Follow Strider's Rambles

Day 45

After packing up, I had a first breakfast of oatmeal. Then Buffalo Bill and I ate breakfast at the Homestead Cafe. I had coffee, an egg, and hashbrowns; my typical trail fare. While we ate, I learned how American & Czech breakfasts differ and that paddling is a popular Czech recreation activity. At the table next to us were Mama & Papa Raven, also NoBo’s. They joined Buffalo Bill in giving me tips on Wyoming trail areas.

On our way to I-15, Buffalo Bill and I passed an eight capacity Tesla charging station and a boxy pickup was making use of one terminal. We walked to the top of the southbound on-ramp and attempted to hitch. It took a while, but we finally got a ride from a kind elderly couple headed to Idaho Falls for groceries. They were curious and asked us lots of questions. There was no exit so they pulled to the side of I-15 to let us out. Buffalo Bill gave me a fist bump goodbye and we went our respective directions.

Getting out of a town always involves elevation gain. This one started out with a gradual road walk that transitioned to trail after 7.5 miles. On top of Little Table Mountain, I enjoyed the flat terrain and took a snack break. The trail then dropped down to dry Pete Creek before it ascended once again. At a murky, shallow pond, I observed two Columbia Spotted frogs.

Really the day’s gain felt much less than its sum, probably because I was replenished from my town stop. There were a couple steep climbs, yet by early evening I was on a vast stretch of flat land, Big Table Mountain. At Rock Spring, I stopped for water and dinner. Then I hiked two more miles to camp. Shortly after I erected my tent, there was light rain and distant lightning.

Day 46

Mid morning, I saw a bull moose cross the trail on the next gentle rise. The first moose I’d seen since Glacier, quite exciting!

It was a tough day, mentally not physically. Many insecure thoughts popped into my head and reduced my spirits. However, there’s so much time on trail to think, that such days are bound to happen. The issue was gaining the perspective to overcome the thoughts. The turning point was when I found a patch of raspberries. I bypassed them, then turned back to snack on a few. It brought me back to the present and to small joys.

At the day’s final stream, I loaded up with three liters for a 17 mile carry. Since I’d be dry camping, I started my dinner cold-soaking. I forgot to mention that I saw a huge sheep herd yesterday. Apparently this area is the summer grazing ground for the U.S. sheep experiment station, an effort to improve sheep genetics and enhance grazing management.

In the evening, I hiked along a ridge and enjoyed the contrast of dark stormy blue sky and sunlit green hillsides. Rain fell in the far distance and a rainbow stretched across the horizon; it was beautiful. I was going to camp near a junction, but the terrain did not appeal so I continued up three broad switchbacks and found a site, only slightly lumpy, with a spectacular view.

Day 47

When I woke in the middle of the night, I smelled smoke so I got up to pee and look around for flames, seeing none I went back to sleep. In the morning, as I set out uphill, it was still smoky. However, I enjoyed the plentitude of pink fireweed, purple asters, and red paintbrush. Two switchbacks along, I sighted three bull elk.

At the top of the climb, I had cell service so I texted my family. My sister looked at the CDTC website and discovered a fire near Raynolds Pass, started yesterday afternoon by lightning. Coincidentally that was exactly where we planned to meet tomorrow. Highway 87 had already been closed so she couldn’t meet me at the pass and anyway, I wasn’t keen to hike that close to a fire. I decided to take the Mack’s Inn alternate rather than the official CDT route. It’d keep me well south of the fire and allow me to meet her near Highway 20.

Around 11 am, I encountered a NoBo named Dad Bod. I’d met a couple other NoBo’s and only said hello, but he and I got into a long conversation. It started with the triple crown trails and ended with freeze drying tips. Since the Florida Trail is high on my list despite many hikers hating on it, I was glad to hear he had a favorable experience, especially since we both LOVED the Arizona Trail.

At Lillian Lake, I turned onto the alternate. I forded Hell Roaring Creek then bushwhacked through a short section of willows. For the next four miles, the trail paralleled the creek. At one point, I looked towards the creek and saw a female moose staring at me. We stared at one another for a minute. When I began to hike on, she mounted the bank on the creek’s opposite side, followed by a bull and young moose! An entire moose family! Once again, all of us stopped and stared at one another, then they ran across a hillside, away from me.

Eventually Hell Roaring Creek became a dry bed and the trail faded out. I used FarOut to orient myself, mostly hiking in the creek bed. At the next map junction, the trail was back and Sawtell Peak towered to the left. Slightly beyond the alternate’s high point, I erected my tent in a sheltered spot beneath a pine tree. I’m excited to see my sister tomorrow!

Day 48

With 12 miles to cover by noon, I was on trail an hour earlier than usual. Only 1/3 mile from my campsite, the trail ended at Sawtell Peak road, a wide and flat gravel pathway that wound its way down the peak. It was easy yet repetitive walking so I put on an audiobook. At one point, I departed the road to dig a hole. I was squatted down and a dark brown marten with a mouse in its mouth scampered past only a couple feet away, so cool!

When I reached Highway 20, I encountered a SoBo, the first one I’d seen since getting ahead of Swampy. His name was Busted. For the next 2.4 miles, we chatted as we paralleled the highway on a dirt ATV road. Road walking goes fast, so I arrived 1.5 hours early to the Sinclair station where I planned to meet my sister. Busted hung out with me until we arrived. We continued to chat with one another and with five NoBo’s that hiked past our spot.

My sister arrived and we gave one another a big hug. She immediately set out some snacks. Busted had a hard-boiled egg then took off towards Yellowstone. Our original campsite was in the fire evacuation zone so we drove to the Upper Coffeepot campground on Henry’s Fork River. We found a lovely, empty spot with a shaded picnic table. Jenessa immediately laid out an elaborate, amazing lunch: tempeh bahn mi sandwiches plus homemade hummus with dipping veggies.

We spent the rest of the day chatting, relaxing, and eating. I did river laundry and found the hole in my air mattress. We ate an appetizer of massaged kale salad w/ a balsamic dressing, seeds, and tart apples. Dinner was GF tortellini with homemade pesto sauce and garden snap peas. Dessert was GF shortcake topped with strawberries and homemade whipped cream. My sister is an amazing cook! She was determined to help me regain lost trail weight. We took a short walk along the river then slept in her roomy three person tent.

Day 49

It was an amazing zero day! Jenessa & I had a leisurely breakfast of coffee, GF pancakes, Beyond Meat sausage, and eggs. GF pancakes felt like such a treat after watching fellow thru-hikers partake in tiny trail towns. After breakfast, we played a board game, Parks. It felt appropriate that one of the first three parks we turned over was Yellowstone, which I’m about to enter.

For lunch we finished the massaged kale salad and ate grilled brie & granny smith apple sandwiches. Then we played in the river on my sister’s inflatable paddleboard. We rode on it together, taking turns paddling upriver. The current was stronger than it looked so we navigated to the far side where we could actually make progress. It was a very shallow river, most of it around knee deep. The cool water felt refreshing under the bright sun. Eventually we turned the paddleboard and floated back to camp.

Our late afternoon snack was nachos! One of my favorite trail foods yet I’d had none until now. We topped two foil sheets with chips, black beans, olives, and cheese. Then we folded them into pouches and placed them on the camp stove grill. It worked amazingly well – the cheese melted and got crispy. Before I dug in, I added fresh salsa and avocado.

Since we got off the river, the sky grew dark and rumbly. Partway through our nachos, we fled to the car as rain began to fall. We hung out inside for the next couple hours, chatting and eating leftovers for dinner. Eventually the rain stopped and we walked along the river. We watched a crane or egret walk in the water and plunge its head in after a fish. When it was time for bed, we found everything dry inside the tent.