Wednesday, August 1
A trail angel in Lander gave us a ride back to South Pass City and by 10:30 AM we were hiking north. That means we did a complete town resupply and were back on trail in less than 24 hours! I should be excited to be entering the Winds, but I'm still recovering from the basin, which I thought would be easy...at least compared to Colorado.
One of my favorite things about town stops (besides eating) is the chance to talk with Eva on the phone. The CDT in the Great Basin had poor cell service so we hadn't talked in three days. We only had one brief conversation while I was in Lander, and I totally screwed it up! Instead of being a supportive listener, I kept offering "helpful suggestions." Rather than solving problems, I quickly became the problem! In spite of 34 years of marriage I can still be a jerk!
As we hike out of South Pass City, my pack feels heavy, my mood is sour, and my pace is decidedly slower than my companions. After 2 hours of hiking, I'm significantly behind and I decide to stop for lunch. As I eat I consider my options. It feels like I'm getting slower and everyone else is getting faster. If I hike by myself, I think I can still pound out the necessary miles, but it is discouraging to be the slowest hiker in the group.
By dinner time I'd made a decision that will give me a day to hike alone without completely abandoning the group. Tomorrow we'll reach a trail junction for the popular alternate: Cirque of the Towers. I let the group know I planned to follow the official CDT rather than take the alternate. While the Cirque promises amazing views, I'm not physically or emotionally up for the extra climbing and challenging trail.
Thursday, August 2
We were hiking at 6:00 AM and met briefly at a remote campground with a pit toilet and trashcan (two of my favorite hiking luxuries). We met again for lunch and then I said goodbye at the Cirque Of The Towers trail junction. It was already raining and I was glad I wasn't climbing into the storm. My trail in this section wasn't always clearly marked and often included walking through tall grass. Not only did I have to contend with the rain falling from the sky, but the wet grass quickly soaked my shoes and socks.
It stopped raining long enough for me to cook dinner at 5:30 PM and then I hiked for another 90 minutes. I found a campsite and set up my tent just before it started pouring. The lightning and thunder was intense and I thought about my hiking partners who were probably much higher. I curled up in the safety of my dry tent and did some writing.
After the brunt of the storm passed, I carefully packed all my food and items that smell, such as toothpaste and sun screen, into the vapor barrier bag that lines my Ursack and tied it to a tree away from my tent. It was dark when I completed this task and some large animal bolted through the forest as I hung my Ursack. I didn't see what was probably a deer or elk, but I am in grizzly country so I'm hyper vigilant. I've said my prayers AND have my bear pepper spray next to my headlamp in the tent. Hopefully it's a quiet night. I really need a good nights sleep.
Thanks for following along!
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