July 19
Mileage 24
1341.5 miles hiked

The condensation on my tent freezes in the night, and when I wake up to pee it’s a sheet of solid ice. Oh. Cold weather in the mountains comes early, and fall is on its way. I guess this is a good reminder. I need to start to feel better, so that I can hike!

I slept incredible. The best night’s sleep I’ve had in weeks. I think the giardia/e-coli was messing with my sleep, because I don’t remember the last time I went under this hard, or had any dreams. I had dreams!

The sun comes up over the grassy hills and warms us while we eat breakfast, melting the ice on our tents and turning the fabric sodden and heavy. It’s a good day to be alive.

There’s lots of climbing today, per usual, but I don’t mind. I’m starting to feel like myself again. Not so grumpy and drained. I’m glad to be here and hiking seems like a fun thing to do. And nature! I’m in nature!

We take lots of long breaks, make hot cocoa from the fancy hot chocolate I got in bulk in Missoula. We’re up on the grassy ridge of the divide and water sources are far apart- a mucky stream here, a small lake covered in bright green pollen. By the time we reach out last water source before a 13 mile dry stretch, I’m beat. It takes us a half-hour of poking around in the cow parsnip on a slope bright with wildflowers before we find a spot with enough of a trickle to fill our bottles, and then I’m ready to camp. Only 24 miles, but whatever. Time to get in my glorious sleeping bag.

Soon we’ll be in Yellowstone!

Photos on instagram