Backpacking the Gila Wilderness - Michael Holm's Portfolio
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Summary

Back during spring break of 2023, two of my friends and I left for a backpacking trip in the Gila Wilderness, in New Mexico. This is a wilderness area in southwestern New Mexico, the first designated wilderness area in the United States. We came into this trip with a planned route that would've taken us down through some valleys in the wilderness area, as well as some hot springs, but we ended up needing to completely replan our trip. This was because, when we got there, there was some pretty severe flooding in the valleys due to snowmelt from California and Colorado.

So, I sat down with my laptop, secretly plugged my charger into the back of the welcome building (after the worker there told me not to plug it in 🤫), and replanned our route. After about an hour, I had a new plan that would take us through the higher elevations of the wilderness, avoiding the flooded valleys. One issue with this was that the higher elevations were much colder, and also had less easy access to water sources. I'm still pretty proud of my quick thinking in replanning this route :).

The new route was challenging but rewarding, offering stunning views of the surrounding landscape and a chance to experience the wilderness in a different way. We were in the mountains, so there was a lot of elevation change, but it wasn't too horrible. I stupidly forgot to bring a hat to the New Mexico desert, but my friend had an extra one that I borrowed. Good thing, because my head would've been a baked potato by the end of the trip without that.

I mentioned that water access was limited in the higher elevations. In fact, on the first day, every area we passed through that was supposed to have some water was completely dry. This started to really worry us, and we considered turning back. However, about 10 minutes into the second day of hiking, we encountered a flowing stream. From then on, in the mountain range, there was reliable access to water.

This was also the first trip I brought my astrophotography setup on. This setup added a significant amount of weight to my pack, but I really wanted to try taking some star photos in one of the darkest areas of the country. Fun fact, the Gila Wilderness is one of the darkest places in the United States, making it perfect for stargazing. However, I ended up not getting any very good photos. I was, at the time, still learning the ropes of astrophotography, and that resulted in me not really getting any great star pictures. But oh well! It was really frustrating needing to carry that stuff around for the whole trip though. In the future, I think I'll just drive out to the country and make do with the level of light pollution there lol.

Overall, the trip was a great learning experience and I'm grateful for the opportunity to explore such a unique and beautiful wilderness area. New Mexico is a beautiful state, and the Gila Wilderness is just one of its many incredible natural wonders.

Weather

In the lower elevations of our trip, the weather was pretty warm. It probably hit highs of around the high 70s/low 80s. However, in the higher elevations, the weather was absolutely pleasant, with cooler temperatures and clear skies. The nights and mornings were cool, but not too cold, and the days were warm and sunny, but not hot. We saw some snow on the higher peaks, but never hiked in any.

Highlights

Probably the most memorable moment for me on this trip was finding that flowing stream on the second day. It was a relief to have access to water again, and it made the rest of our hike much more comfortable. I was really worried we were going to have to turn back due to the lack of water, so it was just such a relief to find that stream.

Another highlight for me was the stunning landscape in the area. I hadn't realized how beautiful New Mexico was, because I was picturing just a sandy desert, but the actual landscape was much more diverse and breathtaking. This trip was before I had lived in New Mexico for my internship at Sandia National Laboratories, so it was a great opportunity to get introduced to the state's natural beauty.

The last highlight that really sticks in my mind from this trip was that this was the trip where my best friend asked me and my other friend what we thought about him proposing to his girlfriend. Both my friend and I thought it was a great idea and supported him. I remember we had a long conversation about how good we thought they were together, and that we were excited for them. It also made me feel good that my best friend really cared about our opinion and that we could be there for him during such a significant moment.

Packing list for the hike

  • Clothing
    • Base gloves
    • 2 t-shirts
    • 1 sweatshirt
    • 2 pairs of sock liners
    • 1 long sleeve shirt
    • 2 pairs of underwear
    • 2 pairs of wool socks
    • Wool hat
    • Raincoat
    • 1 pair of sweatpants
    • Rain pants
    • 2 pairs of zip off pants
    • 1 sunhat (borrowed from a friend lol)
  • First Aid
    • Medical tape
    • Tylenol
    • Hand sanitizer
    • Hot hands heat packs
    • Lip balm
    • A&D ointment (for chafing)
    • Allergy pills
    • Search and Rescue Insurance
  • Food & Smellables
    • BearVault BV500 Bear Canister
    • 4 Mountain House freeze dried meals
    • 13 Clif bars
    • 13 Tuna packets
    • A jar of creamy peanut butter
    • 8 Gatorade electrolyte mixes
    • 13 Fruit snack bags
    • 13 Slim jim meat sticks
    • A bag of dried mangoes
    • A fork
    • Sunscreen
    • Small tube of toothpaste
    • Soap
  • Shoe gear
    • 1 pair of hiking boots
    • 1 pair of tevas
  • Sleeping gear
    • 1 Big agnes 2 person tent
    • 1 Exped Synmat HL MW sleeping pad
    • 1 Mountain Hardware 20 degree synthetic sleeping bag
    • 1 Sleeping bag liner
    • 1 Inflatable pillow
    • 1 Sleeping pad repair kit
    • 1 Ground tarp
  • Cooking gear
    • 1 Pot
    • 1 Pocket Rocket stove
    • 80/20 Isobutane Fuel
    • 2 Lighters
    • 1 Sponge
  • Electronics
    • 1 26800 mAh power bank
    • 1 Phone
    • 1 Garmin In Reach
    • 1 Garmin Fenix 6 GPS watch
    • Charging cords
    • 1 Camera (Olympus OMD EM1 Mk 3)
    • 2 Lenses (Olympus M. Zuiko 12 - 45 mm lens and Olympus 100-400mm f/5-6.3 IS M.Zuiko Digital ED Lens)
    • 1 Peak Design Carbon Fiber Tripod
    • 1 Extra camera battery
    • 1 Peak Design Capture Clip
    • 1 Kindle
  • General gear
    • 1 Deuter Air Contact Lite 85 + 10 quart backpack
    • 3 32 oz water bottles
    • 1 Grayl 24 oz Water filter
    • 1 Rain cover for backpack
    • 1 Trowel
    • 1 Headlamp
    • 1 Compass
    • 1 Map
    • 2 Toilet paper rolls
    • 1 Small toothbrush
    • 1 Small towel

Our route

Shown below is a map of the route we took through the Gila Wilderness. We started and finished at the welcome center, making a loop through the wilderness. Here's a GPX file for the route.

A map of our route through the Gila Wilderness
The route we took through the Gila Wilderness

Here is an elevation profile of our route through the higher elevations of the wilderness.

An elevation profile of our route through the Gila Wilderness
Elevation profile of our route through the Gila Wilderness

Pictures

Here are some of the best pictures from the trip.

Hikers resting in a golden meadow with pine trees and snow-capped mountains in the distance
Taking a break in a meadow, with snow-dusted peaks in the distance
A person shaking out a tent in a frosty forest lit by morning sun
Shaking the morning frost off the tent before packing up camp
Wide open golden grasslands with rolling hills and a big cloudy sky
The wide open grasslands of the Gila under a big New Mexico sky
A hiker in a bucket hat and plaid flannel sitting next to a backpack on the trail
Taking a break on the trail
A person climbing up into a large pine tree
Climbing a tree along the trail
A person in a brown coat making their way up through the branches of a tree
Making the way up into the branches
A close-up of a fence lizard on rocky ground
A fence lizard we spotted sunning itself along the trail
A blue scrub jay perched among branches
A scrub jay we spotted in the brush
Two people sitting around a campfire at night
Warming up around the campfire at camp

Conclusion

This trip taught me a lot about staying flexible when a plan falls apart. Showing up to find the valleys flooded and having to replan our entire route on the fly ended up being one of the things I'm most proud of from the trip, and the higher-elevation route we landed on was beautiful in its own right. It also taught me to take water access seriously in the desert, since that first dry day had us genuinely worried about turning back. Beyond the logistics, this was my first real introduction to how beautiful New Mexico is, well before I ended up living there for my internship, and it's a trip I'll always remember for getting to be there when my best friend talked through proposing to his now-wife. The Gila Wilderness is a special place, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for solitude, dark skies, and a true wilderness experience.

Thanks for reading!

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