Posted by 24.6 miles
As much as I got to enjoy the Gila River, it was weary thing on day 3 and I was actually looking forward of getting out of the gorge today. There were 6 miles of gorge left to complete before I would have to climb out in an alternate route due to a fire closure ahead neat Snow Lake, the dam of the Gila headwaters. I’d learned of this fire and the trail closure the week of travel across to the US. However without recent cell service I was uncertain if the fire was still active and a closure in place. I didn’t mind as it meant I would have to climb hard up slope to escape the canyon and i to more open country.
Before leaving the river I topped up all my water containers adding a gallon of weight to what I was carrying as the next water source was around 16 miles away.
Overnight my ankle had not improved at all but ot hadn’t got any worse either and again there was nothing I could do except grin and bare it. I simply did not have sufficient food to consider a rest day and certainly was not going to backtrack through the canyon. Onward and forward with a menacing face and some Ibuprofen to take the edge off.
The rise from the canyon floor went straight up following a narrow benched out path that switch backed it way up the cliff. A bit of grunt work to push up so steeply it was soon onto some flatter open pine woodlands. Widely dispersed pines with vast open grassy understory. This would lead to a small camp ground to follow some roads on what is the fire detour taking me out towards Snow Lake.
My ankle was painful but wasn’t getting any worse. I put up with the pain walking on the roads. At one point it was so bad I thought about hitching out. The only problem- there is absolutely no one out here. Before leaving the gravel roads for the single track a single vehicle passed, a touring motorcycle. There were aircraft around. Heavy helitaks working away on the fire. I never sighted it up close but would cop the occasional waifs of smoke.
It was several miles further up the trail where I was lead to open, treess hill tops with 360 degree views. Looking back the way I came from I could see the large area of white drifting smoke that must have been the fire area. I could not see any flame but several aircraft were poking about.
I made it to the next water cache late in the day, topped up again and carried on until around 5pm when I’d hade enough. The last few miles were all road walking. I found a suitable flat piece of ground off the side and made my home for the night.
Settled, with was just on dark and I drifting off to sleep when some coyotes quite close by let me know they were there. I love their calls. So cool.
Mick Beckers 