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| | | Rain Creek Gila Wilderness, NM | | | |
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Rain Creek Gila Wilderness, NM
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| no partners | | Good week at work, felt good, Fri nite what to do for weekend? Pack, leave driveway at 2 am and drive to New Mexico. I had the feeling that I needed to get back to the Gila Wilderness, as it has been a few years. The fire there was heartbreaking for those of us that saw it prior. I wanted to see what it was like in the areas I had not been in where fire had not been recently. Rain Creek area is a precious place, with running water, slickrock hallways, and lush forest, the oak understory mixed with pine, and a little higher a few spruce. For some reason unknown to me the Forest Service is not maintaining this trail. That said the part I was on was fine---then--- a trail takes off from the official trail that takes you to the West Fork Creek of Mogollon. I have not been able to find it on the Gila Wilderness maps I have, on New Mexico TOPO on level 4 it is labeled a pack trail and comes in near Center Baldy. On level 5 it is gone. It heads up Rain Creek. It is a built trail, faint in spots and with some logs on it, but it goes through magnificent beautiful forest and you are serenaded by the small rushes of water in the creek. I didn't have a map with me, I just wanted to walk a while, camp, and read and take pictures, all of which I did. The trail is mostly high above the creek, so a lot of my pictures were off the trail. I walked it until the creek bed was dry, and the trail hot and shadeless and I was no longer motivated. A bee ball by the trail necessitated a diversion that took some time for me to continue, so at last I turned back, but not before locating a nice spring and seep, and a large pool with some large fish in it,for this area, four of them at least over a foot.
My camp was under a rich acid green canopy, the creek nearby, and gentle sand underfoot. I read, I walked the creek bed barefoot, the water cold the rocks slippery, and I dodged the poison ivy. It was warm, but my campsite fully shaded. Morning and out early, drop the pack to go to more cascades, and soak up the visions of a perfect place. One of many for me. I will return here, plan a more ambitious trip, out of the Black Stick zone, and enjoy the Gila once again. |
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