Not two minutes down the trail, we begin to hear the gurgling sounds of the Middle Fork for the first time. We decide that we will hike in our socks and shoes until we hit our first water crossing. It feels familiar and even essential to who we are and how we see the world and our place in it. There’s just something magical about leaving the world behind and traveling via foot power with all you need on your back. We are both super excited to be back on the trail. So with reassurance that we have a good weather window for our trip, we park our car, grab our packs, and set off on our journey in the late-afternoon golden light into the Land of Enchantment. Two vegetarians hiking in the woods don’t take anything for granted. As a precaution we wear bright orange stocking caps and hang orange vests on our backpacks to help prevent being mistaken for animals. We are also aware that it’s hunting season in these parts and that elk are often seen grazing in the area we will be hiking in. The downside is that the days are short, the nights are cold, and the water temperature is quite brisk. The upside is that November is a good time to hike here because of manageable water levels and a reduced chance of rain or flash flooding. The main challenge of this route is that the hike involves numerous river crossings. From there, we’ll head back down the West Fork to get back to where we started. There are several different points along the way where we can leave the river to hike up and over the mesa separating the Middle Fork from the West Fork of the Gila River. We have three nights and four days in all, so we’ll let our pace and the trail conditions determine how far we can go. The plan is to begin at the Middle Fork trailhead just beyond the visitors center, and, from there, we’ll hike up the Middle Fork of the Gila River. Our intention is to hike the Big Bear-Meadows Loop in a counter-clockwise direction. It seems strange not to register our car or leave notification of how many days we intend to be out. The friendly ranger tells us that the trail is in decent shape and wishes us luck on our adventure. We pull into the Gila Cliff Dwellings Visitor Center well past lunchtime to inquire about current trail conditions. Some of the journey is on interstate highway, but once we turn off I-25, we find ourselves on windy narrow roads that twist their way through canyons, gradually gaining elevation in the high desert country of southwestern New Mexico. We hit the highway for the five-hour drive south to the Gila Wilderness. We’re up early the next morning and make a quick pit stop at a nearby Walmart to pick up stove fuel and a few last-minute food items. We arrive in Albuquerque late on a Friday night and make our way to a nearby motel to stay the night. This spectacular birding destination is known for its enormous populations of wintering sandhill cranes and snow geese, and the opportunity to photograph here after our hike was all these two bird nerds needed to start packing our bags. As a bonus, the world-famous Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge lies between Albuquerque and the Gila Wilderness. An affordable flight to Albuquerque, a cheap rental car, and the freedom to hike permit-free added to the appeal. Located just a few hours north of the Mexican border, the Gila National Forest offered temperatures about as warm as we could hope for in late fall. We had never heard of it, but a little googling suggested several options for loop hikes of varying distances leaving from the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. Where else would work? We recalled that a couple of trail angels we met last summer were from New Mexico, and they told us about the excellent backpacking they often did in the Gila Wilderness. Our first choice was the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Trail, a classic hike that’s still on our bucket list, but, unfortunately, we were too late this year to secure a permit. With a week off over Thanksgiving, we were looking for a backpacking destination in the US that would offer a challenging multiday experience and still be warm enough for camping in late November. After tackling 490 miles on the Colorado Trail this past summer, it’s been an awfully sedentary fall for the two of us, and we’ve been itching to hit the trail again and taste the freedom of the outdoors.
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