In the morning I get to sample some trail that’s actually been built. Very nice, but I can’t resist taking off through the bush when I get the chance, following survey stakes. Today’s bushwhack is tougher than yesterday’s. The forest is thicker and there’s no fresh, orange paint. Still, I enjoy a few hours of this engaging work.

At one point I encounter a very well-preserved log cabin that seems to be making a loud roaring noise. I investigate and find a large pipe below it with water shooting out, traveling 10 or 12 feet before hitting a rocky streambed. I have no idea where all this water is coming from here so close to the divide.

After lunch it’s back to dusty roads. The terrain is amazingly similar to the Laramie Range where I grew up. Fields of sage punctuated by boulder piles and stands of lodgepole pine adorn the road to my second crossing of I-15. Soon after I arrive Ann drives up. She hasn’t hiked today, so she gives me directions to camp and I take off with the car to a site near Beaverdam Campground while she walks.