CDT, Day 12 — July 14 — 8.3 miles
Last night, I awoke to a scream. Then another and a dozen more. I wondered if a predator had snagged a feeble elk. Finally the screaming ended.
I hit the trail at 5:45 a.m. and walked through forests and wet meadows for 3.7 miles to Battle Pass. When I arrived at 7:30, no people and no traffic on Wyoming Highway 70. But finally, at 9:39, a friendly local fellow gave me a lift to Riverside 14 miles east. A nice little town with the Lazy Acres RV Park, where got a shower and washed my clothes in the bathroom sink.
CDT section hiker Golden Ray arrived and we ate lunch together at the restaurant across the street. Afterward, I walked down to the Carbon County Visitor Center and sat in the shade of an apple tree waiting for Elisabeth to pick me up. Golden Ray walked a mile to the post office to pick up a food box, while I waited for Elisabeth to arrive with my food box and cookies from Betsy. We picked up Golden Ray on our way out of town.
We found John waiting at Battle Pass, and he and Elisabeth drove back to Saratoga. I headed north on the CDT on the highway, then on an ATV track to Bridger Peak. Dark clouds to the west (see photo) prompted me to camp in a grove of trees west of the peak. I enjoyed my day in town and am happy to be back on the trail.
