Little Bear Canyon

I made a mistake by taking the camper to the lower area of the Forks Campground. We got a great spot, but I started to worry about getting out. The road out was steep and rocky. I was afraid of getting stuck or ripping up the oil pan or something. It was a foolish decision to drive down there before checking it out, and without discussing it (we decided Vicky should stay in the upper campground and hold a spot we liked while I checked out the lower area--we won't do that again).

So this morning, Vicky said, on our way to our hike, "you'll feel better if we move it now." So we did, which meant her putting everything away, and us re-attaching the camper. I did manage to drive out, making use of a feature of the pickup we haven't used before--the limited slip differential. Because of the tight turns, I had to constantly engage and re-engage this feature, but it got us out, and now we are in the upper Forks campground, in another great spot. It just so happens to be the same spot she had held for us yesterday.











So off we went, getting a late start on what we had planned on being an 11 mile hike.

The first two miles of the hike were through some beautiful high meadows. We really enjoy it when we can see for miles when we hike.





Then we reached a canyon with some switchbacks. These were also fun.








We ate lunch about three miles in, at the last of the beautiful meadows.




Shortly after that we entered the canyon. For about 1/2 mile we walked along a trail that frequently cut across a dry river bed. At one place Vicky said that at other times of the year there was probably a waterfall here:




We also found a cool cave.









Then for the final 1/2 mile the canyon was a slot canyon, with walls that shot straight up. At one point, for reasons we can't imagine, water started running in the canyon, so we were usually walking through it. It was wonderful.
















We reached the next trail where we were going to follow the Middle Fork of the Gila River back down. However, we found that the river was quite high, which would have meant going in up to our knees on a frequent basis. We simply had the wrong footwear once again, so we went back the way we came.

We weren't too unhappy about this, as we really enjoyed the area we went through and were happy to see it again. 8.7 miles with 1300 elevation gain, a respectable hike and one we liked.

Oh, and I wonder if what I saw today was a Gila Monster. It ran awfully fast, but was about a foot long and had what appeared to be the markings. If not, it was a big reptile that looked different from anything else I have ever sen.