It had been a long week resting my knee but the time had finally come; I was heading back to trail. My mom (Lil Bit) drove out to visit and help me on my journey. The plan was for her to slackpack me through the entire Great Divide Basin, an area notorious for hot, dry days. Much of that section followed old dirt roads and crossed access roads in numerous spots. It appeared Lil Bit could meet us at least once or twice every day with the car at these spots. She scooped up Ranger and I to give us a ride back to Encampment, WY where we left off.
***Lil Bit and I co-authored this post to share both viewpoints of a hiker and trail angel/support crew. My (Arrow's) words are as normal, Lil Bit's perspective is italicized.***
We passed through the quiet town of Encampment, WY. I assumed we would see hikers trying to hitch back to the trail but all was quiet. It was a little concerning. Had the time off put us at the back of the pack? Were we the last ones?
With light packs we took off excitedly at a break-neck speed up a steep hill. We hiked through the trees as the landscape transitioned out of the mountains. Eleven miles later we met Lil Bit at the first crossing.
Arrow had printed GAIA maps for me (I am very old school and like paper maps), along
with putting GAIA and Google Maps on my phone.& I had no problem finding them at this first
junction.& I arrived ahead of them, as intended, and set up a tarp for shade (the parking lot was
open and sunny) and had fixings out ready for them to make a moderately quick lunch and be
back on their way. It was a reassuring and pleasant first meeting.
We had a quick snack and made lunch to-go, then headed out for another 11 mile stretch. The trees faded into fields with grasses and flowers. The land was an open expanse with a lot of sage brush, providing free-range for cattle. As I approached the discussed meeting spot, I found Lil Bit walking down the trail to meet me. My feet were hurting badly by the time I got to the car; my body suddenly realized that I demanded another 1500 miles from it and was rebelling. Jumping in with a 30 mile day after 9 days off was rough. I sat down and grabbed a cold drink. The last stretch of the day was seven and a half miles. There were fewer and fewer hills as I descended to the Basin, but my knees complained on the short, steep sections of downhill that remained. I was discouraged that the time off to recover had been for naught.
To make it to the next meet-up, I drove along a road that was no longer as well developed as the prior roads, but it was still very manageable. I met them at the designated location, Deep Gulch, and enjoyed a second night of car-camping.
I got to the road crossing and collapsed amid the glamping setup. Lil bit had spread out a camping carpet, put up some tables with snacks, and got the stove ready to make dinner. I propped my throbbing feet up against the car. We invited Cream, a new thruhiker friend, to join us for the evening meal. It turned out we weren't the last hikers on trail after all.
I was sore when I woke up. Usually ibuprofen helps with soreness but the aches and pains proved too much for the drug. My mom let out a little exclamation at the sight of balloons in the car. Ranger and I had sneakily filled the car up the night before in preparation for her birthday. "Happy Birthday" I shouted from my tent as I wiggled out of my sleeping bag.
I headed out by 6:30am to get a head start on a 34 mile day. The sun beat down as I discovered the entire day would be spent on some sort of road, starting with a wide dirt ATV road that soon merged onto a smooth gravel road. Later in the morning I approached a massive switchback. The road had to loop around the terrain to descend a steepish cliff. But I was not limited to the rules of a vehicle, and decided to cut the switchback. Eager to prove walking as a superior means of travel, I attempted to cut down through a cluster of trees. But after five minutes or so I realized it was going to take more time bushwacking through the choked brush rather than walking the switchback on the road, so I returned to the road to reevaluate. Not too long after I spotted a clear shortcut to the road below. As I approached, I picked my route. I would step off the road, walk along a hilltop for a minute, and then cut down next to a cluster of rocks. From there I would be able to make a perfect line, hitting patches of short grass and fighting my way through the sage brush.
The shortcut worked. As I descended the hill I found an easy way through the small obstacles and in no time I stood on the road below, saving about a mile of walking. But as I started hiking along the road again I realized I didn't see the footprints that usually adorn the trail. It took a while for me to come to the conclusion that pretty much everyone had been able to take a shorter shortcut than I. I scrolled through the comments in my guide and found that I had missed a faint road that cut off 3 miles of the switchback. Sure enough, when I passed a spot where an old Jeep road joined mine, a bunch a footprints appeared. I fumed over it for a while.
I had done as much as I could to help prepare Lil Bit for meeting us at the right places on the roads. But the reality was, it was tricky to know what challenges she would face. The backcountry of Wyoming hosted a confusing network of old roads. Unmarked or unmaintained roads, poor navigation systems, unmarked CDT crossings, or a problem with the car could prevent us from linking up. The fact that we had no cell service exacerbated the challenges. Although I had been following a road all day, I had a feeling my mom was going to have a hard time finding us. The road I walked on was well maintained and I could have met her anywhere along the 30 mile stretch the CDT shared with it. She should have been able to drive it easily. But there were no trail markers, thus she would have no way of knowing when she was driving on the CDT or where we were along it. I started to worry as I approached the bridge where I hoped to meet, and when I arrived there was no happy white car to welcome me. I sat under the bridge in the shade for a moment, eating snacks and drinking water. I prepared for the possibility of not finding her until the evening when the road/trail neared a highway, which was at least another 15 miles. I grabbed two liters of water which wouldn't be enough to get that far comfortably in the heat but would at least help me not die. I knew Lil Bit had to be stressed out trying to find us; she had our food and water and shelter and must have been worried. I felt bad for sending her on a wild goose chase to locate us on the back roads of Wyoming, on her birthday nonetheless. I later learned the story:
I packed up the gear into the car and started my drive. Arrow had shown me a whole stretch of "trail" on Bridger Pass Road along which we could meet, and pointed out a bridge as an obvious rendezvous point. The turn onto that road was in about 15 miles. The map showed it to be smooth, wide, and an excellent road, but I went astray. According to the map, I would pass two other roads to the left before coming to Bridger Pass Road, but I discovered that there were a good number of what appeared to be roads that were not on the map. I turned onto what I thought was the road and went further than I care to admit before deciding it could not be right. I turned around, tried another road, repeated the same action, decided I needed to back-track where I had been. I tried another road, and on it went. I was feeling very thankful to have my Rav5 Toyota; it served me well going over rocky, grassy, and rutted passages. The maps on my phone had not helped, as my location did not appear on my phone maps. The different roads that I was traveling were considerably less developed, and I did not see how they could be the right ones. Then, to my amazement, I came to an intersection and I found a CDT sign! Relief swept through me; I had found the CDT! I barely had time to study the map further to determine how I had arrived there when I saw two backpackers coming over the hill. They wondered if I was having car trouble, as to find a car out there was quite unexpected. I explained my predicament, we made introductions, and they used the map on their phone to show me where I was as they dug into some trail magic. According to their map, it appeared that I was very near the south end of Bridger Pass Road, but it would mean a few rough roads to get to the correct spot to meet Arrow. I figured I would be better to return from where I had come (at least I knew what the road conditions were there), and then still try to find the road from the other end. Long story short, I finally did find the road, and I was pretty much in time for lunch. What was supposed to only take half an hour turned into a nearly six hour driving adventure.
About two miles later I saw a white car zooming down the road. I assumed she had found Ranger who was ahead of me, and he had helped her with directions. Relieved, I excitedly waved and found both Ranger and Cream were chilling in the car. We found a lunch spot, set up a tarp between the car and a gate for shade, and slouched into the chairs. Within an hour we were dropped off along the road where we had been picked up (both Ranger and Cream had taken the 3 mile shortcut and were significantly further up the road than me). I decided to try to run a little while and dropped everything, including my water, in the car. I took off at a jog while Lil Bit continued a mile up the road and parked. I caught up, grabbed a drink, and then kept going as she pulled ahead again. The next 10 or so miles were spent running and walking under the hot sun; the temperature read 89 degrees. As evening approached, we decided to call it a day and hopped in the car to drive to a BLM campground.
We set up camp on tired feet. Glamping was nice, but it was exhausting to constantly be setting things up and tearing them down. We made tacos for dinner and I brought out the birthday brownies.
We camped for the night under a waning gibbous moon that shined brightly. It was a lovely camp spot, though terribly windy. The wind ended near sundown which allowed us to finally set up our tents. Arrow projected a movie onto the side of the car under the starry skies.
I figured that with the big mile days my legs would either get stronger quickly or completely breakdown. It seemed like the next morning when only my Achilles were tight, that the former was going to be true. I was excited that I was feeling fresh, aside from some sore glutes. Maybe the run had helped because I used different muscles. My knee felt fine, which was encouraging, and aside from the general body aches of a 30 mile day I felt pretty good.
After an initial fun cross-country tour, the CDT followed a another dirt two-track road. I loved wandering trail-less through the desert in the general direction I needed to go, but trails made faster miles. Within no time I was coming to the road leading to town. Ranger, Cream, and I hopped in the car and rode along the CDT as it went through Rawlins, WY.
After dropping Cream off to meet some friends, Lil Bit, Ranger, and I resupplied and grabbed a pizza, heading to the park to figure out logistics for the next sections. We sat under a pavilion and lay out the maps as we ate lunch. Once the future was sorted, we went to the library to use the bathroom before heading back to trail. Unexpectedly, the air conditioning vortexed us for a few hours. It was 90 degrees outside. We decided to wait out the heat of the day inside watching a movie.
When we came out from the library the clouds had covered the sun, and although it was hot, it didn't feel quite as bad as I thought it would. We drove up the road to where the trail picked up again. After eight miles under partial clouds we made it to the car. I sat in the car for a while and took a little break. My knee ached dully. We wanted to make the most of good weather so we took off, hiking into the evening. In no time we saw the car on the highway at our agreed upon meeting spot. Lil Bit had found a spot to camp off-trail and had already started cooking dinner. When we rejoined, we finished cooking up the french fries and hotdogs and enjoyed the beautiful evening light. The mosquitoes were vicious as the sun set, and I ran around trying to get things done, angry and confused as to why there were so many bugs when there was no water to have spawn in.
At 5:30 the sun started to lighten the earth enough to wake me up. I pulled a sleeve over my eyes and tried to go back to sleep. When I turned over again I heard small pattering against my tent. I looked out to find the source of the noise and noticed that ahead of us were some dark clouds. We were getting the edge of a shower. A rainbow greeted me out my fly.
We packed up and drove to the trail. The trail cut straight across the land like a knife and went down into a few deep crevass washes where mosquitoes lay in wait to mercilessly attack. The clouds released lightning but stayed an appropriate distance away, and raindrops dotted my shirt. Five miles into the day I got to the car, made my lunch and chatted with Lil Bit, then headed out for a 22 mile stretch. The storm passed by behind us. For a moment it looked like we would have some sun but thankfully the clouds held their position in the sky all morning. The trail rolled across the land to distant hills, a long, straight, flat track through cow pastures.
The clouds cleared away and the sun emerged. It was miserably hot. I was in utter awe of how long and straight the trail stretched across the land; I could see for at least 10 miles. I joined some cows for lunch then headed for the distant hills. A gentle breeze kept me cool enough, along with patches of clouds. But the miles seemed to pass unbearably slowly.
Finally Ranger and I reached the hills and started the climb. At the top I looked down into the valley. I knew the car was down there somewhere, and although I wanted to stop badly for a break I kept going. A sparkle of metal proved Lil Bit was waiting for us, and soon she greeted us on the trail and we walked the remaining distance to the car. I collapsed into a chair and dug into snacks before summoning energy to help set up camp by a reservoir and make a delicious dinner. My feet hurt and I was exhausted. With little motivation to do extra work, I decided to cowboy on the camping carpet. After cleaning up all of the dinner stuff I spread out my air pad and went to bed as the sun set.
I tossed and turned all night; I couldn't sleep very well because of the aches and pains of the hiking day. It cooled off. I didn't want to waste the opportunity to hike in the cool morning so I got moving in the predawn light. The trail continued along the ribbon of road. The sun rose among a thin stretch of clouds. It looked like it would be a sunny sunny day but the clouds followed the sun into the sky and offered a blanket to hike under that thickened as the day progressed.
We joined a happy crew of hikers receiving trail magic from Lil Bit at the next road crossing 12 miles in. We had 36 miles to cover, and although it was only 9am I felt rushed. I grabbed leftovers for lunch and said bye to my mom. The trail began its journey through rolling hills and I turned along many roads, taking shortcuts when possible. Clouds continued to build and wind picked up. The first shade trees in 47 miles appeared. If circumstances were different I would have spent hours under one of them. My feet screamed at me to stop. 10:00am. Just 2 hours, make it 2 more hours, I told myself. I listened to a book to distract myself but they spoke too loud. I stopped early for lunch at the top of a big climb. The sun hid behind the clouds and wind brought in a chill. I was surprised to find myself cold in the Great Divide Basin.
Lunch break was all too short. Trying to ignore the ever growing pain in my feet, I moved on. With 12 miles left to hike, Ranger and I took a brief break at a cow pond and lay down, propping our feet up. The pond was slightly murky and full of algae and aquatic plants. Cow poop was everywhere. But it was the only water source for miles; I held great trust in my filter.
After a half hour break we got moving again at our own pace. A lot of hills. We had climbed higher than I thought, and I could see the Basin below. It was windy as I strolled along the ridge, listening to book. It was all I could do to keep moving. At least it wasn't hot; the wind blasted me steadily as I climbed. Lightning flickered far away across the plains. Beautiful. It looked like storm was moving away from me so I wasn't too worried. Still, I charged up the last small hill with renewed energy to get to the car. A few miles later I descended to the road to find camp already set up and dinner cooking.
After seeing the hikers in the morning I had plenty of time to go to Lander to resupply. Fortunately, with not only my paper maps but also with Far Out (the app hikers use) on my phone, navigation now had become much easier. It only presented a problem a couple of times when the roads I used were too removed from the trail and Far Out did not show my location, but I managed.
It had been the longest day thus far, but I hoped for more big mile days to come. I helped clean up and pack everything back into the car just as it started to rain. I crawled into my tent as the drops came down big and thick. The wind whipped my tent around. Tired, feet throbbing, I fell asleep to the drumming.
Sage brush had opened their pores to absorb the droplets of water suspended in the air, releasing their fragrant smell. The trail was cloaked in a thick fog and made for eerie yet beautiful hiking. I set out along the gravel road and then turned onto the jeep roads, passing a few hikers still camping in their tents. The fog lasted for quite a while and didn't lift until a couple hours later as I climbed a little higher, still following the Jeep roads. I was pretty sure 80% of Wyoming (if not 90%) had been following roads at this point.
Once the sun had beat back the fog it started to heat up. The CDT linked up with the Oregon Trail and I walked through history along the path that thousands had followed before. I imagined the covered wagons bouncing over the pass and tired children complaining to their weary parents. I had done 17 miles by lunch. For as much as I hated getting up early, I loved achieving big miles in the morning. There wasn't any shade at the water source so Ranger and I made some. There was a dip in the rocks, and we put my sarong over it to create a little bit of a shelter. I sat in the shade of one loan bush right next to it, tucked up among the rocks. It was hard to motivate to leave but in a few hours we would be at the car again so we kept trekking on.
My feet ached and I just wanted to stop but the car wasn't supposed to be too far away. When I hit a road I allowed myself a few minutes break, and after about five minutes hiking on the road I saw the trunk of the car peaking up over a hill. I hadn't expected to see Lil Bit so soon but I gratefully accepted the shade and chair. Now empowered with the same navigation app I used, she was able to surprise us. After slurping down melted sorbet, we put our packs in the car and walked with just water bottles. The CDT followed the gravel road for a while and we were able to easily be supported by the car.
The trail cut off from the road and finally offered some lovely shade trees along the river. If we hadn't had a vehicle I likely would have stopped there for hours. But the car was just ahead and we kept trotting. As evening approached, I dropped pace and turned on an audiobook to get me through. I came to the car earlier than expected and sank into a chair and helped make dinner, sitting by the trunk and sautéing vegetables and boiling noodles. Then we feasted. A hiker came by as we were cleaning up and we scrambled to get him something. He took a juice box and a tray of trail mix, letting out a delightful joyful yelp as he walked away, munching. It was the last night slacking with Lil Bit and I cherished the time. The land turned golden as a sun got lower and I bade good night to my mom.
I slept in a little bit (if you can consider 6:30 sleeping in), and didn't head out until the sun had already risen. I confirmed a meeting spot and took off, trudging up the road. I came to a point where the road reconnected with the CDT and peered up the hill, trying to decide which route I should take. I could follow the road all the way to South Pass City or take the trail. The trail was faint but looked well marked and I felt like an adventure was an order, so I jumped on the CDT and headed up a rocky hill, bulging with black igneous rock. I lost the trail a few times among the rocks but I managed to reconnect on a Jeep road that the trail shared for the remainder of the section. I curved through valleys and along creeks under newfound shade. I enjoyed the morning hike. There were a few signs of civilization.. Powerlines, trailers, fences, that kind of thing, and soon I found myself approaching South Pass city. It was set up like old historic site with lots of renovated buildings, dating back to the late 1800s. I checked some of them out and saw Lil Bit heading out for a nice little hike. I perused the old buildings, learning about the gold mining town that used to be booming there.
Lil Bit came back and we dropped our packs in the car and completed the last few miles, packless, to the road. The landscape was transitioning into the mountains ahead and trees dotted the land.
Arrow and Ranger continued their hike to the highway where I met them, and we drove to Lander --
about a 20-minute drive. This seemed to be a popular stop for hikers, though it is not on the trail.
We ate Mexican food for lunch, found a room, washed out clothes, and enjoyed being still. Arrow
worked on her blogs; Ranger and I chatted a bit with other hikers we saw in town.
Our time together came to an end the next morning. Arrow and Ranger were once again carrying
their full packs, and I was on my way back home. They had traversed just over 200 miles on
foot, and I had scouted/driven close to 500 miles in the car. I was a very
worthwhile venture.
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