CDT, Day 9 — July 11 — 18.1 miles
I wasn’t fully warm last night, but not exactly cold either.
John and I started hiking at 7 a.m. The trail continued north, gaining and losing 200-400 feet of elevation at a time. At times we had grand views to the east of North Park.
Our immediate destination was the east shoulder of Lost Ranger Peak (see photo) about 6 miles on the day. From there, the CDT descended quickly at first, then gradually climbed to a braid saddle. The trail then turned west and headed downhill for a mile to North Lake, where we ate lunch.
Well fed, we continued downhill for 4 miles through forest to the North Lake trailhead. From there we did some road- and trail-walking to the Middle Fork of the Elk River. About 25 deadfalls marred the 1.3-mile long section.
At the river, tourist BJ filtered water for us and let us peruse her book of Wyoming road maps. John is concerned that we won’t be able to reach Battle Pass by noon on Tuesday. We discussed possible route alterations. After the river, we road- and trail-walked 2 miles up the North Fork of the Elk River and found a campsite between the river and the trail.
I feel that I’m getting stronger at last.
