Friday, October 13, 2023
Miles: 22.67
Elevation gain/loss: 1299’/1093′
After forcing myself to sleep/nap until 7:30am, I mostly managed to relax at the hotel until check-out, leaving around 10:45am. Within the first few hours, I ran into Soul Slosher, Butcher, and Wonder. I hung out chatting with them for a while, and then headed back out.
I stopped for a lovely dinner of Fillo’s tamales and fritos at a beautiful lake full of birds (with some cows in the distance). The sky was beautiful, even if there were a fair number of non-biting midges around. I then kept pushing forward, arriving at a moderately front country trailhead around 7:15pm. I’d thought of stopping earlier but the trail was entirely dirt road and it turns out it’s hunting season and a Friday, so there were a lot of people out and about. I didn’t want to camp where I’d be bothered, or in someone’s way.
I found a spot back aways behind a camper and the camper’s owner Josh invited me to camp around his site. I was glad to find a friendly spot where I wouldn’t have to worry about late night campers trying to park where I was sleeping. I also had good cell service for most of my day and that was a real treat!
Transcending Mountains 