I took Mike to the new AZT passage 16. We parked at the artesian well and headed to the old passage 16. By late morning it was getting warm. By the time we got to the Gila River Mike was low on water, so we went to a fording spot and saw two sedan car camping on the southern bank. Then two separate backpackers came by to filter water. One of the backpackers had started the AZT in mid-March on the Mexico border. We all chatted as we filtered water. Mike and I took lunch in the shade overlooking the water. I put my feet into the cool water. Mike slipped into the water with his boots on.

There were a couple of kids playing in the river. The water looked about 1 ~ 2 deep in the middle. One of the cars (a Chevy Malibu) pulled into the river and stopped in the middle. About half of the tire was below water. Then the driver backup to the southern bank and had a little trouble getting out. Then the car backed into the river and parked in the middle! The driver got out of the car and talked to the kids. After a couple of minutes the driver started the car up again and drove out.

One the way back we saw a desert tortoise! I got some pics of it.

We got to Walnut Canyon a little before 7. We made it to the Jeep just as it got dark. We couldn't have timed it any better!