As my body adapted to the rigors of weekly hikes, I found myself brimming with newfound energy even while back at the dorms, juggling my day job. A trail run, some yoga sessions, and even a short bike ride injected a refreshing burst of vitality into my routine.
But just as I was gearing up for another backcountry escapade, my trusty inReach decided to throw a tantrum. It overheated faster than a desert lizard on a hot rock and stubbornly refused to charge. Thankfully, I managed to snag a backup device to keep my check-ins on track. Crisis averted, right? Well, brace yourselves, because this trip quickly turned into a bear bonanza!
Off Trail through Big Bear and Chicken Coop
Venturing off-trail through Big Bear Canyon, I stumbled upon my first furry encounter. Fresh scat littered the path, a clear warning sign of our furry friend lurking nearby. With a cautious “Hey bear!”, I braced myself as our furry friend decided to play coy and took a few steps closer. Dang! I pulled the bearspray out of my holster and thought, “Wow, this is actually about to go down.” But I yelled out again, and he took off up the side of the canyon this time. Later that day, a mama bear and her adorable cubs stole the show, showcasing their tree-climbing prowess with adorable antics. Despite the cuteness overload, I made sure to give them their space and continued on my way.
I left my backpack at Prior Cabin while I did water checks in the surrounding area. Then I grabbed my backpack and headed off trail again through a canyon to check where Prior Creek and Chicken Coop meet. I intended to check for water here on my first trip when it was still very dry in the Gila, but I had to wait out a thunderstorm and decided against it. I heard that you could follow the canyon and make a loop hike out of it. There was water all through the canyon and it was getting late, so I found some high ground and set up camp for the night. It was the first time in a while I did not have to stop for an afternoon storm. I hiked later than usual, but I still stopped well before dark. With my recent inReach trouble and the advancing time, I had some worried people waiting for me to check in.
Tackling Fallen Trees on West Fork Corral
The next day, the pools of water in the canyon were less frequent but it was not dry. Since there was plenty of water in the canyon, it probably wasn’t necessary to go all the way to Chicken Coop, but I wanted to finish the task I started weeks ago. The canyon narrowed in places, and I couldn’t see far ahead. My thoughts went to potential predators who may be lurking around the next corner, and I kept an audible conversation going with myself. I was so excited when I got to the end. There were big pools of pretty water. But also, a pretty steep drop into Chicken Coop. I figured I could probably get down uninjured, but I was not confident I could get back up if I needed to turn around for any reason. So, I decided to backtrack and not do a loop. I wanted to be safe since I was by myself. As soon as the canyon walls were not too steep, I climbed out and did some wayfinding to the trail instead of backtracking to the start of the canyon. There was lots of walking and pretty scenery all day. And I saw three more bears!! A mama and two cute little ones climbing trees again near Stove Spring – which was clear and flowing. Getting down the switchbacks on West Fork Corral to the West Fork was TOUGH!!
There was a huge tree down over the trail and it covered multiple levels of switchbacks. I could easily get past the tree when I first encountered it, but after the trail switched back around, the tree was much bigger at that trail crossing with lots of mean, stabby branches. I could hear the river flowing below me and camp was calling me. I had no desire to turn around at this point but also wasn’t sure how to get around this massive tree on the trail. I fought through the tree branches to throw my backpack over, but on closer inspection, I decided I would go back up to the previous tree crossing and shimmy down the other side of the tree from one switchback to the next. This way I would not have to part ways with my backpack before I knew I could make it over the tree. I untangled myself from the mess of branches I was in, drug my backpack out with me, and made my way back up to the previous switchback. I crossed back over the tree where it was easy to pass. Then I got on my butt and slowly scooted down, moving branches and pine needles out from in front of me as I moved down to avoid stabbing myself. Whew!!! I made it!
When I got down to the river it was beautiful!! A bit buggy – but so pretty! I walked about ½ a mile and came across a big campsite. The site must have been used by groups. There were signs of horses, partial construction of a teepee, and a collection of bones – of course. So, I got ready for bed, in the graveyard of bones.
Beautiful Flower Filled Day and Accidentally Sleeping in Onions
The next day was a 20-mile day! The trail from the West Fork to Trotter was beautiful!! There were so many wildflowers and elk. I lost the trail for a bit coming into Whitecreek, but I didn’t care. The terrain was nice and easy to follow based only on land features, so I did not have to do constant wayfinding. I took a break before going up Trotter to dry my shoes and feet. I also filled up on water because I wasn’t sure if I would find more that day (spoiler, I did not). The sky was showing signs of an approaching storm. I was nervous about getting stuck on Trotter during a thunderstorm as it was a very exposed trail, but I also didn’t want to halt progress for the day.
I waited a bit but decided to make better use of my time and start hiking. As I was making my way up Trotter, which is very steep and narrow switchbacks, a deer started following me and spooked me. The crazy deer followed me for a long time, being a creeper, staying a bit behind me but catching up every time I got out of eyesight.
As I was approaching the seemingly unending set of switchbacks it started to thunder. I was holding my breath, hoping it would not start storming before I cleared the switchbacks where I had no option for cover. But I made it to the top and beyond to the junction with Lilley Park before it started storming. I set up shelter at the edge of the trees and waited out the storm. When the storm passed, I left my things there and tried to find the Lilley Park Spring. The place that was marked in Gaia GPS as a spring did not have water, so I marked that in my notes. I would come to find out that the map was wrong, and I would make it a mission to come back and find the spring on another trip.
After packing up, I made it my goal to do at least 20 miles for the day before camp. I was leaving the Gila the next day for a busy excursion out of the wilderness and wanted to put lots of miles behind me for a short trip to the dorms the next day. I had been on this section previously, so there were no surprises, and I could put my head down and hike. Right when I hit 20 miles, my feet hurt and the terrain was flat and looked like a fine spot for the night, so I stopped.
It was nearing dark, so I set up camp and did my chores quickly. The sounds of nearby coyotes stirred my slumber many times that night. The next morning, I woke up smelling like onions! What appeared to be grass at camp was not grass. My eyes even stung a little.
As soon as I started on the trail, I noticed coyote prints. The pups had been close! I had enough filtered water left to last the morning and I hiked quickly to get ready for my next adventure out of the wilderness.
Here’s to embracing the wild, one bear encounter and fallen tree at a time. Until next time, adventure awaits – but don’t forget the bear spray!
Bear Encounter Necessities1
Bone Conducting Headphones – this trip I used a basic pair of earbuds, but I wish I had brought bone-conducting headphones instead. They let you listen to podcasts or music while still hearing what’s happening around you—an added layer of awareness that’s especially valuable on remote trails. You have to be bear aware while still listening to your scary podcasts about bear attacks.
Bear Canister – to keep the food smells always from camp
Bear Spray – and of course your handy dandy bear spray.
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