Ben Marlin is a local wrangler who has been riding in the Gila Wilderness area for the last 15 years. The native Nebraskan used to live in California but has become addicted to the Gila. Marlin’s hands show the wear and tear of wrangling and his belt buckle the evidence of a first place win at a rodeo in 1967. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Within the New Mexico wilderness area are the ancient Gila Cliff Dwellings, a national monument. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
A horse is reflected in the side mirror of a pickup truck at the base camp to access the Gila area, which lies across the ridge in the background. The New Mexico area fits ecologist Aldo Leopolds definition of a wilderness, a place big enough to absorb a two weeks pack trip. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
The Gila Cliff Dwellings were inhabited by members of the Mogollon clan between 1270 and 1300. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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Ben Marlin and horses make use of a watering hole in the Gila National Forest. The wilderness area covers more than 500,000 acres, and much of it can be reached only on foot or horseback. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Marlin rides along one of the Gila trails. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Marlin and his mount pause in the Gila River in New Mexicos road-less wilderness area. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Meals are often a much-savored event after a hard ride through the wilderness. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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Gathering around the campfire, a pleasant part of the wilderness experience. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Wrangler Harley Paul leads a group of riders out onto the trail. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Riders cross a meadow near the end of a 12-mile horseback trek that took them along the Middle Fork of the Gila River. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
The Gila Wilderness area in southwest New Mexico is the oldest such designated spot in the country. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
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Riders stopped for lunch, after which a nap suited this Gila visitor just fine. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Ben Marlin reaches the ridge line that separates the Gila Wilderness area and the Gila National Forest. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
