Timeline

Damn, it’s cold. Colder than I expected.

And look, there’s condensation on the inside of tent. A lot.

The sun has risen.

I’m not feeling so peppy.

My host used to be the Mayor of this town. I ask, and he talks about what motivated him to be involved in the political goings on.

I wonder if I could ever do that.

Roosevelt Lake is in view as I start a steep descent off the Four Peaks. There’s a sound of a large diesel truck, but no road. Maybe a plane?

Oh, it’s the dam. The Roosevelt Dam. There’s a bridge that crosses the waterway, the damn, and presumably beyond that, the marina. I read that there’s a bar.

Once I get up, I have to face the reality of wrapping up wet gear.

I can already feel the mist in the air, mist from a day that’s likely never going to show the sun.

I start to set up my tent, but I stop to take a photo of the sunset. Several times.

Ok. Back to the tent.

The new sleep system worked well.

I’m up relatively early, packed up, and some section hikers walk by. They’re coming off a 4 day trip, and one of them only cowboy camps.

The hot breakfast is amazing. For each day I’m at the hotel, I gorge myself on eggs, omelettes, and sausage.

After checking out, I sit in the lobby waiting for my packages to arrive. Two from Amazon, one from REI.

I walk into Walgreens, looking quite disheveled. The manager walks up from behind me and says hello, presumedly to get a good look at me.

Satisfied, he nods, and walks away.

Dropped off at the highway, I say goodbye to my trail buddies, and cross the road to get a hitch.

It begins: the various attempts to entice passers-by to pick me up.