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Post by trinity on Oct 22, 2016 18:34:12 GMT -8
Does anyone know if the Gila Wilderness is typically backpackable in the winter, say late January or early February? Is the road up to the visitor's center kept open? I'm looking for somewhere to spend 4 or 5 days, needs to be within 12 hours or so of Austin, TX. I went to the Ouachitas this past winter and enjoyed it, but would really rather head out west. I might just do the Guads, but wouldn't be able to take my dog with me if I went there. Any other areas in New Mexico that might be passable that time of year?
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Oct 22, 2016 18:55:11 GMT -8
It's at least possible if you don't mind cold. There will be snow at higher elevations in February, but I wouldn't guess how much. Mrs. big_load and I hit 10F lows the week of Thanksgiving some years ago, but it warmed up to the 30s during the day. That was probably well below average, but it does happen.
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Post by trekkerman on Oct 23, 2016 14:22:42 GMT -8
I spend my winters in Silver City, NM. Unless you actually enjoy cold, wet and perhaps snowy weather the Gila is NOT the place to backpack in the dead of winter. But, yes the road to the Visitor's Center is kept open. Trekkerman
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Post by trinity on Oct 24, 2016 7:39:27 GMT -8
Thanks, y'all, that's really helpful. Not sure I necessarily enjoy cold wet and snow, but I do love the Gila, and I love solitude, which I imagine I'd find in the winter, so it might be worth it. I'll have to give it some thought.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2016 9:40:20 GMT -8
You could backpack in the Guadalupe Ranger District of Lincoln NF.
I've day hiked in the area from the Wilderness Ridge camp site in the park, but you could access it from the NM side via NM 137 (near Queen, NM).
It has the same issues as the park, though, with water access.
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Post by absarokanaut on Oct 24, 2016 15:30:33 GMT -8
Multiple water crossings in the cold gets old for me fast. What burnt?
With the right weather forecast I had a magical time on the West and Middle Forks mid March. You never know, but what about going with the dog and if you have to punt and do dayhikes pooch will love you that much more?
Whatever you do have an awesome time.
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Post by cweston on Oct 24, 2016 16:19:18 GMT -8
I bet the middle fork up to the meadows would be spectacular (and lonesome, I'm sure) in the winter, but I just don't know how you cope with all those crossings in cold water and (potentially) cold weather--could be pretty miserable, for both you and the dog.
Be advised: I did the whole middle fork a few years ago, in May, and the trail was largely non-existent from the catastrophic flood the previous fall. I imagine they've at least cleared out some of the debris by now, but we probably crossed even more frequently than the official "trail" route. It was warm and the river was low, so we basically hiked the river in some spots to avoid the debris.
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Westy
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Post by Westy on Oct 26, 2016 7:18:21 GMT -8
Gila Segway:
Question for trinity, BigLoad, Absarokanaut, trekkerman, scottmc and cweston!
Planning a CDT hike beginning first week of April 2018. Have preliminary route, re-supply points and alternatives selected for planning purposes with one exception.
Debating Gila River Alternative 116.9 miles vs. Black Range (official CDT) 189.9 miles. Have been to plenty of ruins, river crossings and canyons. Have never hiked in New Mexico and thought Black Range would be unlike other experiences and terrain. The Black Range is 73 miles longer adding 4 days.
What are your experiences and recommendations?
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Post by cweston on Oct 26, 2016 8:12:34 GMT -8
I have never hiked the black range, so I can't really help you with that comparison. But the Gila is a singularly spectacular and remote area--I can't quite imagine what the Black Range has to offer that could be "better."
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Oct 26, 2016 8:14:06 GMT -8
I haven't seen any of the Black Range, so I can't recommend. I'd probably take that option myself for that very reason.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2016 8:25:51 GMT -8
You're batting a 0 here; my reply is the same as cweston and bigload.
I've been up the Middle Fork of the Gila as far as the Meadows, and then back down the West Fork, and also a little backpacking near Glenwood/Whitewater Baldy area. Both areas were great; but no experience with the Black Range.
The Middle Fork of the Gila was nice, but I did kind of tire of all the stream crossings. I think the trail may have been laid out assuming it would be followed primarily by horse packers. It seemed as if there were 8-10 crossings per mile at times. I wore rafting sandals much of the time, but found that they chafed my ankles (some oddity in my gait, I suppose).
And good luck with your trek; that sounds fantastic!
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Post by cweston on Oct 26, 2016 9:12:30 GMT -8
. The Middle Fork of the Gila was nice, but I did kind of tire of all the stream crossings. I think the trail may have been laid out assuming it would be followed primarily by horse packers. It seemed as if there were 8-10 crossings per mile at times. I wore rafting sandals much of the time, but found that they chafed my ankles (some oddity in my gait, I suppose). I've wondered about that. I suspect that the strategy was to locate the trail on the side of the river with the highest ground, to minimize the likelihood of the trail being washed out by high water. But the trade off is more crossings. Definitely something to think about on a through-hike: the footwear that would be ideal for the Gila river canyons might not necessarily be what you'd choose for the rest of the hike. If I were picking shoes for e specific conditions of the Gila, I'd probably go with something like Merrill Moab Ventilators. I've never found sandals that were supportive enough to carry a full pack with without really hurting my feet. When I did the middle fork, I wore and old pair of boots that I created some drainage holes in.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Oct 26, 2016 9:15:52 GMT -8
The Middle Fork of the Gila was nice, but I did kind of tire of all the stream crossings. I think the trail may have been laid out assuming it would be followed primarily by horse packers. It seemed as if there were 8-10 crossings per mile at times. I wore rafting sandals much of the time, but found that they chafed my ankles (some oddity in my gait, I suppose). Mrs. big_load and I ran into a CDT through-hiker on our visit to the Middle Fork. It was well below freezing and she was hiking in flip-flops and carrying a hand towel. She said she had done 57 stream crossings thus far in the hour. I must say that we backed out before our destination because Mrs. big_load had enough of them, but that was because we were crossing barefoot. However, it was incredibly beautiful and I'm glad to have done it. Besides, she loves to tell people about how I made her walk barefoot on the ice.
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Hungry Jack
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Post by Hungry Jack on Oct 26, 2016 9:57:19 GMT -8
The Chiricuahuas might be another option, though they can get snowy too.
It's about 9 hours from Austin to the Buffalo River Trail in northern Arkansas.
You are about 11-12 hours to the Sipsey Wilderness in Alabama. Beautiful spot, according to my brother.
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Post by trinity on Oct 26, 2016 13:09:05 GMT -8
Great info, and a great side conversation. I, too, have never been to the Blacks, but my understanding has always been that there is not a lot of water, so I wonder if long waterless stretches would be an issue. I ran into a SOBO through hiker on the middle fork a couple years ago, I think she was just wearing plain old light hikers. In spite of all the crossings she was making pretty good time, she had covered 18 miles the previous day, though she considered this an underachievement. I was wearing Chacos with neoprene socks, and they worked really well, my feet stayed warm (it was November, so the water was rather cold), and I had no problem carrying a full pack. Thanks for the info and the suggestions.
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