Part I: Silver City to Doc Campbell's Post
Miles: 50 ish Miles
We left Silver City with excitement as the next few nights would be through the first part of the Gila (pronounced he-la) National Forest. The Gila would grace us with what we had been dreaming of: our first natural water source.
After several miles of dirt road walking, we descended 2,000 ft within 2 miles - a STEEP decline that took focus while determined to get to the river before sunset. Once there, we enjoyed dinner by the flowing water, where it felt like we were in a whole new world. Greenery surrounded us while swallows scooped bugs from the cooler air. The next day we would be crossing the Gila River 51 times. Never did we think we’d enjoy hiking with wet feet, but after the desert, nothing was better than water surrounding us.
Reappearing from the river, the roadside welcomed us with some words about the Apache people. The Gila was a treasure to them, providing various resources such as timber, food, shelter, wildlife and of course water.
We arrived to Doc Campbell’s Post - a roadside store where we would receive our first pre-made resupply box, shipped from Wisconsin, filled with our food for the next 8 nights. In addition to our boxes, we treated ourselves to a cold soda pop, microwaved a hot pocket and savored a snicker bar (hiker trash food at its finest).
We stayed at Gila Hot Springs Campground: $10 for “soak all night and day” treatment, which did miracles for my still sore ankle and healing toes. These natural hot springs reached 103 degrees in the cool morning of the canyon.
Before returning to the Gila, we decided to visit the Cliff Dwellings of the Mogollon people. I saw my first pictograph: an upside down donkey! To not only see, but also walk in these 700 year old homes these people built was amazing.
Part II: Gila Cliff Dwellings to Snow Lake
30ish miles (Night 1-3 of 8 night stretch)
Gila National Forest: our nation’s first designated wilderness area, and known to be Aldo Leopold’s Country!
Following the cold water upriver, we felt small amongst the towering canyons. From shallow water crossings that went to just my ankles, to several that hit my upper thigh, the estimated 200 river crossings toughened up our feet. We were thrilled with the water in the beginning, but by the end we were ready to be done: the water had dried out our skin so much that it hurt to re-emerge with the sun hitting our legs and dirt collecting on our shins with each step on trail.
On the last day we would be surrounded by the river, we had 3 more miles to hike till we wanted to take our lunch break. We gazed down at a deep, turquoise blue pool that looked too appealing to pass up. So we didn’t. We jumped in with the water numbing our bodies - a familiar feeling from our favorite spot back home: Lake Superior.
As we crawled out from the canyons and back to a bit higher elevation, we reached our camping spot at Snow Lake. Sounds alpine-y, but we realized that it was a damed up lake that fed to the river. This lake, however, was low: another sign that our surplus of water was soon to end.
We set up camp, made dinner, had some fellas we had seen on trail stop by with a beer and looked out to the lake. We smiled knowing what we had just experienced, and wondered how many people had visited Snow Lake without knowing just how magical it was beyond that wall.
For more pictures and details on the hiking through New Mexico, please go to the "New Mexico" page to view.
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