Day 15 (May 10, 2021)

Gila River Alternate 58.1 to Snow Lake (77.1)

The day started off cold, but just above freezing. The first challenge was what finished my day yesterday. There was a small falls area on the river. The trail took a steep route up around the falls. However, the river is low this year so it looked like I could trek up the side of the falls. It worked and was fun.

There were a lot of crossings of the river as the canyon slowly narrowed. But the rock formations made up for it. I made it a goal to reach Snow Lake, an artificial Forest Service lake formed by a dam on the Middle Fork. I wasn’t going for the camping specifically , but for a water spigot at the campground.

The Middle Fork got smaller and smaller as the day went on, but surprisingly the canyon opened back up, making for less crossings and more ‘normal’ trail, and my speed picked up. There was a perfect area for camping called The Meadows but it was too early and not my goal.

I reached Snow Lake after a steep climb up the side of a mountain to reach the top of the dam. It was a disappointing view. First, the lake is very low, lower than the release intake, and very brown. Second, I was no longer in the stunning canyon, but now more open. The good news was that the spigot was working at the campground, there was a privy with toilet paper, and I could camp at a picnic table. The simple things in life.

I elected to cowboy camp again.

Another thru hiker showed up I had passed several hours earlier. His name is Bill. We were able to talk a while before hiker midnight.