MRT Day 28: Black River

Daily Miles: 29.5, Total Miles: 412.0

Cold last night – my water bottles were slushy this morning.

No reason to take a side trip to Big Lake so headed out on the Indian Springs Trail. I got good water at Spillman Spring, a unique piped spring into hollowed out logs. Quite a bit of downfall on the trail, remnants of the wildfire, but young aspen seem to be thriving.

I hiked down through the Home Creek drainage and then down to the Black River near Buffalo Crossing. Now decision time, take the main MRT route down the river canyon for 11 miles requiring 30 or so slippery river crossings or 13 miles on the river bypass route on a series of dirt roads and cross-country that rejoins the MRT at the Wildcat Bridge on the Black River? My repaired ankle is holding up remarkedly well but I opted to lower the risk and take the bypass route.

The bypass route was fine but unfortunately the few drainages on the way that had a little water were heavily trampled and fouled by wild horses. I did run into one snorting male wild horse that seemed to be feigning a confrontation but soon ran off.

After a long, long day, I finished the marathon into the beautiful canyon and set up camp near the Wildcat Bridge on the Black River.