"Remember that every path walked is walked for a reason, and every day is full of blessings, no matter how big or small." ~ Author Unknown
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| Road walking... |
Finally, after a few long days of hiking, a few brief check in calls with sketchy service, and a minor hiccup at the post office, Scarecrow has reported that he arrived safely in Grants, New Mexico. He was able to collect the maps and food box we sent, as well as catch up on emails, texts, calls and sending me pictures. This was where he would stay for a few zero days and relax, watch the Ranger games and actually fit in a day of golf. Yes, I said GOLF - good thing he has a tracker, because it doesn't sound like "roughin' it" to me...The next few posts will have pictures from his last week of adventures, with as much information as I have gathered from Scarecrow for you.
I have tried to piece together based on the date stamp from the picture of where Teddy is and what he was doing. So it looks as if the hikers entered the Gila National Forest, which according to information from Wikipedia, is a protected national forest covering approximately 2,710,659 acres of land. It is listed as the 6th largest national forest in the continental United States.
Teddy said it was very dry and hot, which I can imagine would support the habitat for this beautiful cactus. The terrain in this area ranges from rugged mountains and deep canyons to semi-desert. Due to the extremely rugged terrain, the area is largely unspoiled. Scarecrow and his hiker friends became quite familiar with The Gila River while in this area. I believe he said they had to cross this river 145+ times over the course of their travels. According to Wikipedia, this river is 649 miles, runs through New Mexico and Arizona, and flows into the Colorado River.
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| Hikeaholic celebrating Ducky's successful crossing :) |
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| Scarecrow crossing the Gila River |
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| Ducky crossing the Gila River |
Looks like successful crossings all around for these hikers...
While in the Gila Wilderness, the hikers wanted to check out the Gila Cliff Dwellings, which were discovered back in 1878 and were established as a national monument back in 1907 by president Theodore Roosevelt. The people of the Mogollan culture lived in these cliff dwellings 180 feet above the canyon floor from as early as the 1280s through the early 14th century. There were 5 caves with 46 rooms.
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| Gila Cliff Dwellings |
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| Gila Cliff Dwellings |
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| Gila Cliff Dwellings |
Archaeologists believe these 46 rooms were occupied by 10 to 15 families, and it is not known why these dwellings were abandoned. It seemed that these dwellings were perfect for human living, as the caves provided adequate shelter, while the wooded area concealed the homes. Some feel changes in the climate may have caused migration away from these dwellings. It must have been amazing to be somewhere with so much history surrounding its area.
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| Gila Cliff Dwellings |
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| Gila Cliff Dwellings |
Scarecrow also captured some of what they reference as pictographs on the rock face. Thank you for sharing this piece of history, Teddy.
What an educational pitstop this was for the hikers. As you can see, they were still surrounded by a beautiful backdrop while in the Gila National Forest.
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| looking good, Scarecrow! |
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| more river crossing! Go, Ducky! |
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| Ducky, Hikeaholic, Samarai & Scarecrow |
The conditions, the terrain and the weather is forever changing, as you can see here. It sure does appear to be quite the workout already for these hikers. So proud of you as you continue on through this challenging yet beautiful portion of the CDT through New Mexico.
And off they go, road walking along the Continental Divide, taking those next steps northbound to the next town, the next campsite, the next mountain, the next experience... Happy Trails to all of you as you continue on with your journey...
More to come after some research,
The Thruhiker's Wife
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