Stay out of here you guys, I’m doing girl things!
Nobody wants to see your fungus, Sticks!
Warning – this is a massive post full of pictures, 8 days of trail
As always, clicking a picture will open up the full size version.
Day0 – Pinedale
Slept like the dead in the city park. Woke up shaky in the morning before breakfast. Maybe dehydrated. Maybe it was the low-carb bagged-salad dinner I had. Needed to eat. Got a gas station coffee, but that just made me feel speedy and sick. Ate some snacks, got ice cream. Walked around. People had been telling me that Pinedale was this cool little place. It was more of a bloated version of Dubois than anything else – more of a town, but still felt like that same cluster of old timey things along a road. Except a lot of these were upscale bars and gear shops. And real estate brokers. LOTS of buying and building going on up here. That Jackson money I had been hearing about from the guy in Dubois. It was like the cool little town of Dubois had a baby with the glorified truckstop which was Lima, MT.
I discovered that the visitor center has a whole ‘hiker’ room set up, with snacks, free coffee, charging stations, and chairs. I grabbed a few instant coffees and some mini Snickers bars, and spent the time talking to the woman who ran the place. No other hikers anywhere in town, so I figure things were slow. They had a juvenile grizzly bear stuffed (rampant) in the lobby, and many heads and pelts on the walls. “He’d be another 2 feet or so when he was full grown, but he was eating sheep so they shot him.” He was taller than me.
As I walked around more, the day got hazier and hotter and dirtier from the smoke up north. Things looked grim for anyone coming south. Or heading north from here.
Jackalope Hostel
CDT hikers, stay here. It’s reasonably priced, and there’s an outdoor hiker area with laundry, a hiker box, and a shaded picnic table. And a resident stray cat.
Can you be so dirty you no longer care? It’s been 6 days since Dubois, and it doesn’t feel like it’s worth showering or doing laundry. Maybe its the cooler, drier weather, maybe it was hiking at altitude, I don’t feel really GROSS, per se. Just sort of weathered. Yesterday when I got in, I saw that there was supposedly a hostel somewhere, but the address kept coming up as a hotel. So I went by – turns out they’ve converted 1 room of the hotel into 4 bunks, that’s the hostel. And there’s an outdoor shower and laundry area, complete with a hiker box.
Frizz and Pedi are here! Great to see them since … whenever it was… somewhere west of Yellowstone. They had stayed with some friends, then done the Teton alt, then gotten caught in that forest fire. They did a couple of 30+ mile days, camping within sight of the flames, then did a big roadwalk. They also got COVID. I’m sitting outside, clean, hair down, a drink nearby, phone in hand. Pedi told me that I look “stately” now that I’m clean.
I also chatted with Sticks and Skyhigh, 2 NOBOs. They weren’t staying, just paying the 5 bucks for laundry. Sticks (a lady hiker) explained how big chested lady hikers get underboob fungus from sweating. She just lives with it. “It smells sort of funky, but what can I do, I put antibiotics on it so it doesn’t get infected.” Skyhigh pointed out you needed an antifungal. Then we looked, and in the hiker box, there was a tube of anti fungal cream. The Trail provides.
The laundry finished. She went behind the washing machines to change, shouting “Stay out of here, doing girl things!”. “Nobody wants to see your fungus, Sticks”, I replied. I mentioned that there was also antifungal spray in the church hostel in Dubois (see last post, courtesy of Handy). She seemed excited.
They were excited to be this far; through Colorado, through the Basin, through the southern Winds which they said were amazing. “I’m just glad to be in Wyoming, glad to not be ______ in the ___ anymore by Colorado.” But they didn’t lean into the whole “we’re northbound and have seen everything” bit that many fall into. It was nice to talk hiking without it being detailed previews and reviews of upcoming stuff.
The smoke got pretty bad later in the day.
Day1 – return to the Trail
Stayed over at the Hostel, took a couple of showers. Dr. Pepper is here, kind of regrouping. I think he might be getting off trail, he was giving short, cryptic answers about how long he’d been there or what his plans were. I never saw him again after this.
Had to get mail and breakfast, and see about a shuttle back the 15 miles up the road into the mountains. There’s a local trail angel named Shamrock, who will give rides if you call her. Pretty nice. I went back to the grocery store, got more food, organized everything. Later found out Shamrock was busy all day so I’d have to get my own ride.
There was a big hill leading up out of town maybe a quarter mile to the hospital. I figured I’d hitch AFTER that; 99% of the people driving up the road were probably only going to the hospital. While I was there, I figured I’d pop into the walk-in and see if they would let me use the scale. Down about 18lbs from the start! I stood at the edge of the parking lot for a while, not too long, and a couple picked me up. They were heading up a portion of the way to the trailhead, but after I gave them a little of the ol’ thruhiker razzle-dazzle, they volunteered to take me up the whole way.
Hiking back up into the hills with 5+ days of food was a lot harder than hiking down out of said hills with an empty pack. About halfway up, it started to rain. And rain. And, because it’s the mountains in summer, it hailed, and THUNDERED. Soon the trail was a slushy river of hailstones and mud. Hooray. Stream crossings that were rock-hops on the way down were now fords. But – bonus, the water was warmer than the air, AND it washed all the mud off my shoes and legs. Everything steamed from the combination of icy hail and warm air.
11 miles up, back to the CDT. Around this area there’s a number of ‘bootleg’ sites, I picked one, and crawled into my tent, wet. Ate a cold dinner of non-cookable things and snacks.
Day2 – Hat Pass and the Land of Lakes
I only saw 2 NOBO hikers and 3 normal people today. It was kind of gross and grindy, and not super inspiring. Plus my pack was heavy. Grey and overcast all day, never had a shadow. Raingear and umbrella on and off multiple times – which sucked. You think the rain’s going to be bad so you put your gear on. And you hike, and your feet are soaked through. Then the rain stops, for a second, and you’re hot and sweaty, so you take your raingear off. Then you hike, and it starts raining again.
It was lakes all day, the trail weaves in and out through them, often crossing streams or muddy bits. 20 miles was hard, higher elevation, and a pass and my achilles are sore. So tired. Maybe lack of coffee?
I pitched my tent from inside; you can put up the fly, then crawl under it and attach the tent part. I heard a weird tearing sound, and now that I’m in it, I can see that the inner screen tore about 10 inches along a seam. Maybe I pitched it too tight? It’s only day 70 of the whole trip, and not all days had the tent pitched. Seems weak.
The weather doesn’t look like it’s improving. Maybe some thunder tomorrow in the high stuff on the alt? That would be uncool.
Day3 – the on trail Nero
A rare event. Some people do on-trail zeroes. I’ve never done one. But, hard rain at 4am woke me up. It stopped at 7, and just as I was ready, it started back up at 730. Feels like 42F according to my satellite tracker weather report. The forecast is 100% rain, 50% thunderstorms all afternoon. Not good to be exposed at 11k. Tomorrow less rain, no thunder supposedly.
I took food inventory, figured out what I could move around and what food I stretch. It’s not fatal to show up to town missing a few meals in any case. I decided to wait it out. “A man can’t hike in the rain”, as we used to say on the AT, 26 years ago.
The rain paused, and I ran outside to poop.
I also didn’t want to skip the Cirque of the Towers alt. It’s an epic unofficial trail that goes through a separate valley from the CDT, and some consider it the jewel of the trail. Or at least of Wyoming. Plus, I can always bail halfway through on the Big Sandy Lake Trail, and cut back to the redline which is at lower elevation. Or even bail out completely to Big Sandy Lodge and work out some kind of resupply or hiker box setup.
I have time. Finally sort of understanding that. Also legs enough to make miles. Also past the exact rationing of food: I have a bunch, it will last what it needs to.
Literally doing nothing, rereading LotR. napping when my eyes get tired. Good to lay here and stretch and rest my achilles tendons. Calves have been hurting for a few hundred miles now.
Is this what vacation is? Just doing whatever?
The clouds finally broke at 3, and I did 6.6 miles to the alternate route cutoff. Felt great, easy when it’s flat and you dozed all day and it’s only 6.6 miles.
Gorgeous views at sunset. Deer down on the valley floor.
Day4 – the Misty Mountain Hop
The day started off cloudy, and grim. I followed the herd path down into the river valley and started climbing south. The peaks were hidden behind clouds. After about an hour I came across to hikers, heading North. They had done the trail last year, and were redoing the Winds together because it was so awesome. I thought that was neat. And it made me a little sad; summer was almost over.
The clouds rose along with the sun, and the trail climbed along with them. Up into more barren stuff, away from the trees. Crystal clear lakes, steep cliff walls. The sound of running water everywhere. I came around the corner and saw it; Texas Pass, elevation 11500. Halfway up the steep rock slide, like tiny ants, I saw 2 people climbing. There was no obvious ‘trail’, but there were obvious ways to climb, and a few herd paths that others had made; you could follow the dirt on the boulders. In what seemed like not much time, I caught up to, and smoked, the 2 weekend hikers that were doing this little bit. Is it ‘punching down’? Yes, and I’ll take it.
Got to the top, and looked out over a snowfield! That’s how you know you’re in the real stuff. The couple caught up to me, and we all congratulated ourselves for the climb. I rested a bit, ate a snack, and climbed over and down. The trail disappeared, so it was a bit of every man for himself until you found it again. Eventually it wound steeply down to a Lonesome Lake surrounded by the ‘towers’. “Poop lake”, I called it, because it as so full of e. coli bacteria that it was unswimmable, and as far as I was concerned, not even filterable. I mean, you could trust your filter, or just wait until you found water later. It’s the worst lake in the country for it. The problem is that people USED to camp all over the place here, and its a lake in a huge bowl. So where’s the poop supposed to go? At this elevation, even if you bury it, it unlikely to properly compost. Now camping is prohibited.
Past the lake, and almost time for lunch was Jackass Pass at about 10,800 feet. Socked in with clouds and super cool looking. All rocks here. I made it down the other side to Temple Lake and had lunch, basking in the sun like a lizard. I was in no hurry, and had enough food. Why rush? Plus the weather and sunlight kept changing, it was really cool. There was one final pass to get up and out of the Cirque, which ended in a vertical, feet-and-hands scramble up a stream/waterfall situation. But man, once I got to the top at 11,000 feet or so, it was awesome.
I made my way down into the long south-facing valley, finally camping up high on the west side. The setting sun shone on the far wall long after I was in shadow. I heard a few elk, and fell asleep. It was a great day, epic everything, and I deserved it. Maybe the Jewel of the CDT.
Only a few miles to the point where I bailed out in 22, and only about 34 miles to Lander. The 2nd of my 3 victory laps was nearly over.
Day5 – the 2nd Redemption
Since I didn’t camp at the bottom of the valley, I didn’t get soaked with dew. Which was good, because it would have been ice. Summer was fading fast. The steep valley walls would keep the sun out for a long time, so I set out, instantly cold and wet brushing through the dew-drenched bushes.
I had heard the herd of elk all night, and managed to get a great video of them crossing the central valley stream. Farther down, I surprised a black bear out for his morning stroll. After doing a bit of a scramble up and out of the valley to get back on trail, I took a break at this tiny little sheltered lake, and saw a bald eagle! The Wind River Range is truly amazing.
And then I came to the second place where I failed in 22. Sobering. This also meant that Wyoming was done! I pushed onwards, recalling the places on the trail, heading back south, that I ran into people I had known in 22, and the lame excuses I gave them for why I was going south. “I miscalculated my food” was the winner, and one nobody could argue with. “I’m out of gas and my ankle hurts” seemed so lame at the time. “I’m out of gas and my ankle hurts” is also a gross oversimplification of the predicament I was in back then as well.
I pushed onward to trailhead, then walked the road. Technically not the CDT, but the dirt road and the trail both got to the same USFS campground where the trail met up. Why trip over rocks when you can walk on a (shitty) USFS road? I pondered 2022 for a long time… and decided this was a walk of triumph.
The campground was full of RV people, no hikers, and no yogi options, despite it being Labor Day Weekend. There was a privy, but no water. People did not look friendly; a lot of ATVs, trailers, firepits, coolers, and they sported those pinchy, closed faces that tell you strangers aren’t welcome. I ate a cliff bar, then got my bearings. Finally, I just brazenly walked between 2 campsites to the rockhop and crossed the river. What were they going to say?!
I did another slow, quiet 7 miles to water and then camp, leaving just 13 to go to Lander in the morning. I had double counted snacks and had planned to only go to the campground, so, snack party in Smokebeards tent tonight! It was kind of a cool little party to celebrate the Winds.
Here’s the video I took of some Elk (will open in a new window)
Day6 – all downhill to Lander
It was sunset when I camped, with rain off to the north. I camped in the little clearing right off the trail between cowpies. I was definitely back out of the high stuff.
I woke up kind of excited to get to town. Bummed out at the same time, the whole thing was winding down. There was one last hurrah coming up, the San Juans in Colorado, but between now and then was a bunch of logistics. It was mostly downhill walking into trees, so it was a quiet, easy morning. I came to a stream and filled up; my last water in Wyoming. I had eaten crackers for breakfast, and had some more; all that was left. It would be nice rolling into town on empty. There’s no point in carrying food INTO town.
Goodbye, Wyoming.
I talked to some hikers, who asked me if I was part of the group that just went through. A few guys and a lady hiker. Had no idea who they were. It’s weird, you can hike 1000s of miles on a trail and never meet people; all they have to do is be 1 mile ahead the whole time. Finally, near the road, I could see the snow fences and power lines. The CDT gets really janky, going from 1 ATV trail to another- I got lost one last time, and finally just gave up and walked straight through the cows to where I knew the gate by the road was. Thankfully, no nope-ropes, aka snakes. Just before the road, when I was surrounded by cows and the sound of the occasional truck, I stumbled into an antelope herd! Wyoming.
Rain, then thunder right at road, of course. Had I been there 10 minutes earlier, I’d have been at the road dry. Naturally. At the road, I got out my umbrella, and juggled my raingear out of my pack, while trying to thumb a ride. I remembered from last time, this is an empty road, with not much traffic. But, a Trail angel in 10 mins! The guy literally was hanging out in Lander, making rides out to the trail to see if people needed rides. So we talked east coast hiking and trail magic stories the whole way back to town; a long way. Right around the time we ran out of stuff to talk about we got to town, and I had him dump me off at the coffee place.
The other night on trail, hungry, I had been dreaming about the perfect sort of food. I eventually came up with the idea of a burger bun, filled with cream cheese, and potato chips and jalapeno peppers. And what did they have on special at the Oxbow restaurant? A grilled cheese sandwich with jalapeño poppers inside. Insane.
I ran into Frito and Toolman in town at the CityPark. They had gotten ahead of me somehow, and had a cool story about a guy who had given them all kinds of cool food in the Winds, or was it Yellowstone? I had a beer (shhhh) and a salad and icecream and got into my tent. Good old city park camping; floodlights, damp grass and car doors slamming.
Sun down at 745, dark at 9. What a difference from Glacier. Tick-tock-tick-tock, the season’s running out.
I then took a well deserved zero and did a Lander reunion tour. New cafe combined with a laundry and pay showers, like a spa. I went back to the Lander Baking Company and Lincoln St. Bakery. The Safeway. Walked and people watched. Catholic girls in dresses, and catholic boys in dress shirts. Everyone smiles and says hi. Hard to leave. Or to try and leave. More beer, more ice cream, more sleeping in the park. I went to the outfitter to browse around and sign the register. They had the old one from 2022. Look at that, July 21, 2022.
Friendlier people than I had made contacts with the people at NOLS, and had options for camping and food there. Since I don’t talk to people, this wasn’t an option.
Day8 – to Denver
Hitch
It’s a 2 hour hitch from Lander to Rawlins, then a 5 hour bus ride from Rawlins to Denver. I planned to do it in 2 days; the hitch would take forever, and the bus is only once a day. Luckily I remembered Rawlins like the back of my hand, and had a hotel and grocery setup already in mind when I started. A 2 hour hitch, especially on a Wyoming highway with nothing on either side of it, is hard – someone is going to REALLY want to talk to a stranger for 2 hours in order to pick you up. I figured I’d start at the Lincoln Street Bakery; good pricey food, with a sort of college vibe, I might just find someone who was cool.
Talked to an artist-y, van guy, and an older guy, for a while about old VWs. Nobody going to Rawlins unfortunately.
Got to the USFS station at the edge of town, 2 reasons – past the final intersection with the McDonalds, and loitering outside it doesn’t seem like it would offend. I flew my sign, “Rawlins”.
In less than 30 minutes, a towtruck heading to Rawlins stopped!
Great ride, guy was a long time native, told good stories, he said he’d towed or pulled cars from ditches along every mile of the road to Rawlins. Dropped me off at the grocery store. I realized that the bus doesn’t leave until about 1pm at the truck stop across town, so I went in and got some chow and a few donuts. Talked to a guy outside about the CDT. No other hikers around. Past the NOBO bubble, the SOBO bubble was really spread out at this point anyway. Walked through the same grungy areas of Rawlins as before, cut through the park like before, used the public restroom like before, and got to the truckstop like before. Snacked and waited.
Greyhound
The bus stank like the onboard bathroom. Driver didn’t seem to care about stowing my pack, pointy poles everywhere, etc. I’m OK with that.
Just a handful of people busy with their own affairs, sleeping, or on the phone. Bus people. The same kind of people you see on the 5am bus from Grants heading East. Some coughing. “I should have worn a mask”, I thought. More on this later.
Huge rolling sagebrush desert around. Powerlines. Spots of green where the water table is near the surface. Snow fences. Salt flats. Hills covered with pines instead of bare rocks.
Windmill farms. Billboards:
“Little America – A Place to Stay in Cheyenne”
Denver
Once I had Internet on my phone, I found the “Bustang” rural bus to Salida, and booked a ticket. I booked a room right downtown in Denver, not too far from the bus station. “The Fish Hostel”. 50 bucks. People, holy shit people. Denver had SO MANY PEOPLE. It was overwhelming. And the smells. Asphalt, diesel, fabric softener.
Stopped at a pricey street bar near the station, had a beer and some ‘street tacos’. Considered my next moves. Definitely non-trail mode, more like “Smokebeard goes to Prague for New Years in the 90s” kind of mode.
I checked in at the hostel, plenty of hipsters, played darts, drank beers, and tried to ignore the douche guy who thought Robert Plant was a guitar player. Naturally, someone in my room snored. I talked to a guy who lives here, volunteering, while looking for a job. Very Sal Paradise.
Next day, walked around. The city is sterile and upscale. Biking security guards. Cross between Aeon Flux and Metropolis. White people with laptop bags and skinny jeans riding e-scooters. A few shuffling bums. Walked around a bit, went to REI to shop around, got a coffee and charged my phone at a Starbucks.
In the afternoon, I made my way to the train/bus station. There were armed security at the tracks, and unarmed security moving people along downstairs. This poor lady was just looking for a place to sit.
Found the Salida bus, and stowed my pack. Talked with a girl who had just finished the PCT and was heading home. I think she did PART of the PCT, she was far too clean and not gaunt enough to have done the whole thing. Or she had excellent genetics.
Salida
Made it to Salida, walked through town and hit the Safeway. Got some chow for the night and next day; I’d be back in the morning for trail food anyway. Made it out to the edge of town to the hostel; apparently there was a cooler one in town somewhere, but of course I chose the wrong one. Settled in, showered, done for the night. Talked with a French woman from Tahiti who had just done the San Juans. What she had to say was inspiring.
I was excited to get back up to 12k and start hiking new trail again. The height of Colorado was going to be the 4th movement of the symphony.