Gila Wilderness Summary – FSS 1

October 16th, 2005 – Erin.

We made it!!

Here I am, savouring my last couple hours in the Gila Wilderness. The chill creeping up my fingertips, the smell of dirt and garlic, dampness, smelly feet, the colour of sunlight as it dances with golden autumn leaves – all of it, amazingly, feels like home.

It was three weeks ago that we were in a van winding up a dirt road to our drop-off spot. At that point, we still thought the desert meant heat and cacti, we were still a little confused about how to make a trucker’s hitch, and we didn’t know how to put on gaitors. We were largely silent – we didn’t know what to say to each other, and we didn’t know what to expect from the next 20 days.

We started out slow – re-learning how to walk, how to pack a pack, how to take a dump. We were astounded by the brilliance of the stars, white aspen groves, and spiny lizards. Our first big challenge was climbing Reed’s peek. We gained over 3000 feet to a total of over 10,000 feet. The view was both awe-inspiring and daunting. Across mils of jagged canyons slicing the earth, past rolling hills and craggy mountains were two pointed peeks – our finish point. It seemed ludicrous that we would cross that vast expanse in only 20 days.

That night we built one of our first campfires and slept in a circle, slumber party style. We told ghost stories and discussed the importance of nickelodean game shows in our early childhood development. We were slowly, tenatively starting to learn each other.

We headed through our first canyon and honed our map skills. Is that a drainage or a ridge? oh, wait – it’s just a greasy sweat smear. We celebrated Maris’ birthday with a game of iron chef and some cake cooked under a twiggy fire. We began the epic tale that is ‘roots and shoots’. That’s where we all gather around the fire and share our life stories and aspirations. It has since become one of our most sacred rituals.

Over the next 2-days we made the final push up the east fork of the gila river to make our re-ration. A marathon trek across some mesa led us to our first taste of civilization – the visitor’s center! Flushing toilets! Water that flows instantly without purification!

The next day, we hiked up a road to the cliff dwellings. The thousand year old structures were pretty rad, but the highlight was clearly our interpretive guide/religious philosopher/poet/musician : George Page. ‘The first time my grandmother was crushed by a giant boulder, I might say to the medicine man: maybe…we shouldn’t live here anymore (insert a bizarre toothy grin).’ We blazed another 11 miles total to our re-ration the next day and we’re all excited to get some new food.

We got new tent groups and spent a slothful layover day emerging from our sleeping bags only for first aid and topography class (or, in my case not at all).

From there, we headed off into chicken coup canyon – which turned out to be an amazing challenging odessey of a day. We scrambelled up slick waterfalls, dove through underbrush, and danced in a hailstorm to avoid hypothermia. The next morning, we all appreciated the simple glow of sunshine on our skin as if it were the first time.

We cruised for the next few days and switched back past some spectacular views to our next layover day. We did some ‘lamping’ some more first aid and made Andy Goldsworthy style art projects from sticks and leaves. Jeez – college is such hard work!

We hiked up and bushwacked down some mesas, where some of us dozed off in some deep tawny meadow grass. Being out here makes you appreciate simple pleasures like that. I love it.

We were nearing the final phase of our trip. Mogollon Baldy and Whitewater Baldy loomed overhead and we marvelled at how they had been only points on the horizon so recently. Outbreaks of the mung and desperate fantasies about Walmat took their toll on the group. However, we rallied and cruised our way up Mogollon Baldy like the true NOLS gangsters that we are.

I think we all felt a sense of accomplishment and fufillment looking back over some of those same hills and valleys. We crossed them – we did it. Looking back to where we came I could feel that I was changing as a person – but I couldn’t quite put my finger on how.

So, here we are, another snow storm and a short hike down the trail. We’ve come to know each other and this place in real and honest ways. And the best part is…there’s so much left to come. Starting with showers and more fantastic adventures…to sum it up, all I can say is this:

Great group. Solid group.

much love – Erin.