CDT mile 1583.5, miles hiked 29.2

Alpine Lakes dot the landscape as the CDT winds its way through the Wind River Range

Cheezy and I woke up in our tents to a little frost on the high alpine grasses and flowers.  I got out first to get our bear bags.  When I came back she had her tent down and was getting packed up out in the cold.  Being cold I lit my stove outside, put on some water, and crawled into my warm tent to pack up.

We started the climb up Lester Pass, the trail was good and we made quick time to the top.    We crossed right over and into the lake valley below not even realizing we just crossed the high point for Wyoming on the CDT.  From there on for the better half of the day, Cheezy and I would walk a series of lake basins more beautiful than any I have ever seen.  The boys had taken the Knapsack Col alternate but we stuck to the CDT because we have been having a hard enough time as it is.

The lakes today were stunners and I was blown away by their deep blue water and sweeping backdrops of granite cliffs and massive mountains.  The winds are amazing, they are every bit as rugged and beautiful as the Sierras without all the people.

After reaching Green River Pass, which we walked downhills too, we started our long descent to the Green River valley.  Right as we arrived at the junction with the Knapsack Col alternate we there was Buttercup and Maverick.  They said the route was intense and scary, lots of snow and ice, glad I passed.  They told us subtlety that they were going for another 15 miles, we told them we only planned to go a minimum of 25 and see what happened.  They headed out and we waited a few minutes to finish our break.  We played leap-frog with them the next few miles until they finally passed us while we were making dinner at 5:30.

We enjoyed our dinner except for the mosquitos, which are horrendous.  The only thing worse was the horse flies up on the lake basin today, all day long I was battling those bastards killing as many as I could.  Back to dinner, we wrapped up and got back to hiking at 6:15 we decided to hike 2 more hours and we did.

Granite Peaks are seen everywhere you look in the Wind River Range

We walked along the Green River named because of the glacial silt making it green.  The river eventually turned from rapid to a slow river and then into one of two Green Lakes.  I’m now at the north end of the first lake, we have water from one of the best springs yet in the trail.  The mosquitos are hell at least 35 are sitting in my mesh trying to get in.  It’s time for rest now, tomorrow brings us to Gunsight Pass and then the road walk around this damn forest fire we are hiking towards.

Green River Wyoming is fed by the snow melt and various glaciers found in the mountain range