Mileage: 14 miles (189.7-203.7)
Another day where the miles didn't really reflect the difficulty and in fact, we probably hiked more than this as we had to do a road walk more than once going back between the campsite, the Cliff dwellings, and Doc's store (...about 4 miles apart). Luckily, we were able to get two rides which definitely saved us some time back and forth.
We set out for the Cliff Dwellings by about 7am and walked all the way there from the campsite. We visited the visitor center after the 4 mile walk and consulted with a ranger about our potential route. She told us there were 10 foot piles of blowdown and other debris which had completely wiped out our intended route down the Middle Fork of the Gila, so we decided to take a different route, Little Bear Canyon, which met up with the Middle Fork after a few miles and skipped the worst section of trail.
But first went over to the Cliff Dwellings and were not disappointed! The dwellings were pristinely preserved, including the walls with the mortar and many of the rooms inside the caves. Immediately when you walk into the caves you realize why the Mimbres and other Puebloan people made then their homes. It was so much cooler inside the cave and sheltered from the hot sun. They also built their rock walls such that the sun would hit them during the day, heat them up, and then when it got cold overnight the walls would release the heat they'd stored in the daytime. Probably one of the first ever passive solar designs, really incredible!
We had a great interpreter who gave us some neat insights to how the people lived and also pointed out some cool pictographs (...just like from my cave a few days before). It's insane, but they only used these structures for about 25 years before they moved on due to drought or other circumstances. There are actually more questions than answers when it comes to the Cliff Dwellings, as looters in the mid-nineteenth century pillaged so many valuable artifacts.
After visiting the dwellings, we went back to Doc's, got Natty's poles ordered, and each had a burrito. I also was able to call Laura which was really nice even for just a few minutes, knowing I might not have service for another five or six days.
We set off back toward Little Bear Canyon and got to the trailhead by about 2pm. Definitely, a late start but I had planned on taking a zero day (hike zero miles)cat the hot springs anyhow, so I didn't mind a late start. After hiking up for awhile, we ran into another CDT hiker, Cody, who was actually from New Mexico. He was carrying a rather large gun to shoot rabbits, which I'm not too comfortable with as I'm sure it's against the law to do so in the wilderness area. Of course, I didn't tell him so because he had a gun and I just met him.
He asked to hike with us for a bit which we were happy to oblige but his pack was so big (50+ lbs) he quickly fell behind. As we descended, Little Bear Canyon, quickly narrowed into a slot canyon with steep burnt orange cliffs on each side. Then we popped out onto the Middle Fork of the Gila and were completely in awe. Sheer cliffs towered over us like sentinels in the sky. They reminded me a lot of the Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park, except we were at the bottom of a river bed which had helped carve these out over tens of thousands of years.
We heard about another set of hot springs, Jordon Hot Springs, and planned to stop there to make dinner and take a quick soak before moving on. Little did we know how beautiful it would be. We went up the small side trail where the Jordon Creek met the Middle Fork and came upon an idyllic scene: a crystal clear pool with a waterfall in one corner, perfectly shaded by a grove of trees. The temperature was a perfect 90F, which made it perfect for sitting in while I ate my dinner. The only mistake I made was apparently you aren't supposed to submerge your head as certain organisms in the water could give you meningitis. I really wish the other people hadn't told me that, but I quickly rinsed my nose and eyes with clean water and am hoping I'm meningitis free.
After we ate and soaked, we headed up trail just in time to see the evening light bathe the pinnacles. Even though we had plenty of crossings the Middle Fork never got above my knees and trail was much better defined than on the Lower Gila. Me and Natty found a good spot to camp, and I laid down with the water singing in my ears.
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