It was another cold lazy morning, meaning we didn’t emerge until there was sunlight light on our tents. I guess we’ve been lucky because some parts of this deep canyon don’t get sun until late in the morning.

Our first mile and a half went straight up and out of the canyon and my legs wanted to have at it, so I let them fly and we topped out the 1,000′ climb at a steady 3mph pace. I was feeling strong and fabulous 💃

The rest of the miles back to the car were mellow, and of course they seemed longer than we wanted them to be. After a quick lunch break where I enjoyed another of my tuna packets in half of a pepper (delicious!) the terrain changed from the quiet ponderosa pine forest to more of a scrubby hot desert where we saw cholla for the first time. Big cholla!

The miles stretched and expanded and with every thought of being done and enjoying a cold drink in the shade, the trail stretched out a little longer. Ooofta.

Finally we saw evidence of civilization and emerged at a trailhead a short while later.

At the car we took out my camp chairs, took off our shoes, and dug beers from the cooler. Even though the ice had melted, they were cold enough. Done!

But not done, I had made a reservation at the Gila Hot Springs, and on the way we stopped in Doc Campbell’s again and visited with the owner Kristy who would be participating in my presentation at Trail Days soon. We bought chips and sausages for camp, and made our way down a dusty road to our campsite.

Soaking helped set the miles we had just hiked, and the rest of the afternoon we chatted with our neighbors and let the warm waters work their magic.

Time for CDT Days!