SWFeral Loc: SWNM

Welcome to the trail down to Rain Creek in the southwestern portion of the Gila Wilderness. I hadn't been out there for two years and someone has gone in and made the trail much steeper and more treacherous; I don't know how. Last time I hiked with Ted and this time I hiked with my friend and business partner who, for the record, is Leaf's Person (for anyone new to my posts, Leaf is the world's most beautiful cat) and also a woman who at the end of January slipped on icy steps and seriously fractured her sacrum. She feared her hiking days were over. As you can see, they're not. She is the toughest person I know, way tougher than me.

One thing I love about Rain Creek, besides its cool beauty, is that unlike other streams in the desert Southwest it runs year-round, and it fills me with joy to watch trout swimming in the deeper pools. This is an area much impacted by flooding that occurred after the 2012 Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire turned nearly 300,000 acres of heaven into hell. In the first photo you can see the signs of that devastation on the mountain in the distance. Where once stood the tallest trees in the forest, which allowed snow to remain on the ground into early summer, there are now endless vistas at 10,000 feet with no shade; the sun is merciless. Much of the trail system was obliterated.

But down in this canyon you find another world, one still largely intact, or so I like to imagine. Getting to it is a challenge for aging bodies, but it's worth the effort. I hope you appreciate that I made the effort so that you don't have to.

(Download)


(Download)


(Download)


(Download)


(Download)

luvmypets Loc: Born & raised Texan living in Fayetteville NC

Very nice photos!!!

Dodie

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

I know what you mean. My favorite trail got much steeper over the winter. Cool shots

SWFeral Loc: SWNM

Thanks! It's hard to go wrong there.

SWFeral Loc: SWNM

Yeah, what's up with that? Not only has the trail gotten steeper, my trepidation has increased. I never saw that coming.

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

Yeah it sucks doesn't it. I used to rock climb now I have trouble unless the trail is smooth and as wide as a sidewalk.

SWFeral Loc: SWNM

Hmf. It isn't fair, is it?

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

Not being new to your [somewhat too] infrequent posts, Feral, I'd be remiss not to mention that your description of Leaf made Chupa and Cabra (the two persons of the feline persuasion who allow me to occupy a small amount of their space in return for my skill at such things as opening cans and negotiating the complexities surrounding the scooping out scoopfuls from the bag that holds the kibble) just a little upset. At first. But upon their mewing consideration, they decided they wouldn't challenge that supposedly 'worldwide' pinnacle of pulchritude you ascribe to Leaf. In effect, beauty does not interest either of them in the slightest; their only interest lies in domination. On a galactic level. Some mere, single, paltry 'world' is, for them, nowhere near sufficient.

Which of course has nothing to do with the images you posted. Which possess an order-in-the-chaos sort of calming tension, made possible by your fine sense of balance.

NMGal Loc: NE NM

The miracle of water in the Southwest.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

A wonderful tour! Thanks for sharing because all of the symptoms you and Jack discuss are with me also.

SWFeral Loc: SWNM

Ha. I doubt that Leaf cares about her beauty either, though she must know it's a valuable and persuasive tool. It was, after all, the first step in turning the lady in the first photo, an avowed non-cat person, into a rapt Leaf devotee who coos and baby talks and gets up when Leaf tells her to so that she can start opening cans; then she feels honored if Leaf tucks back in bed with her. Leaf's engaging personality ties up the package nicely.

Thank you for your comment about my sense of balance. I know you mean artistically, but I smiled at the memory of myself stumbling and slipping down that rocky trail, completely off balance. The "order-in-the-chaos sort of calming tension," in my way of thinking, is exactly why we should preserve wilderness. Thank you for looking.

SWFeral Loc: SWNM

Yes, isn't it so?!

SWFeral Loc: SWNM

Something seems to be going around besides Covid. I'm glad you liked the photos.

Cwilson341 Loc: Central Florida

Your friend is a trooper! She must find the call of this wilderness irresistible. I only wish I still had what it takes to make a hike like that. This is a lovely series of photos. It must have been a beautiful day.

SWFeral Loc: SWNM

She can be a hard act to follow--literally (notice who's behind). We both need regular doses of forest and wilderness for our sanity and physical health. And yes, it was a great day out there, cool and breezy. As you can see that trail is pretty exposed, so we avoid it in the summer. Thanks for looking.