Mileage: 11.2 miles (178.5-189.7)
The day was a lot harder than the 11 miles might indicate. I woke up to nearly frozen shoes and wet socks, all before the sun had reached the canyon floor. I probably had another 25 river crossings, the first of which at 7:30am long before the sun's rays could warm me up. I shivered for the 45 minutes of walking and actually wore my down coat while I hiked for warmth.
Again, it was beautiful walking and the trail improved significantly as I went further north. There were actually cairns (piles of rocks to mark the trail) at most of the river crossings and a real foot tread to follow at the edge of either side of the canyon. I was driven by thought of Doc Campbell's store, where I had sent my resupply package and I'd heard rumors of homemade ice cream. I had to push because Doc's had variable hours and I had no idea how late he'd stay open.
After a lot of slogging through the river I made it to Highway 18 and the Gila River bridge which was just about a mile from Doc's store. I arrived there by about 2pm, and thankfully they were open. I even had a surprise there as my mom had sent me a care package. With my mom's additions I had WAYY too much food, but I hate to waste anything so I attempted to eat my way through it. I got through seven Marie Calendar cookies, a cup of Doc's ice cream, a bottle of Gatorade, and half a bag of crackers before I began feeling full. I hadn't eaten nearly enough so I had to leave some of the food behind in the hiker box so everything would fit in my pack (...a hiker box is a free bin for other CDT hikers).
While at the store I met another CDT hiker, Natty, a recently retired family physician from Wisconsin. It turned out he'd gotten pretty badly lost the day before and had to bushwack about 15 miles out of a canyon. On the bushwack he'd lost his tent poles and had no way to order new ones (we had no service and you needed a calling card for the pay phone).
That night, we realized Doc's had wifi, so I told him I'd let him use my phone the next day to make the order via amazon (...he didn't have a smart phone either). I also offered to help reformat his GPS because he didn't have any of the waypoints for the alternate routes (like the Gila) or adequate maps. Problem was we needed a computer for that so that might be awhile.
We camped right along the river at the the Gila Hot Springs for $6 each, including the hot springs. I soaked that evening, in what was probably the cleanest hot pools I've ever seen. The temp was about 104F which was just hot enough I could only stay in for 15-20 mins at a time. Natty and I resolved to check out the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in the morning and then head to Doc's to order his tent poles and maybe hike out together after that. For the first time, I fell asleep with the prospect of having a hiking buddy.
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