CDT – Day 87 – South Pass City to Sage Field

7/20/15 Day 87 South Pass City to Sage Field M1774′

Tent – Nights Spent Alone: 10

21.5, 1598.6 Trip Miles

Partly Sunny then rain

Day’s of Snow: 8 – Day’s of Rain: 33 – Days of Hail: 16

# of Zero days: 10

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

Wolf

Buffalo

Critter Count

80 Pronghorn (75 from car)

11 Chipmunks

2 Deer (car)

2 Squirrel

1 Badger!!!!!!

Totals

1) 533 Pronghorn*

2) 383 Elk*7

3) 179 Chipmunks *5

4) 165 Deer*2

5) 130 Marmot*4

6) 120 Lizards*6

7) 116 Wild Horses

8) 53 Squirrels *9

9) 52 Pika

10) 46 Cotton Tail Rabbits *8

11) 46 Ground Squirrels

12) 30 Prairie Dogs

13) 22 Horny Toads

14) 17 Jack Rabbit*3

15) 12 Moose

16) 8 Snakes

17) 5 Coyotes

18) 5 Moles

19) 3 Porcupine

20)  2 Fox

21) 2 Rattle Snakes

22) 2 Toads

23) 1 Badger

24) 1 Mouse

25) 1 Skunk

26) 1 Weasel

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

I saw 1 stinking BADGER today! Only my second ever. I didn’t get as close today as I did the first time. I actually missed the trail when I was first starting and that’s why I saw the little bugger.

From this point forward my plan is to hike alone. That said I did camp with MIJ – (real name Natsuki from Japan). We hitched with him from Lander.

Today started in a sage field in Sinclair on a gas line and it’s ending in a sage field in Wind River Range. The only gas line here is my ass.

The hiking was very easy compared to Colorado. The lower elevations really help. My pack is heavy with food so the climbs still hurt. They always do. I did get rained on for the 33rd time in 87 days. Wettest trail of the Triple Crown.

Tonight I started the habit of cooking at 5:30 and then moving on to do more miles afterward. The goal being I won’t be cooking where I sleep. Hopefully less to no issues with bears.

I’m sleeping in a field so I hope the dew isn’t bad in the am. Tomorrow I’ll be sleeping up high as I’m taking the Cirque of Towers alternate. It’s a climb route so it’s going to be rocky and steep. It’s supposed to be beautiful.

Scatman

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Get out there!