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Dorothy Stewart Trail
The physical feeling of moving slug-like underwater has not left since we stopped hiking 20 miles a day last week. We take our friend Lisa, who is nursing an ankle injury, on this short hike. The feeling persists throughout. Maybe the combination of hiking and illness has left me with greater deficits than I realize.…
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Wyoming CDT Final Tallies
Some numbers from our walk across Wyoming: Miles Hiked: Hours Tracked: Elevation Gain (ft): Rattlesnakes: Mink: Badgers: Bison: Snails: Bears: Moose: Jackrabbits: Wild Turkeys: Jackalopes: Wild Horses: Deer: Elk: Antelope: Ticks: Biblical swarms of mosquitoes. Untold numbers of other insects, lizards, birds, marmots, and rodents.
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Book: All the Pretty Horses / Cormac McCarthy
I was skeptical of this, not being a horse person, but it hooked me in other ways. Desert and mountain landscapes, the impulsive walkabouts of youth, curiosity about Mexico, a smattering of Spanish, and the novelty of a western that doesn’t take place in the old west all kept me reading. It was grittier than…
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Day 30 – Old Faithful to Fish Creek Road, Idaho
Our last day of hiking in Wyoming has arrived! We’re not the first awake in the campground, there are already shouts and car engines roaring to life at 5 am. We have a big breakfast in Bob and Carol’s camper and drive back to Old Faithful, where we traipse along the many pools and geysers…
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Day 29 – Shoshone Lake to Old Faithful
The theme of the day is set by our fantasies of food at our destination: french fries at Old Faithful. There is plenty to distract us from our obsession during the day, though, with the bubbling and steaming attractions of the Shoshone Geyser Basin and refreshing conversation with Steven and Kristen, who are out on…
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Day 28 – Heart River to Shoshone Lake
Traversing around Heart Lake we start to see some people. A southbound section hiker headed for Togwotee Pass tells that a bear warning has been issued for the area. Apparently the bear layed in the trail blocking the passage of a solo northbounder, then bluff charged her when she tried to go around. When we…
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Day 27 – Mink Creek to Heart River
In the morning we cross the Snake River, but it’s so close to the headwaters that it’s little more than an ankle washer. Soon after we enter Yellowstone National Park, and immediately see two other hikers. We leap frog these guys all day, and assure them that they’re on their intended route. It’s kind of…
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Day 26 – Soda Springs to Mink Creek
I’m grateful that the rain has stopped by morning, but it’s cold, and putting on my wet clothes is a torture. We hike briskly to our last Buffalo River crossing, the North Fork. This time we assess it carefully before wading in. It’s just a little easier than the South Fork, and I assist Ann…
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Day 25 – Brooks Lake to Soda Springs
We get up very early to make it through the Togwotee Pass construction with enough time left to hike 20 miles. It goes smoothly, and we’re hiking around Brooks Lake by 8 am. We haven’t hiked an hour when we see two bears retreating up the valley. The trail here is most heavily used by…
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Days 23 & 24 – Jackson
Resting in Jackson is great, but my stomach is not cooperating fully. I should be eating constantly and indiscriminately to put some weight back on, but everything I eat gives me heartburn, and I just can’t consume the volumes I need to. Still, I slowly make my way through a couple of good restaurant meals…