Gila River trip report - Upper Box - 09-2006   
  On September 16, Steve Anderson, Mike Coltrin, Bob Kerry and I launched a trip through the Upper Gila Box. This is a 40-mile float through the center of the Gila Wilderness, starting near the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, NM and ending near the town of Cliff, NM. This stretch of river is usually only runnable in the springtime, and it’s frequently cold, and even snowy. This year’s marvelous monsoons made it possible to take the trip in shorts and t-shirts… We launched on 900 cfs and took off on 500 cfs two days later. Only had to carry the boats around one down tree although we lined a few more and closed our eyes and ran through some others. The country was green and gorgeous; the best campsites were at the junctions of side canyons. It was a GREAT trip – see the pictures – I’d even recommend doing it during the cold wet spring season. There are a couple of people in the Silver City, NM area who will drive the long, slow shuttle for you. Due to the WAY out in the wilds location, this trip would best be undertaken by experienced paddlers and I’d suggest taking small boats – we all used inflatable kayaks.             Submitted by Chip Arnberg