South of GILA HOT SPRINGS, NM
Good thing I put up my tent and rain fly; there were sporadic showers through the night that continued into the next day.
I have a pain behind my left heel that doesn’t seem to bother me when hiking but I notice at night. I have a similar but less severe case on my right heel. My achilles are achy but hanging in there.
The river crossings are not difficult, but finding the trail after crossing is sometimes a mystery. Sometimes there is a cairn or tread visible so you know where on the other side to go. Often, I ended up with no idea, bushwacking through really thick stuff. Being wet and cold at the same time, I was embracing the brutality.
I thought it would take about 4 hours to go about 10 miles to get to Gila Hot Springs, but it ended up being about 6. When I got to Doc Campbell’s Post, I saw a bunch of hikers; Kramers, She-Ra, Race, Commando, Seth&Jenny. I had a few snacks, some nice ice cream, and got on wifi to catch up with the rest of the world. Then we went to the hot springs to soak in some really nice, warm water. We built a fire and we roasted hot dogs, and had a good time chatting until dark.
An easy day today, lots of options for tomorrow.