hiking with nice folk

I went on a weekend camping trip with my friend Cesar and his son (8 years old if I recall). We left Saturday morning and drove to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and set off up the middle fork of the Gila River. The weather was great, the stream was cool, and the company was fun and amiable. Boy do I love spending time with  sane people! We set up camp maybe three miles up the river (Cesar's son was getting tired and a bit cranky by then) and we figured that the wonderful sandy riverbank we happened upon was as good a campsite as we were likely to find. Across from our campsite was a towering rock wall, giving us a feeling of security and lending soft echos to our voices. After dinner we built a fire and made s'mores. I slept great for a change. The only fly in the ointment was my failing to bring my Tevas-- I did most of the several river crossings in my bare feet, because I didn't want to get my shoes and socks wet. My feet are still sore from all the small river rocks I had to step on to get across.

The part that made my day-- Cesar's son said that his favorite part of the trip was when I was acting silly and clowning around!

All-in-all a great, albeit short, backpacking trip.