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AZT Day 11 – Gila River

Bushcamp to Bushcamp

30 miles

Mile 292.9

A bit before 6:00 AM I woke to a train whistling by on the nearby tracks. Time to get moving. After packing up camp I filled my bottles at Mineral Creek before heading off down the trail.

I spent the morning following the Gila River along a canyon while jamming out to some Jonny Cash.

In the space of one hour I passed three rattlesnakes. Each time I nearly stepped on it before its rattler sounded off.

I also saw three non rattlesnakes today…

Around midday I stopped at the Gila to top off my water before beginning the climb into Tonto National Forest. I was tempted to go for a swim, but the water looked just a bit too muddy for my taste.

Pushing on, I spent the next few hours ascending into the mountains.

It was a bit of a grind getting to the top due to the heat, but the views were worth it.

After leaving the Gila there wasn’t much in the way of water sources. Late in the afternoon I reached this cow pond. The water looked pretty gnarly, but filtered clear and tasty.

An hour later I reached the bear box at Telegraph Canyon Road, and found it totally bare. Good thing I grabbed water at the cow pond…

I walked a bit further before setting up shop for the night.

I enjoyed a nice sunset from my tent as I gobbled down dinner.

Cheers!

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