May 22, 2025
Gila River Alternate 13.3 to 32.3
Hiked today: 19.0 miles / 30.6 km

The morning began with a short steep ascent to a saddle. Although we had started shortly after 6 am, the air was much warmer than on previous mornings and there was a warm breeze. We hoped this did not portend a scorching day. As we descended into Goat Canyon,  however, the air was much cooler and we made good time along the dry creek bed and then across and down to the Gila River Gorge.

As anticipated, the rest of the day was punctuated with numerous river crossings. There was no point in taking our up  shoes off, and our feet remained wet for the rest of the day. As is our habit, we stopped in the early afternoon for a siesta. Before lying down, we had a quick dip in the cool river. The sun soon dried us off but each river crossing through the hot afternoon helped to keep us cool.

Tonight, we are camped close by the river, but the noise of the strong wind is drowning out the pleasant sound of the water. We have hung our food bags from a high branch to keep bears away from our tent. This is the first time this hike that we have taken this precaution. We thought it wise since we had heard that a bear had been bothersome in the area recently. Also, we saw some bear tracks high in the mountains this morning.