August 4
Mileage: 17
1691 miles hiked

There’s a woman staying at Kitt’s house named Virginia- she’s visiting her sister, who works at NOLS, en route to adventures on the west coast. Virginia offers to drive us, and Buck-30 as well, back to the trail today. This is incredible, as the hitch between Lander and the CDT is known to be super hard. Around midday, after we’ve done all our last-minute errands and eaten a final burger, she packs us all into her little car for the drive. Thank you Virginia!!

Wyoming’s great divide basin is big, and flat, and open, and bright, and a gentle breeze is blowing so the afternoon is not too hot. The air smells of sagebrush and herds of antelope stream across the plains before us. The trail is almost entirely on soft jeep trails. I am stoked.

After seventeen miles we reach the Little Sweetwater River, which winds through a sagebrush ravine, and sit on its banks, eating our dinners. Spark makes nacho soup, a brilliant concoction of instant refried beans, olive oil, chips and melted cheese. Track Meat has packed out a pulled pork sandwich. I eat chips and jerky and rehydrated kale. The light grows dim and the mosquitos come out.

It’s good to be in the nature again.

Photos on instagram