Start of Gila River Alternate

Day 12

Date: 05.05.2022

CDT Mile: 174.3 Mile

Miles hiked: 18.4 Miles \ 29.5 km

The alarm went off but no one was moving🤣 You can hear if one is moving cause the sleep pads make a lot of noise. However, some strange screaming sound cut off the morning silence and some dogs about half a mile up the dirt road stared barking. We think it might was a mountain lion... great news!

The Gila alternate starts off with a nice and easy dirt road walk. We pass the Czech couple Peter and Kate who have camped with us, but who haven't got trail names yet. A little later we run into Noodle? (Noodle with question mark is her trail name). She started on april 21st and met Cheetah and Mouse, with whom I hiked parts of the PCT. Might I get to see them soon!

The trail leaves the dirt road, crosses a river with a little flowing water (first flowing water source on trail, so excited!) and goes along a very small, but dry, river bed. Apparently it has been very dry so far this year with much less rain than normally. So a lot of streams which normally carry water are dry now. But this one is not completely dry yet. It's like a secret tiny valley here with green grass! I love it. Soon later the trail starts to gain in elevation and we get rewarded with beautiful views. We climb up over 2'000 meters above sea level. Dogbite and I climb a rock. Well, more like he pushed me up there and then climbed up too🤣 to get down was harder though!🤣 This has been my favorite day on trail so far. The views are stunning and I absolutely love it here. The rock formations are amazing and there are pine trees!

We hike 10 miles before we stop for lunch at a big campsite. This is the first big campsite I see on trail so far. However, this is not the official CDT trail, but the Gila Alternate and this camp site looks like it's been used for horses too. Most, if not all, hikers choose this alternate as it is a little shorter, it's cooler down the canyon and there is water with the Gila river, which you cross about 200 times totally! I'm excited to get my feet wet soon. Plus, there are hot springs along the trail, which we hope to reach tomorrow evening!

We hike on after a 2 hrs break, on which I had a yummie sandwhich with cheese, fresh tomatoes, eggs, mayonnaise and salami. It's heavy to carry but totally worth it, real food on trail! I also checked my blisters for the first time. They look nasty but don't hurt me much. I just taped them and never took the tape off for more than a week! I probably should take the tape off at night so they have a chance to dry out.

Not a mile in the next water source appears. But it's not a nice one and I only take 1 liter. 3 miles later there is a little stream flowing with cold water, where I fill up my bottles. I am not missing the cattle troughs yet! We keep leap frogging (see each other on trail every now and then again) with Kate and Peter all day long. Now starts a big uphill climb out of this beautiful valley. It's steep and hot and I am totally happy when we finally reached the top after more than 2 hrs hiking. We are over 2'500 meters above sea level. And that's the desert! We keep on hiking till it's dark and set camp on lava ground next to Kate and Pete😁 Lava ground is not my favorite at all, there is no chance to stay clean for a second! Nor is the desert, you are always dirty, I'm already looking forward to the mountains and gray ground instead of sand or dirt.

As there are brown bears and mountain lions in this region, for the first time I hang my food on a tree outside my tent. The tree is right out of my tent, but I'm too tired to search for another tree a little further away. If they get my food I don't mind, as long as they don't get into my tent! And it makes my sleep better too!