SKIT Day 22: Galiuro Mountains

Today goes down as one of my more challenging days on any trail. Started off with four miles of boulder hopping up intermittent Redfield Creek – my ankles were not happy. Rested a bit and had a snack at Hooker Canyon.

I then entered the Galiuro Mountains with a warm climb through mostly burn areas. A faint trail or no trail at all, I eventually reached a drainage to continue uphill.

The narrow drainage was choked with cat claw, alligator juniper, manzanita, grass and deadfall. Got water at Cedar Spring and continued the upward struggle. I was left exhausted, scratched and bloody by the time I reached the point to leave the drainage.

I found a sloping, smooth spot in the bedrock of the drainage. My intention was to lay by tent down as a ground sheet and cowboy camp. One big problem – my tent was missing from the mesh pouch on the back of my pack. After a few choice words, I decided to descend no further than a particularly choked section of the drainage about a half-mile down. After a lot of effort, low and behold, I found my tent hanging from a limb of an alligator juniper. Lucky me! I struggled back up to camp, laid out the tent, blew the air mattress up, threw the quilt down and collapsed, too fatigued to eat. Lights out.

I had my second Gila monster sighting today, almost stepping on this one. Also heard and then saw my first snake, a very dark-colored Tiger rattlesnake. No hikers seen today.