Total Mileage: 265.9
I was cold and wet all night so I wasn’t able to get good sleep. I struggled to get packed up and moving, but finally did at 7am. A late start for me but that’s how it goes sometimes.
Because I wasn’t able to get close to 40 miles the previous day, I knew I wouldn’t make it to South Pass City before they closed the gift shop at 5pm on Thursday. I decided to do the alternate routes through the Wind River Range and hit Knapsack Col and Cirque of the Towers. My pace would be slowed by the terrain but I would get some really good views and some good technical hiking in.
Leading up to Knapsack was awesome with beautiful lakes and twisting, exposed trails. I did the CDT redline last year so I was happy to do these alternates even though my pace would be slowed. Arriving on top of Knapsack at 6pm, I had a sketchy scree field to navigate down to Glacier and into Titcomb Basin where I camped for the night. I was satisfied with 29.8 miles for the day.
On the trail at 5am the next morning, I made my way back to the CDT and to the Cirque of the Towers alternate by the end of the day.
The next morning the clouds spit rain on occasion and I pushed hard, up and over Texas Pass and Jackass Pass. Saw a weekend hiker with the most lopsided, enormous pack I think I’ve ever seen. I asked him if he bought one of everything at REI before this trip. A lot of weekend hikers in this section that I had to pass, “excuse me,” “right behind you” until making it back to the CDT and through some blow-downs. I finished late with 38.2 miles leaving 11.5 miles on the table to South Pass City and my next resupply.
Arriving there just before 9am, I took just over an hour and got back on the trail wanting to do 35 miles out from 10:30am. The Basin is completely exposed desert so I was able to cruise and finish with 46.5 miles.
The next day a 50 and 32.9 after that to arrive in Rawlins by 4:30 on Sunday. Hotel, Walmart, good sleep and I was at the post office and heading out of Rawlins by 11am. Met a mechanical engineer named Mountain Goat and we hiked out of Rawlins together. Cowboy camped off the side of the road.
It felt good to almost be in Colorado!
