Snow Lake

• Day:  12
• Start:  14
• End:  39
• Miles:  25
• Hours:  12
• High temp:  68
• Low temp:  37
• People met:  3

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The cold stays with my feet, even as I hike. A chill wind is blowing, sometimes directly down the canyon. I keep my down jacket on until about 1300. The water level is a little less on the upper Gila, but the water is not as warm. The elevation is 6900 to 7400, it confuses me as the terrain is more like a lower elevation, perhaps 5000'.

Maybe a nice swimming hole

 Slowly the canyon changes as the continuous Rock walls give way to some hills, this in turn provides a longer trail before the next river crossing. The upper Gila is said to have 85 crossings. I can tell you it's a lot whatever it is. Sometimes the trail goes down to the river and it is not appearant  where the trail picks up I the other side. I have to bushwhack through all sort of growth to get to the interior and spot a trail. Sometimes there isn't a trail and I just have to navigate to the next crossing. I look ahead to see which way the river turns and cross the land accordingly. By doing this I straighten my path. I rest at 1300 in the sun, enjoying the warmth, I slightly dose I off , but am awaken rudely by a large fish jumping in the pool next to me. He does his big splash one more time, I figure it's time to leave anyway, I've got a long way to go.  

Finally the canyon turns up a drainage for Snow Lake. My destination for the night. A chill wind blowing as I summit the trail to the dam another mile or so and I find a campground with water, garbage and a toilett, wow! Better camp here a great place  7380 ft elevation and still the wind blows. I'm cold and still wet from the Gila so I set up camp quickly and hop in my bag. Finally starting to warm up.