Iron Creek, Little Bear Canyon- Gila National Forest

       We camped at Iron Creek Campground on the first weekend of fall.  A snag lay had fallen across the highway as we neared the campground, but it was not a bad omen, as we had a lovely, peaceful weekend. The Iron/ Gallinas Creek corridor was mostly untouched by the Silver Fire. The damage came afterwards from the flooding as summer rains ran unchecked from burnt hillside gullies.
 The campground still has it huge oaks and towering firs.Box elders  on the creek were beginning to turn. Iron Creek flowed through its own massive piles of flood lain gravel and sand. Just a few inches of water a few feet wide, but its sound soothed us for a couple of days. We were able to snag the primo isolated single campsite on the east end of the campground.
A few travelers came and went from Friday night to Sunday morning, but only one other camper stayed. The stars and Milky Way were beautiful each night.Coyotes and owls were heard as we lay inside the trailer. Late in the afternoon wild turkeys by the dozens  marched on the steep hillside above us.

 We hiked in Noonday Canyon on Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon I did a short hike up Little Bear Canyon across NM 152 from the campground. A mama and baby deer let me get very close before they bounced up the hill. Despite all that has happened, the Black  Range still vibrates with a unique intensity undiminished. We remembered that we love the Gila.