Started a bit late as we were hoping rain would let up, but eventually just got hiking. Last night and much of today, the undergrowth has been amazing. Grasses waist deep, with flowers in a riot of colours. The only minor downside is that we have to wade through them sometimes, and they really obscure the trail!
Near lunch we met a northbound CDT hiker named Handlebar. He has a giant white beard, and he gave us a bunch of positive trail beta for Yellowstone and the Winds. So things are looking good for us!
After lunch the trail got a bit vague, with lots of cross country travel through the lush grasses. I was rarely where I was supposed to be, but I found the right ridge to hike up around dinner. I was able to get great views of the Tetons (a famously excellent climbing/hiking area). They look huge even from far away. I’m somewhat sad the trail doesn’t go through there. I believe we go through the Winds instead, so that’s some consolation!
We ended up high on the divide with nowhere to camp, so we ended up hiking later than intended and settled for pretty marginal camping. Here’s hoping for quiet weather tonight…
Daily Summary
Date: Aug 9, 2011
Day 46
Daily Distance: 25.7 miles
Trip Distance: 846.7 miles