Blowing in the wind: Encampment to Rawlins, WY (Mile:1,546 - 1,629)

September 18th to September 22nd

Day 1: The owner of the bed and breakfast was extremely nice and gave me a ride back up to the pass this morning. I got on the trail about 11:30am. It was a beautiful 70 degree day. For once I didn’t see a single person the whole day. Most of the trail today had been on forest roads, but I did pass over Bridger Peak. It’s not really anything significant other an it’s named after the mountain man Jim Bridger. I started thinking what this area would of been like in the fur trade and imagined the land before the forest roads when it was the edge of the known world. It’s crazy to think how that would of been 179-200 years ago. I continued on and on the horizon I can see the Great Basin in just a day or two I’ll be coming off the mountains and entering back into the desert. Part of me welcomes the flat ground, but I’ve been spoiled with all these mountain streams. It’s going to be different drinking out of cattle troughs again. I did about 12 miles today and made camp along a nice stream. There was some flat ground and the water is calmly trickling over the rocks. It’s becoming one of my favorite sounds to fall asleep too, between the water and the wind. As I lay here the sound of elk bugling off in the distance is echoing through the forest off. I’m 99 percent certain that it’s not hunters with their elk calls.

Day 2: All night the elk bugled I even woke up at 2:04am to one bugling. It’s such a wild sound that just makes my spirit soar each time I hear it. This morning I walked through the forest for the last time for a few weeks. I came across a hunting sitting against a tree on the ground beside the trail. He said he hadn’t seen anything. I told him they were bugling all last night. By 9:30am I was out of the woods and entering into rolling sage brush covered hills. The wind was extremely rough around 50-60mph knocking me around. The Basin is just so exposed there is no way around it. I’m not exactly sure where the Basin officially starts, but since I’m in a never ending desert I’m assuming I’ve entered it. At noon I ate a peanut butter and honey sand which for lunch behind some of the last clusters of trees. They blocked out most of the wind, but it was still windy. I pushed on and the trail turned onto a paved road. Every 20 minutes or so a car might pass, but for the most part it was one of those desolate desert roads that seem to go on forever. Towards the end of the day I filled up water at the last water source before camp. The North Fork Savory Creek is a beautiful clear creek that flows through the dry sage brush hills. By that time I had 3 more miles to camp and along the way I saw 8 mule deer prancing along the prairie all in a line. The does were first and the buck brought up the rear. Not to much farther and I came across 10 antelope. I have a feeling I’m gonna enjoy the Basin with the gorgeous sunsets and the deer and the antelope running around.

Day 3: All the stars were out last night it was amazing. You could see the cloudy parts of the Milky Way. A few coyotes were howling too as a lightning storm was happening way off in the distance. I woke up this morning and the wind picked back up. I got on the road and realized it may never end. I walked down the same road all day as it went over and down the mesas. I didn’t see any wildlife except a few snakes sunning on the road. It wasn’t until the evening that I saw a few antelope and mule deer running across the rolling hills. I did 23.4 miles today, the most I’ve done in a day since getting back on the trail. As I lay here an elk is bugling upon the platoe above me.

Day 4: I woke up with a thin layer of frost on my tent, last night was pretty cold. I got back on the never ending road and saw a bunch of deer staring down at me from on the ridge. When I’d pass they would run further down on the ridge and I’d see their heads peak over again. I continued on walking and startled some antelope that ran down through the fields. I was making good timing by noon I already had 11 miles in. I finally got off the road and did about 3 miles across the desert. There wasn’t much of a trail, but I was glad to be off the road a bit. I came across a few more antelope and then hopped back on an overgrown jeep track. By 4:00pm I had done 20 miles and had arrived at my camp. I hadn’t seen a single good water source along the way, only salt covered lakes. The two lakes by my camp were all dried up leaving only the salt deposits. Luckily there was a single camper parked on the side of the road. I set my pack down and grabbed my water bottles and went to go knock on the door. The guy opened it and I started to say “Sorry to bother you, but..” when he asked me “You need water?” I said “yes” and he gave me a whole gallon and asked if that was enough. I told him that was plenty then he said he had half a pizza he warmed up if I wanted some. We introduced ourselves and his name was John. He was working construction as a heavy equipment operator. I thanked him and with full arms walked back over to the little pavilion I was going to camp by. Later in the evening as I was setting up my tent John came over on his four wheeler and gave me some fruit and some trail mix. We chatted for about an hour before he went back to his camper. I was extremely thankful for the hospitality! Tomorrow I’ll be in Rawlins where I can get a hot meal and a shower.

Day 5: I got on the trail and kept running into antelope. A few of them started snorting at me from the hilltops. It was only 8 miles to town and I arrived just in time to grab some lunch. The next stop is Atlantic City where from there I will push on into the Wind River Range.