Gila National Forest - Dumm Canyon

 Another beautiful spring Sunday. Another hike out in the Gila. I've had this one in the back of my mind for a couple years now, thinking it would be milder alternative to do with my wife and my dogs ( as opposed to what I call my "adventure" hikes, which I usually do alone).
 Well, not so much, this stretch of  Dumm  Canyon from  FR 157 downstream to the forest boundary is a fairly rough little hike. At first we followed an old road that passed by some very old cabin ruins as well as some cleared areas that are used for camping.
Then we went down into the stream bed following a very vague wildlife trail. Water soon appeared and it made a sweet little scene, but don't expect it to be a live stream ( except maybe in the narrowest section) except in wet years.

Very quickly, we had to choose whether to go high up on the  bank on the south side( to bypass the box), where a path seemed to lead or just get down onto the stream bed itself. We opted for the water of course. For the next mile or so, we  were confined by limestone walls anywhere from 20-60 feet high. This is not what I had expected.The very straight sides of these cliffs  were not visible when scouting this hike on Google Earth, which led  me to believe we would have leisurely walk on dry banks with piñons, junipers and ponderosas.

 Instead, we were scrambling   around boulders, pushing through thick vegetation, and making many wet crossings.  It was  all good though.The amenities of the canyon with its babbling stream, tiny waterfalls, flowering willows and sinuous channels carved through the bedrock, more than made up for our struggles.



 After picnicking by the transparent, if only slightly milky ( from the carbonate rocks so common in the area) brook, we continued down stream and found a lovely little cascade, followed shortly by the flow entering a channel of gray limestone bedrock very similar to places I've visited over on nearby North Percha ( Dumm actually flows into N. Percha) and Mineral Creeks.





Clouds moved over us for a time, which kept us from getting too warm, but the wind that was blowing gale all over the region, was non-existent down in our little box canyon.
 Giant  alligator junipers began showing up as the valley widened. So did the first spot that could have been used for camping, where we saw a long, long abandoned fire ring.  When it looked like the canyon would narrow again before reaching our tentative goal of the forest service  boundary, we called it a half a day, rested a bit and  began our  return. We decided against trying to find a cattle path up above, as none of the ones we had seen coming down to the canyon seemed particularly well trod, and who knows what direction they would ultimately lead. Bushwhacking with a pleasant stream where our dogs could drink and wade to stay cool, and we could listen to the little falls, beats bushwhacking on the slopes of the dry hills any day.

Close to the creek we found the  ruins( really just one corner of timbers and a pile of stones that was the fireplace) of another cabin with abundant metal trash all around. This one would be real easy to walk by without  even seeing unless you happened to kick one of the rusty cans. Sweet day.



 NOTES:1. One of the nice things  I noticed while hiking this canyon bottom is that it's too narrow and rough for cattle to pass through it. 2.  The mile of FR 157 after crossing North Percha  to get to our starting point, had seen some improvements after the Silver Fire, but now without  maintenance it's just as crappy as ever ( although mercifully wider).  3. The canyon is named for  a 19th century prospector and ranch hand Albert Dumm who had cabin on the creek ( perhaps one of the ones we saw).