We woke up warm and dry in our quilts and had to force ourselves to pack up our beds and down puffies and put on our cold, wet shoes. The sun was just visible over the ridge, but it would still be awhile before it’s warmth graced us. The sun was the enemy for the first 160 miles, but now we ached for it’s presence.
The first river crossing of the morning was knee deep and woke us up quick. The water was cold and swift and the sand found its way into our freshly rinsed out shoes immediately. I could still feel my feet but my calves were numb. After the second crossing we could see the sun shining on the bank just ahead. We rushed as quickly as we safely could until we were able to bask in the warm glow. We couldn’t stay still for long, there were storms in the forecast, but it was a welcome respite from the chill of the morning.
We continued on, calling out the number of crossings each time. This was like something out of a dream, meandering up an ancient river with everything I need on my back. Late in the morning we reached the 200 mile marker. We heard thunder in the distance a few times, but the weather held and my fear of lightning lives to see another day.
As we neared the end of our river hiking for the day we decided to break for lunch at a hot spring noted in FarOut. After a bit of searching we found the steaming oasis, where we ate ravenously while soaking our tired feet.
Finally, after crossing the Gila River 48 times, we had reached Highway 15. Just 1.2 miles of road walk remained to Gila Hot Springs and Doc Campbells, where our resupply was waiting. The plan for the next 120+ miles of river was still unclear. The idea of another zero day wasn’t very appealing, but we needed a break to dry out our feet and figure out what to do next. We ended up staying at Gila Hot Springs and Campground where we were told the rules, one of which states that clothing is optional in the hot springs after dark. After eating salad and fruit from Doc Campbells we found ourselves skinny dipping in a hot spring looking at the stars in the dark night sky. We’d figure out the plan tomorrow.