Lots of noise so I gave him lots of room so not any close up picture on this one. The Jordon Hot Spring was really nice more warm then hot and I soaked with a few others for four hours. Lots of people because its Saturday and I yogied some whiskey and vodka. :) Woke in the middle of the night when a dog was poking around my camp and climbed over me - thought it was a bear!
Hiked back to the Middle Fork of the Gila River using the Little Bear Canyon Trail which was really nice and had a neat slot canyon section. Back on the Gila River I made another 15 river fords and met the largest rattlesnake I have seen ever. Lots of noise so I gave him lots of room so not any close up picture on this one. The Jordon Hot Spring was really nice more warm then hot and I soaked with a few others for four hours. Lots of people because its Saturday and I yogied some whiskey and vodka. :) Woke in the middle of the night when a dog was poking around my camp and climbed over me - thought it was a bear!
Fri, 26Apr2013 - Fording rivers on the way to Doc's
Another interesting day. Crossed the Gila River 47 times today. PaPa is in his elements! Up to above your knees and a few times up to my waist. And I hear its low this year. Several times I got sucked into muddy silt that was like quicksand with my feet sunk up to my knees. Took a long time to get out. Twice I slipped on the mud in my crocs and landed in the water on my ass. It really was fun and pretty looking at the canyon walls.
Had trouble finding the hot spring at the eight to last water crossing. Turns out I was at the seventh. The directions are for someone hiking south so it's hard to translate. It was hot so once I realized I missed it I just hiked on. Met Mike and Meggi (m&m) who were car leapfrogging the CDT.
It was slow with all the fords so, after some homemade ice-cream at Doc Campbell's, I rented a campsite next to some private Hot Springs for $5. It was to late to hike into the Cliff Dwellings today. I spent the afternoon and evening soaking in the hot springs and mingling with a number of campground guests such as Sara who was bike touring, a women hiking the Enchantment Trail, and the campground owners.
Had trouble finding the hot spring at the eight to last water crossing. Turns out I was at the seventh. The directions are for someone hiking south so it's hard to translate. It was hot so once I realized I missed it I just hiked on. Met Mike and Meggi (m&m) who were car leapfrogging the CDT.
It was slow with all the fords so, after some homemade ice-cream at Doc Campbell's, I rented a campsite next to some private Hot Springs for $5. It was to late to hike into the Cliff Dwellings today. I spent the afternoon and evening soaking in the hot springs and mingling with a number of campground guests such as Sara who was bike touring, a women hiking the Enchantment Trail, and the campground owners.
Thur 25Apr2013 - Gila River
Exciting day. Climbed up to Tadpole ridge past the Devils Garden, with neat sand spires. I had heard no one could find the #9 spring on the way up the ridge so I added a few cairns and a wood arrow. Just looks like a muddy hole but using a bent leaf to make a spout I got almost a liter a minute of cold clear mountain spring water.
Met some real cowboys complete with gold tooth and looking like they came out of a movie. The were searching for stray cattle. Then I dropped down into the canyon to follow the Gila River. First up some unimproved cliff dwellings. At least I think I found them. Pretty good size caves but I was unsure if I found the right ones. Not wanting to sleep in a cave I pushed up stream to see if I could find the first hot spring. Eight river crossings later I found it. One dip of my foot and I decided I would fry. It was really hot.
I made camp just north of the hot spring out of the gale force winds coming through the canyon. A great day!
Met some real cowboys complete with gold tooth and looking like they came out of a movie. The were searching for stray cattle. Then I dropped down into the canyon to follow the Gila River. First up some unimproved cliff dwellings. At least I think I found them. Pretty good size caves but I was unsure if I found the right ones. Not wanting to sleep in a cave I pushed up stream to see if I could find the first hot spring. Eight river crossings later I found it. One dip of my foot and I decided I would fry. It was really hot.
I made camp just north of the hot spring out of the gale force winds coming through the canyon. A great day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)