The Dago Diaries

Miles hiked 0

A very cool antler archway in town

I woke up with a hangover, it happens when a bunch of hikers and grand American bikers hit the rustic pine bar and decide to shit the place down.  Buttercup and I tied one good since we knew it would probably be our last time swilling beers together until we meet again in Portland.  He took a different route through the fire and is now 28 miles ahead, given his pace and line it means the fellowship is over and we will be hiking without each other unless I catch him up the line somewhere.

Once I finally got going I made my to-do list for the day, grabbed my pack and headed the mile into town to knock out chores.  I hit the library and worked on permits for Yellowstone, ran to the outfitter and the grocery store for food, by 1 pm I was in my way back to the hotel to relax, and treat my clothes with permethrin for the bugs.  Luckily Pat and the crew at Sawyer just sent some Permethrin so Cheezy and I can treat our clothes and hopefully be done with the damn horse flies.

The rustic pine tavern has some awesome mounts

I sat by the river and enjoyed some peace and quiet, I drank and beer and just enjoyed life for a bit.  My nerves were a bit fried from the fire so having time to turn the brain off was nice.

World’s largest jackalope you bet. your butt I rode it

I spent most of the afternoon relaxing, I sorted some food and called home.  At 7 I walked back to town to get an ace bandage for my ankle, I had a rock hit it in the Winds and it has been swollen and very sore since.  I rounded things out with a muscle dinner at the bistro and trip to the jackalope travel center for some photo fun and a souvenir.

Classic entrance to the laundromat

I saw the boys and then went back to the hotel to get some rest so I would be fresh for the trail in the morning.

CDT mile 1625.5, Miles hiked 15

Smoke does make for cool light in the morning

When my alarm went off I rolled over and slept for an extra 20 minutes.  The fear of the fire had me up most of the night and I needed a few more zzz’ before walking.  Cheezy and I packed up and could see the smoke in the valley away from us.  We loaded up water and started into the unknown.  Would there be water, had the fire moved towards us, would the trails we needed exist, what had happened to the boys?  So many questions we couldn’t answer so we did the only thing in our power, we walked towards Dubois on the path we had chosen.

The trail was a nice old dirt road, to our surprise, it was marked and well maintained, thanks, ATV riders.  We walked up and down the gentle hills and through large meadows and some forest.  We could smell the smoke and the air was thick making it feel like we were smoking while hiking. The trail eventually lead us to moon lake.  It was a nice like tucked into the mountains.  We had a snack, loaded up water and then set off again.

The trail climbed up a steep hill to Salt Barrel Park.  As we climbed the mountains we could see earlier disappeared into the smokey haze.  We reached the top and couldn’t believe how bad the fires were.  Luckily I was able to get a cell signal and download the map we were missing for the last road to Dubois.

We got on the road and walked by a series of radio towers.  We could see Dubois off in the distance the town was closer than we thought so we started down our steep descent.  In the next few miles, we would drop from 10,000′ to 6,900′. With each minute we got closer the smoke got worse I swear that fire was moving towards us yet we couldn’t see it. Eventually about a mile or two before town we descended into Lime Kiln Gulch.  A broken gate read no trespassing but seeing how this was the only way to town, we said “screw it” and walked on through.  The road took us deep into the gulch that looked liked it belonged in New Mexico with red rock and all.

Red rock canyons are always a treat

After going through a few more gates we saw the cars moving through town and one person walking our way, “is that my Johnny?” Cheezy asked.  Soon we saw it was, I took her hiking poles and she ran towards him, they embraced and the joy of their reunion was very moving.  Johnny said hello and produced an ice cold soda from his pack for me.  The three of us headed to town and grabbed a bite at the cowboy cafe.

Reunited at last

Due to the fires, every hotel in town I was booked solid and the prices were sky high.  Johnny had been staying about a mile from town at the Chinook Winds I called and scored the last room available for a coupled of nights.  The boys arrived and shared their story of the fire.

The three of them had walked the closed road and Soju had fallen behind. The police eventually picked him up and dove him to the evac camping area where Maverick and Buttercup were.  They spent the night a half mile from the fire with the locals who had been evacuated.  When they woke up the walked the road to the CDT at the pass.  The fire was right there and they were quickly picked up and dropped off at the cafe.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, and resting.  All of us were a bit shot from the last two days of fire walking and all we wanted was some good food and rest.  The town of Dubois is smokey but there are still lots of tourist and 600+ men and women here helping fight the fires.

CDT mile 1610.5, miles hiked ~27

Green Lakes Valley the northern end of the Wind River Range

We awoke this morning knowing our first task was to get to the green lakes camp and talk to the camp host about the current fire conditions.  All night we could smell the smoke and when we’re getting ready to leave you could see it already settling into the valley.

We arrived at the camp hosts trailer and knocked on the door, a nice older lady came out and told us she expected us after seeing buttercup, maverick and soju yesterday.  She invited us in, made us coffee and updated us on what she knew.  The trail was still closed, the fire had grown and yesterday they had pilot cars taking people through the smoke on the highway we needed.  Her husband let us take pictures of some maps so we had a better idea of bailouts and then we headed out.

An old homestead in Green Lakes, this area was home to trappers and Mountain Men back in the day.

We next had to climb Gunsight Pass, it was warm today and when we looked back we couldn’t see the mountain because of so much smoke from fires.  Halfway up we took a break and drank some water.  We talked about the fires and all of the options but decided to get to Union pass road and see what the story was.

When we reached Gunsight Pass there was a group of ATV riders above us, I went up to see if I could get a cell signal, but no dice.  They gave us the scoop on the fires.  The first one had blown up and two more had started.  They also said Union Pass Road was closed and had been evacuated.  Luckily though they knew the area so we got out our maps and they gave us an alternate route to take.

Plumes of smoke could be seen from Gunsight Pass, the Lava Mountain Fire was a massive fire in 2016 and affected the area until the snows arrived in September.

We ate lunch and then headed down to Union Pass Road.  The miles were slow today we never seemed to make good time and when we arrived at the trailhead we saw the latest forest service info and the official reroute.  The problem was we don’t have enough food for the offices reroute so we stuck to our plan and headed to the route we had made.

We arrived at the road closed barrier and right as we walked past it a US Forest Service truck pulled up and asked if we hadn’t seen their posting.  We explained we had seen the reroute but were low on food and had a plan to get to Dubois on foot. She told us that she had seen the 3 boys and they had the same plan.  She couldn’t give us permission to go but she said we had a decent plan but to be careful and travel fast.

Off we hiked closer and closer to the fire and the billowing smoke.  Every instinct says run away but we keep telling ourselves move forward and stick to the plan.  After dinner, we kept on trucking to the alternate we had made and finally turned into the first of three old roads to take us to Dubois.  As day turned to night we found a small stream and a meadow with no trees to camp in.

We can see the fires glow from where we are and smell the acrid smoke.  Our emergency plan if a fire comes our way is to grab our rescue beacons and go sit in the marsh behind us and wait for help.  Hopefully, we can walk the remaining miles to town and enjoy a nice zero after all the stress of the fires.

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

CDT mile 1554.3, Miles hiked 24.4

Cheezy working hard to keep her feet dey

When we woke up I went and got our food bags and we started to eat and break down camp.  “So we going with the plan from yesterday?” Maverick asked.
“Which one?” Cheezy said
“Just hike in two teams of two and we’ll see where we end up” he replied
“Fine with me let’s just say if all else fails we regroup in Dubois” I chimed in.
So it was decided Buttercup and Maverick would hike together and cheesy and I would hike as a team.  We let them get ahead so we could hike at our own pace and do our own thing.  It felt great knowing we could take breaks when we wanted, go our own pace and not feel like we were holding people up somewhere.

A swimming hole worthy of a dip on a warm summer day

We met a group of hikers from a church group in the upper Midwest, they were really nice and had been in the winds since the 3rd of July, they told us of the other hikers they had met and we chatted a bit.  As we hiked in a voice from behind me said “Allgood!” I spun around and there stood Popeye, I hadn’t seen him since Cuba, NM he told me that he and everyone else has been trying to catch us, but we are too fast.

He hiked with us and caught us up on the trail gossip, told us who was close by, who had gone home and who was trying to catch us.  Now I can only imagine some are trying to catch us to prove they are faster, others for our company.  Either way, seeing Popeye for a few hours really lifted my spirits.  He might have a stress fracture so he was bailing at Pinedale to see a doctor but before we parted ways he hooked us up with extra snacks and food.

Tommy Lake was a wonderful camp spot

We saw Buttercup and Maverick throughout the day, they would race ahead and then we would find them fishing.  At our set cook time of 5:30 we found them at a set of lakes fishing, we sat and cooked and had dinner and then while they were still at it we headed out.

We started the climb up to Lester Pass and we decided to stop short at Tommy lake and tackle the final climb in the morning.  We came up and there was a stunning lake with giant mountains behind it.  We found a flat spot high above the lake, set up our tents and walked down to the lake to enjoy some lake views and wash the dirt and salt off our stinky bodies.  Many folks don’t know this but salt left on the skin makes it hard for your body to thermoregulate, so getting clean helps keep you warmer at night.

We climbed back to camp and we got ready to crawl in our tents and away from the mosquitos the boys came hiking by, we offered them to join us but they said they were pushing on 3 more miles, “see ya in Dubois” we said and off they went.  Cheezy and I chatted between our tents before falling asleep for the night.

CDT mile 1529.9, miles hiked 19.2

The group at North Lake

Everyone tells you that if you hike the CDT you have to do the Cirque of the Towers alternate in the Winds.  The Cirque of the Towers is a large glacial cirque with some of the most stunning sheer granite walls and peaks you have ever seen.  To get there we started our day walking along temple lake where we had camped the previous evening.  These lakes were long and deep, the far shore was a sheer granite wall so we felt like we were in a canyon more than mountains.

The Cirque of the Towers

The boys got a bit ahead hit stopped for some morning business so Cheezy and I kept going and told them to catch us.  We took a break below Jack Ass Pass at North Lake, we decided to split into pairs since maverick and buttercup are faster uphill, so we agreed to meet later at a spot past where the CDT and the alternate reconnected.

As Cheezy and I climbed up we first ran in to Larry a 70-year-old guy who had stated the CDT in April but had to get off so is now hiking sections.  Cheesy had met him in Lordsburg the day before she started.  A half mile later and we meet two guys who hiked the CDT with Pod and Disco, they gave us the tip to take the climbers route and avoid jack ass pass as it was less elevation and easier.  We took their advice and enjoyed a climb around a lake and a small Boulder scramble to the cirque.

yup it was worth it

Holy cow! We were both in awe when we reached the pass and got our first glimpse of the cirque.  It was every bit as stunning as described and even though the route was kicking my butt I was so happy to be there.  We worked our way down the valley to the lake and then climbed Texas pass.  The pass was a bit confusing but we made our way up.  The last part was over boulders and for some reason I wasn’t on my game and down I went.
Now last year I did the sierra high route and I spend plenty of time on talus at home but for some reason my head was in the clouds and down I went.  My knees looked like kid who wiped out on his bike, raw and bleeding.  Cheesy and I stopped at the top of the pass and did some first aid and then descend the crappy loose scree to Texas Lake below.

We walked along the lake shores and then  took a break by a creek.  We were moving slow because of the terrain and we felt under the gun to catch the boys so we could cook dinner and then hike to camp.

Camp amongst the boulders

We eventually made it to the CDT and started up our last climb of the day.  We found the boys at the lake they were bummed because they had gotten skunked fishing.  We cooked dinner and then had a talk about the rest of the time in the winds.  Cheezy and I love hiking with Buttercup and Maverick but the thing is we only really see them at breaks or at camp.  So we talked about what to do so no one feels stressed.  So tomorrow we will each shoot for 25 miles and if we make camp together great, if not no worries.  Worst case scenario well regroup in Dubois next week.  Not ideal but what needs to be done, Cheezy has told me repeatedly that I should hike with her and Johnny when he arrives so I might be the third wheel but better than hiking alone I guess.

a little late night snack, fresh brook trout

CDT mile 1534.7, miles hiked 24

Our first glimpse of the Winds

The day began with us trying our new routine for bear country.  Wake up, pack what you can, go outside and get the ursack, cook away from our tents and finish packing.  It went ok but we need to improve our time, it will happen with practice.  The trail started out through some more sage and high desert.  The boys got a little ahead and Cheezy and I caught them by a creek.  I took a minute to marvel at how dusty it was, I am like the trail version of pig pen most days.

The lake the boys first fished

The trail finally started to climb up from the desert and into the winds.  At the top of the climb, we had a junction that we missed the leads to the Cirque de Towers alternate we are taking.  After noticing our folly Cheezy and I doubled back and found our trail.  The trail started out pretty crappy and we were soon lost.  We decided to contour around to the trail and 15 minutes later we were cliffed out, so we again backtracked and finally found the trail.

When we arrived at what was supposed to be a lake we found a field of grass and a small flow of water.  Being wiped out we stopped for 30 minutes ate some food and dried our tents and sleeping bags.  We continued on and at the next lake found Maverick and Buttercup cooking trout they had caught.  As we ate the delicious fish the sky opened and thunder lightning and wind came down. We set up maverick’s tent and all climbed into wait out the storm.

A sunset like none other

After it cleared we hiked trough and amazing valley of granite walls and lush vegetation then climbed up to a lake where we made dinner.  After dinner was done we rallied and decided to hike the two miles over a pass and to the next lake.  The climb went quickly and when we crested the pass we were rewarded with the most spectacular sunset.

Temple Lake below