Cow Creek, Farm Flat-Gila National Forest, continued

Cow Creek

Farm Flat looking back to Tadpole Ridge

At least I remembered to bring a second pair of boots, knowing that the first pair would be soaked without time to dry for my second day's outing. But it would've been better if I had forgotten. My second pair, grayish green LL Beans that I'd picked up barely used at my mom's thrift store, had only been worn once or twice and not very happily at that. Still, I was wanting to believe I'd made a great deal picking up some 120 dollar boots for almost nothing, and was willing to give them another chance.They felt too tight from the get-go but I didn't want to entertain the idea of just wearing my liner socks without my thicker hiking socks(although that's eventually what I had to do) because I was worried about blisters. I didn't remove my liner socks either, which would've helped. I just thought they would stretch as I went on. Down I went on the Sheep Corral trail until I reached the junction with the Snow Canyon trail, where I continued east and uphill. I turned northeast on a old road on the mesa top which is called Farm Flat. When the road ran out I quickly decided to get down into the rocky, but relatively open arroyo,  which I think was a branch of West Canyon, rather than slog it out in the brush. Mistake. Now as I stumbled, hopped and stomped down the dry streambed the pain in my toes began, then increased, and then increased some more to the point where I was in moaning, swearing, nearly in tears agony with almost every step. But I wouldn't stop to rest or evaluate and attempt to fix my situation. " I'll stop when I get to the water" I thought. When I did reach the water I took off my boots, but not my socks. I didn't want to see how bad it was. I didn't need to. I could feel it.