Day 139 - Gila Cliff Dwellings

Woke up to a bright, crisp morning on the ridge. It was relatively warm, probably somewhere in the 30s. I was cheered by thinking that yesterday *might* be our last time at 8,000'. I could see my breath only for the first hour or so but the day warmed up comfortably.

The hiking today was relatively smooth, walking through long mesa tops. Which is good, since I've somehow worn down the skin of my right foot. It is painful when I step. My feet have been so wet from the river crossings that they've been exfoliated down from the hard, horny callus to the soft pinkness of new skin. And the soft skin has been abraded by the small rocks, sand and wetness of this section. All this despite the fact that I wear gaiters.

The other major note was our crossing of the West Fork of the Gila River, where we walked our last few trail miles down the canyon to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. As we emerged from the trail, we saw... Skarkle Cat! We joined them for a tour of the Cliff Dwellings with volunteer ranger, who really brought the space to life.

In at the RV park for the night, cleaned and bandaged my foot.

Mileage: 12mi from near the Middle Fork of the Gila River to Doc Campbell's