Day 12: from a few bends before Jordan Hot Springs to further up the Gila River, hard to know how many miles We started walking as the sun lit up the cliffs more than 500 feet above us. A few birds call but the river is slow moving here and mostly quiet. This morning we … Continue reading Soaking up the Gila

Day 11: Just south of the Gila River Bridge to a few river bends before Jordan Hot Springs, ~miles hard to count, more than 190 miles total Frozen shoes this morning. Thankfully, frozen running shoes are much easier to wiggle into than frozen mountaineering boots. We soon warmed up by fording the Gila, the water … Continue reading Tourist day in the Gila

Day 10: Sheep Corral Canyon to near the Gila River Bridge, ~22 miles, ~187 miles total A crisp morning. The first that warranted wearing puffy coats as we continued to head down Sheep Corral Canyon. We walk through forest of Ponderosa and Douglas-fir. Some stands have burned in recent years and are patchy with mixed … Continue reading Into the Gila

Day 8: Silver City, NM, 0 miles, ~144.5 total To get our three day average back down to 20 miles/day we took a zero day today. Thankfully, our bodies feel pretty good the morning after 32 miles of walking in (with a third of those miles on asphalt). Silver City is a charming place to … Continue reading Happy feet in Silver City

Day 3: Windmill around mile 38.9 to the wash about 2 miles south of Williams Tank, ~25 miles One of the many things I love about long distance hiking and the state of flow obtained from hours upon days on trail is appreciating the details. A measured pace, ears alert, and eyes wide open offer … Continue reading Appreciating the desert