CDT - Day 68 - Illinois Creek to Meadow M1915.7

7/1/15 Day 68, Illinois Creek M1892.9 to Meadow M1915.7 12,400′

Tent – Nights Spent Alone: 7

22.8, 1256.1 Trip Miles

Partly Sunny, Rain, thunder&lightening

Day’s of Snow: 7 – Day’s of Rain: 21 – Days of Hail: 12

# of Zero days: 6

6:36 am to 6:20 pm

Gila Crossings Final Total: 221

Tick Count: 4 (4 more crawling on me)

Wanted List

Mountain Goat

Grizzly Bear

Sasquatch

Black Bear

Bighorn Sheep

Velociraptor

Mountain Lion

Beaver

Unicorn

Critter Count

40 Elk

5 Marmot

4 Chipmunks

2 Pika

1 Squirrels

Totals

1) 530 Pronghorn*

2) 239 Elk

3) 121 Chipmunks

4) 119 Lizards

5) 116 Wild Horses

6) 76 Deer**

7) 47 Marmot****

8) 41 Squirrels

9) 40 Cotton Tail Rabbits

10) 35 Ground Squirrels

11) 30 Prairie Dogs

12) 22 Horny Roads

13) 17 Jack Rabbit***

14) 11 Pika

15) 11 Moose

16) 8 Snakes

17) 4 Coyotes

18) 5 Moles

19) 2 Fox

20) 2 Porcupine

21) 2 Rattle Snakes

22) 2 Toads

23) 1 Mouse

24) 1 Skunk

25) 1 Weasel

*181 from car, **3 from car, ***1 from car, ****2 from car

I got up and going quick today. After a short climb it was all downhill to Texas Creek. Along the way I ran into Focus. She was heading north.

After Texas Creek it was all up to Cottonwood Pass. The pass was full of cars and tourists. I hung out by some rocks and had my lunch. Like clock work weather moved in and I quickly packed up and put on the rain suit.

With in moments the hail started and I was hunched under my umbrella with Bessy (my pack). The woman I had just been talking to pulled up with her 16 year old son and offered for me to get in their truck. We waited out the storm, ate grapes and chatted.

The Gumps, Pop and Son showed up just after the storm. We debated the oncoming thunder heads and finally they decided to hitch to the alternate and I busted up the ridge.

I got rained on for about 5 minutes and then it was just a lot of wind and thunder. I worried the whole time I would have to bail off the ridge to the alternate.

Before heading over to the east side of the ridge I saw a large group of elk below me in a valley. They looked majestic.

Once to the east side of the ridge I felt much safer. I pushed on till around 5:30 and found a father and daughter doing the CT. I camped with them on a flat spot in a large bowl. There was zero cover and storms are threatening.

Scatman

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Get out there!