Daily Miles: 19.0, Total Miles: 1,594.7 I woke up to showers and quickly realized I had forgotten my light rain jacket from my days off. Oh well, I’ll have Mrs. Haze mail it to me. All in all, a tough but spectacular day on the trail. Quickly passed pretty Blair Creek, the Sweetwater guard station and CG and soon after, entered the Bridger Wilderness. After four miles, I turned onto an alternative trail that will take me through the Cirque…
Daily Miles: 22.0, Total Miles: 1,575.7 Mrs. Haze helped me get back to Lander last night. We had a good dinner and a Lander Brewing IPA at Cowfish. Mrs. Haze and Ellie toured South Pass City while I got back on the trail. My only change this leg is one less water bottle and the addition of bear spray which was quickly noticed by a BLM employee who passed me on a dirt road just after crossing Highway 28. He…
I had a great week with family on the Bitterroot River in Montana near Victor. Not much hiking but lots of wading while flyfishing the Bitterroot and tributaries. The biggest fish was caught by my grandson, Liam. Sad to see the damage done by the nearby Roaring Lion Fire near Hamilton – 8,300 acres, 15 homes, and one fatality and only 20% contained. Driving back to Lander tomorrow and back on the CDT into the Winds on Wednesday.
Daily Miles: 21.7, Total Miles: 1,553.7 I generally like wide open spaces but was getting a bit anxious to finish the Basin. 30+ miles per day, long straight roads/trails, windy, getting warmer and some water sources now reduced to puddles. The good news is that I didn’t see a single tick. Made good progress getting to Sweetwater River and heading out across the last desert expanse. Five miles out from South Pass City, I found the first shade tree in…
Daily Miles: 32.1, Total Miles: 1,532.0 The water sources generally deteriorating today – ponds and springs have been overrun with cattle and, no doubt, the wild horses. Even the sagebrush has become more sparse. Without any vegetation, I could easily imagine this landscape being on the moon. Near the end of the day, I discovered I was also walking the Oregon Trail. If I had known that, I would have brought a wagon and maybe an oxen or two. Lots…
Daily Miles: 31.6, Total Miles: 1,499.9 I continued my journey through the Basin using some widely spaced but good springs to fill up on water. I had to chase a bunch of cattle away from one piped spring – they very vocally expressed their displeasure. After Brenton Spring, I climbed about 1,100 ft and came down the other side, scaring up a herd of 15 wild horses. The stud of the herd charged to the front and stood his ground…
Daily Miles: 33.0, Total Miles: 1,468.3 I started on US Highway 287 out of Rawlins and then paralleled the highway for several miles. I finally took off over Separation Flats, a very desolate area, for nearly ten miles. I came up on Bull Springs Rim and got wonderfully easy water from a solar-powered pump and spigot. A bit more interesting country now, although still pretty stark. Just me, a couple of bucks with huge racks, many antelope, and one lonely…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 1,435.3 I forgot to mention yesterday that my hat blew off my head in a gust of hot wind. The hat was carried high in the air and dropped into a gutter farther down the street. Just as I was reaching for it, another gust pushed the hat into the street where a passing truck ran over it. Now, not only is my hat dirty and salt encrusted, the bill of the hat has a…
Daily Miles: 23.6, Total Miles: 1,435.3 A straightforward but tedious and dry 24-mile roadwalk into Rawlins – half dirt and half paved. Hard on the feet, a nasty blister developing on the bottom of my left foot. Probably doesn’t help that my shoes are shot and have lost all tread. Fortunately I have a new pair of LaSportiva Raptors to pick up at the PO tomorrow. I stopped for a big burger and beer at Buck’s Bar & Grill downtown…
Daily Miles: 36.8, Total Miles: 1,411.7 I hiked mostly dirt roads all day with no shade. The landscape was rolling hills covered primarily with sagebrush. Water sources were widely spaced springs and small creeks heavily used by cattle, including one creek I followed for several miles called Big Muddy, true to it’s name. Saw deer, antelope and a few large cranes today. Big mileage was helped by roads and just a little up and down but my feet hurt tonight….
