Rambling out yonder: Silver City to Pie Town

I reached Pie Town on May 2.

The hike from Silver City was a welcome variation from the desert to the south. I took a popular alternate route along the Gila River, which winds through a deep canyon amid large trees, crossing the river well over a hundred times. Not having to hunt for shade or carry a gallon of water was a luxury. I had a nice soak in a 92 degree hot springs just above the river, where an interesting character from Texas told Brooks and I about how he had been living off the land by eating trout, bullfrogs, and plants. I saw my first bear tracks and rattlesnake of the hike in this stretch.

The river route goes near the Gila Cliff Dwellings, but I was unable to see them as they closed right as I arrived due to high winds and falling rocks. While awaiting the closure verdict, I met a fantastic couple from Cleveland. They gave me a ride up to a dwelling that was still accessible, albeit quite small, and then back to the trail.

Brooks and I split up for a couple nights after leaving the river for the pine forest again. Clement ("clay-mah"), a French hiker, caught up with me the morning after I went solo. The night before reaching town we reached Mangas Peak right at sunset. There is a lookout tower there, and were welcomed up by the lookout. After camping below the tower, we awoke to the lookout calling down, "You guys want coffee?" Watching the sunrise from a lookout tower while drinking coffee will be one of my most memorable trail mornings.

Brooks caught up to us on the walk into Pie Town. The gravel road we followed had little traffic, but we still had two cars stop to offer us mid-afternoon beverages. Ah, country life...