I was really drawn in by Keith Thompson’s compelling story in yesterday’s blog post and thought maybe some readers would like to learn more about the Gila Wilderness where Keith lives. This is a huge area in southwest New Mexico covering 2,710,659 acres (1,100,000 ha) of public land, making it the sixth largest National Forest in the continental United States. Part of the area, the Gila Wilderness, was established in 1924 as the first designated wilderness by the U.S. federal government.
