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Gila National Forest
Apr. 3rd, 2012 01:59 amAmanda and I commenced Spring Break by camping overnight at the Gila Forest in NM from Saturday-Sunday.
It was a four hour drive from EP to the forest. We arrived to see a search and rescue chopper take off to find missing hiker Micah True (whose body was found near the Cliff Dwellings at six p.m. that evening just as we were cooking supper at our campsite).
We took a guided tour of the Gila Cliff Dwellings. Long, long, long, ago the Mogollons built walls and shelters in the hollows of the caves. We went inside the dwellings and saw fireplaces, kitchens, and meeting rooms from these people. I got a little impatient because I wanted to go through the tour quicker instead of standing there with several other people in he way. We wound up hiking the Little Creek Trail Sunday anyway since we spent so much time in the cliffs and we had to get back to camp to set up and gather firewood.
There's a little general store near the Forks Campground and a little ways past some of the hot springs. They sell food, gas, books, and some pretty good homemade ice cream. I got a small cup of butterscotch and I wonder why Baskin-Robbins doesn't market this flavor.
We had a neat view of the Gila River, but the hill was too steep to climb down to get to the river from our camp. We drove to a more accessible point to gather dry firewood but Amanda wasn't in the mood to wade in the water. The banks were to slushy to walk on and the dry ground was littered with rocks and branches so it wasn't meant to be.
We grilled a long beef sausage, cooked beans and corn. We boiled some water for washing and Amanda cleaned up (she calls them whore-baths, I call them bum-baths) her face and armpits in the tent. The weather was pleasantly warm so I took a blanket and rigged a cabana tent by hanging the blanket on some tree branches surrounding our campsite and took my share of the water and a bar of soap and lathered up in the cover of the bushes. But after eight, it was a whole other climate. The temps dipped to the high twenties and I woke up freezing again. I never slept after that. I spent the night trying to keep warm by layering sleeping bags and the blanket and putting on thermal undies.
The next morning, we took to the Little Creek Trail and left a note on the dashboard with our names and a message to seek help if we didn't return by evening.
The trail was not clearly marked in some parts. Ultimately, we'd follow the creek to get out of the woods if we needed to. The trees had been burned and fallen from a forest fire, but hundreds of tiny daffodil-like flowers carpeted the ground. I smelled dillweed in some parts which actually helped us find our way back to the car. We also relied on dry horse shit and hoof prints to see the trail. Someone also tied red ribbons on branches to mark the trail as parts of it were blocked by fallen trees or dry overgrowth.
And we got our feet wet in five creek crossings. First we took off our hiking boots and waded into the icy stream. But after a couple of instances of slipping in the water and getting my boots and socks soaked, I started using thick branches as bridges to at least keep my feet from getting submerged and roaming around with squelching footwear. At one point I even uprooted a small dead tree, wrenched it from the soil by the trunk, and threw it across the water. That was the only time we only got the soles of our shoes wet. Amanda said I was like a beaver making log bridges. I felt more like a bear as it took a bit of muscle to get that last tree out of the ground.
And next time, I'm taking sunblock with an SPF of 70+. My shoulders are burnt (as in burgundy red) something nasty. I should have applied a new coating of sunscreen while Amanda pissed in the woods.
**************************
It's been real nice not going to work. I actually don't feel like a drone for once. I even cooked dinner-- seasoned turkey burgers and baked beans. I like cooking, but by the time I finish grading papers and drive home, I don't have the patience to prep food. I just want dinner to be ready or to know which drive-thru to go to for supper.
It was a four hour drive from EP to the forest. We arrived to see a search and rescue chopper take off to find missing hiker Micah True (whose body was found near the Cliff Dwellings at six p.m. that evening just as we were cooking supper at our campsite).
We took a guided tour of the Gila Cliff Dwellings. Long, long, long, ago the Mogollons built walls and shelters in the hollows of the caves. We went inside the dwellings and saw fireplaces, kitchens, and meeting rooms from these people. I got a little impatient because I wanted to go through the tour quicker instead of standing there with several other people in he way. We wound up hiking the Little Creek Trail Sunday anyway since we spent so much time in the cliffs and we had to get back to camp to set up and gather firewood.
There's a little general store near the Forks Campground and a little ways past some of the hot springs. They sell food, gas, books, and some pretty good homemade ice cream. I got a small cup of butterscotch and I wonder why Baskin-Robbins doesn't market this flavor.
We had a neat view of the Gila River, but the hill was too steep to climb down to get to the river from our camp. We drove to a more accessible point to gather dry firewood but Amanda wasn't in the mood to wade in the water. The banks were to slushy to walk on and the dry ground was littered with rocks and branches so it wasn't meant to be.
We grilled a long beef sausage, cooked beans and corn. We boiled some water for washing and Amanda cleaned up (she calls them whore-baths, I call them bum-baths) her face and armpits in the tent. The weather was pleasantly warm so I took a blanket and rigged a cabana tent by hanging the blanket on some tree branches surrounding our campsite and took my share of the water and a bar of soap and lathered up in the cover of the bushes. But after eight, it was a whole other climate. The temps dipped to the high twenties and I woke up freezing again. I never slept after that. I spent the night trying to keep warm by layering sleeping bags and the blanket and putting on thermal undies.
The next morning, we took to the Little Creek Trail and left a note on the dashboard with our names and a message to seek help if we didn't return by evening.
The trail was not clearly marked in some parts. Ultimately, we'd follow the creek to get out of the woods if we needed to. The trees had been burned and fallen from a forest fire, but hundreds of tiny daffodil-like flowers carpeted the ground. I smelled dillweed in some parts which actually helped us find our way back to the car. We also relied on dry horse shit and hoof prints to see the trail. Someone also tied red ribbons on branches to mark the trail as parts of it were blocked by fallen trees or dry overgrowth.
And we got our feet wet in five creek crossings. First we took off our hiking boots and waded into the icy stream. But after a couple of instances of slipping in the water and getting my boots and socks soaked, I started using thick branches as bridges to at least keep my feet from getting submerged and roaming around with squelching footwear. At one point I even uprooted a small dead tree, wrenched it from the soil by the trunk, and threw it across the water. That was the only time we only got the soles of our shoes wet. Amanda said I was like a beaver making log bridges. I felt more like a bear as it took a bit of muscle to get that last tree out of the ground.
And next time, I'm taking sunblock with an SPF of 70+. My shoulders are burnt (as in burgundy red) something nasty. I should have applied a new coating of sunscreen while Amanda pissed in the woods.
**************************
It's been real nice not going to work. I actually don't feel like a drone for once. I even cooked dinner-- seasoned turkey burgers and baked beans. I like cooking, but by the time I finish grading papers and drive home, I don't have the patience to prep food. I just want dinner to be ready or to know which drive-thru to go to for supper.
