CDT – Day 119 – Base of Climb M2678.3 to Trail Side Ditch M2709

8/21/15 Day 119 – Base of Climb M2678.3 to Trail Side Ditch M2709, 6265′

Tent – Nights Spent Alone: 15

30.7, 2428.0 Trip Miles

Day’s of Snow: 9 – Day’s of Rain: 42 – Days of Hail: 19

6:00am to 8:14 pm

# of Zero days: 12

Gila Crossings Final Total: 221

Tick Count: 4 (4 more crawling on me)

Wanted List

Mountain Goat

Grizzly Bear

Sasquatch

Black Bear – SPOTTED

Bighorn Sheep

Velociraptor

Mountain Lion

Beaver – SPOTTED

Unicorn

Wolf

Buffalo

Critter Count

5 Cotton Tails

4 Chipmunks

3 Squirrels

Totals

1) 618 Pronghorn*

2) 448 Elk*7

3) 332Chipmunks *5

4) 188 Deer*2

5) 154 Marmot*4

6) 142 Squirrels *9

7) 120 Lizards*6

8) 116 Wild Horses

9) 76 Ground Squirrels*10

10) 69 Pika

11) 56 Cotton Tail Rabbits *8

12) 30 Prairie Dogs

13) 22 Horny Toads

14) 18 Jack Rabbit*3

15) 14 Moose

16) 9 Snakes

17) 5 Coyotes

18) 5 Moles

19) 4 Black Bears

20) 4 Porcupine

21) 3 Toads

22) 2 Mouse

23) 2 Fox

24) 2 Rattle Snakes

25) 1 Beaver

26) 1 Badger

27) 1 Skunk

28) 1 Weasel -Long Tail

*259 from car, *2 – 48 from car, *3 – 1 from car, *4 – 2 from car, *5 – 2 off trail, *6 – 1 off trail, *7 – 9 from car, *8 – 3 off trail *9 – 1 from car, *10 – 6 off trail

Another great night of sleep and no dew. I guess I was snoring this morning. Lott said it was like an old man.

We were up and going by 6 am and it was still dark. I used my head lamp the first ten minutes or so. Not far from camp we spooked something large off to our left. Unfortunately with the thick tree cover we didn’t see the critter.

We got to MacDonald Pass pretty fast and the first 5-10 minutes of hitching didn’t produce anything. Then a truck with a flat bed trailer blew by then pulled over. Lott said the guy looked right at him. I noticed the dog in the back. It was the same kind the guy who stopped in the van and gave us beers last night.

As I approached the truck the guy gets out and it is the guy from last night! His name was Allen. The dog was Remington. They gave us a ride right to the PO. The world works in mysterious ways.

Turns out I didn’t need to go to the PO. My shoes were on the other side of town at a Motel. We hit Albertsons then had lunch at Applebee’s. While sitting outside at Albertsons this female employee walked by on her way to smoke and told me I couldn’t sit there. The bitch thought I was homeless. I told her I was a shopper she kept walking. I was a bit offended. It’s sad that people are so quick to judge.

We had to walk almost 2 miles before getting picked up on our way to get my shoes. This girl in a pick-up gave us a ride. She drove so fast! It was a bit nerve racking for us as we’re already not used to cars. I had to hold on for the slightest turns she was going so fast.

Once to the pass it was three miles of sun and climbing. We got in the trees and things flattened out some. A wrong turn before dinner gave us a unexpected water source. After that it was dirt roads, fields and cows.

We set up just inside some trees next to a big field. A dirt biker went by as we set up. A bit later he came back. He stopped as I brushed my teeth. His buddy was hurt and he said he had to go. He stopped to see if we were more than just camping. I think he was hoping we had a truck or something. I hope the best for them both.

Scatman

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Get out there!