Herd

July 31 2009
Rawlins to Lima

After my 54 mile day, I limped into Anongs Thai Cuisine in Rawlins for more AYCE Asian food. I got a motel room, went to the library, did all that town stuff. I even looked into seeing a movie, but nothing interesting was playing. I departed from my typical zero day and left late in the day, making about seven miles. A green Prairie Rattlesnake guarded the trail as I left the busy route 287. With a total of about 15 miles hitched so far, all on paved roads, I briefly considered hitching on 287 to Lander but resisted. This was the Great Divide Basin, a required CDT experience. Soon I left sight of traffic and was plunged into the desert. The expanse stretches as far as the eye can see, and further. The terrain is equally stark in all directions, were it not for a smattering of carsonite posts and my GPS, I wouldn’t know where to go. For two days I cruised, making 40 miles per day without really pushing hard. I now regret not bagging another 50 miler. On day three, I took a different route. The Sweetwater Creek route.

There is no trail. The maps say that there are cattle paths and game trails, but I didn’t find much. However! It was a welcome change, and though the first 15 miles of the day was very slow, it was enjoyable, only having to carry minimal water, wading across a cool creek in the hot weather.

I emerged into a car camp with a big tent, coolers, and a truck parked. I made my presence known as I had to walk through their camp. Finding two people several hundred yards further, one carrying a bow, the other a single antler, I struck up a conversation. They were a very nice couple from Lander who were interested in what I was doing and ended up giving me a sandwich and juice!

It’s not that I am a greedy mooching bum... I appreciate the generosity of total strangers. When camping and hiking, there is more opportunity for positive communication with people you don’t know. We all have a common interest. The idea of striking up a conversation with someone you pass on a metropolitan sidewalk seems bizarre. In a rural setting where nobody can be found for miles, NOT talking is bizarre. And often, a result of talking to campers is free food!

I continued after refreshments and hiked into the late evening, actually making it to a thicket of trees higher up, toward the edge of the basin by nightfall.

The next day I hitched to Lander for a zero and the baseball All-Star Game. Last year, I managed to take a zero in Etna with a TV available. The game went into extra innings and there were others in the room so I ended up not being able to see the end. This time I got my own room! This isn’t out of the ordinary on the CDT. I almost always had my own motel room.

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The Winds! 13,000 peaks! Snow! Cold water!
I don’t know why the Wind River range struck me as one of the most dramatic places I have even been. Maybe it was the extreme change in terrain. Or maybe, the Winds are indeed one of the most dramatic places I have ever been. The first pass brought me into a land of granite boulders and alpine trees. There were vertical cliffs, snow and ice. There were frozen lakes! Here it is July 17th and lakes are still frozen! I climbed full snow coverage over a pass and descended to Temple Lake. Later that day I entered the Cirque of the Towers. I camped amidst stone monuments that would make Yosemite feel inadequate. Spires of 5.13 pitches enough to keep climbers entertained seemingly indefinitely.

The morning light shone brightly on the east faces. Patches of snow glimmered like piles of baubles and gems. I relished the sights, leaving later than normal, climbing slowly to Texas Pass. The other side was similarly spectacular. The route is cross country, but easy to follow.

Two days later, I found myself at a trail junction. The left led over Cube Rock Pass, the Right, over Knapsack Col. The Jonathan Ley CDT maps which most hikers use have two colors of lines. The Red is the most common, more official route. The purple represents an alternate. At his trail junction, a purple line squiggled off into the high mountains past Island Lake, and Titcomb basin. I took it.

It was a perfect clear day without a cloud in sight. I climbed gradually up into the basin and looked at my route. It was fully covered in snow. Knapsack Col was a vertical wall of snow with steep rocks on either side. As I got close, I debated whether or not to turn around and take the long way around... 20 more miles. I thought I would at least investigate. I climbed up the the rocks on the north side of the col and found a wide ledge, almost suitable for a pack animal. With a several hundred foot drop to my left and cliff face to my right, I traversed the mountain and climbed over the low cornice where the mountain met the pass.

I was rewarded on the other side by a glissade, more epic and vertical than any I had yet attempted. It rivaled the descent to Lake Anne in central Colorado near Twin Lakes.

Knapsack Col was not easy, and with no snow tools, I felt a little out of my element, but the views were rewarding. It was the most memorable place I was at for the entire CDT. I recommend it for those interested in a death defying challenge, otherwise, I am sure Cube Rock Pass is beautiful. But if you are in the Winds, at least go see the Cirque of the Towers. It is not technical and not that difficult.

The next day I was out of the Winds, in grassy fields full of dead pines and ticks. I made quick work of that and was in Dubois the day after. Here I met two hikers from the PCT in 2008. Voyageur had driven cross country to do some hiking and visit people. He had a car! And Stilts who showed up the same day, southbound from Canada. It was not exactly half way, but somehow we had met in a town. We had dinner and talked about our hike in 2008, and current adventures.

The next day Stilts took off south and Voyageur joined me for a section going northbound. We hiked through Yellowstone to Mack’s Inn ID.

Mileage is easy in Yellowstone, and If I knew better, I would have scheduled myself for longer days. Hikers are required to submit an exact itinerary and camp in designated campsites. Due to this and already booked camps, voyageur and I started with a couple fairly mellow days, then a paltry 15 mile day. We awoke at 8:00 left after 9:00 took breaks, sat in a hot spring, That hot spring was only three miles from our camp. After we left we saw two southbound hikers... obviously not weekenders. They donned long pants and smallish backpacks. as we drew closer, we all recognized each other. It was Lumbar and Lucky. Two more PCT 2008 hikers. We chatted for an hour or so before going on to our... designated campsites. Yellowstone needs to work out a different system for thru-hikers. I am told that AT hikers can pretty much camp wherever they want in the Great Smokeys. Why can’t four hikers who manage to meet after hiking a combined 2600 miles not camp together? I’m sure we could have, but I am not in the habit of breaking the law.

The next day after an AYCE breakfast at the lodge and seeing Old Faithful blow its lid, twice, we were off, pushing for the border of the park.

The geological features, thermals, springs, chromatic pools... are very striking, amazing. I can see the draw to Yellowstone. But the hiking when not near the thermals is fairly boring. The terrain is flat and Lodgepole pines dominate the landscape. I prefer mountains.

So in Mack’s Inn, Voyageur hitched south, back to his car and I continued another 80 or so miles to Lima.

The trail into and out of Mack’s Inn is on roads, However, I eventually headed off onto a unremarkable trail which faded into no trail then into waist deep flowers. I wasn’t irritated by the lack of trail. I mean how can one be angry when standing in a five mile wide wildflower field? Just try it. Go find one and try stomping around angrily.

Anyway I waded through progressively higher flowers for many miles.

After a bit of a detour, following a road which I though paralleled the trail, I found myself a couple miles off course. I met a very pleasant rancher who found the thought of “No Trespassing” signs insulting and downright stupid. His land was fenced, to keep the cows in, but He could care less if a hiker walked through his land. I told him about signs and about a bit of a hairy encounter I had in New Mexico. He just shook his head saying he didn’t know why people had to be like that. He told me to walk up one of the roads to the right and that I would end up on the Divide.

I seem to have not mentioned that “hairy encounter” (See my Entry for May 27, 2009 for that encounter.)

Almost as soon as I was back on trail, I met Flip Flop, a hiker so named because he wore flip flops. I didn’t realize this until later, as we had met at a stream and he carried very heavy looking boots, strapped to his pack.

I descended slowly from the mountains into wide open pasture with grasses and sage. I camped at the interstate.

In Lima, I met the herd. I could start naming names, but that would take up too much space. It seemed that all of the southbound hikers except for a small handful who were ahead, were here. Though i am not a steak fan, I joined the mob at the local eatery where you get to grill your own steak. I picked out a lean looking cheap cut and resisted the temptation to cut into it, flatten it, turn it every 27 seconds, or otherwise molest it. After resting on my plate for seven or eight minutes, I cut into it revealing its perfectly cooked center (though it might be a little too well-done for real meat fans’ tastes. It wasn’t bad, and the copious amount of spices I encrusted it in hid the fact that I was eating beef.