Most of today was along gently sloping forested ridges with glimpses of the Colorado mountains further south. I passed a trailhead named “Deep Jack” and shortly after encountered my first bow hunters of the season.
The trail climbed over the top of Bridger Peak at 10,800 feet followed by a long gradual descent to Highway 70. I finished the 17 miles to the road where I tried to hitch into the small town of Encampment. After 30 minutes with no luck and only 3 cars going by, I called Dana at the Whispering Winds bed and breakfast. I told him if he picked me up I would stay there and he said Ok and was there in a half hour.
Dana was wearing a tie dye shirt and reminded me a little of Otto on that Alaska show. I immediately liked him and we talked the whole way back to town – mostly about how he built the log cabin B&B I was going to stay in.
The building was beautiful – he truly is a craftsman. The B&B consists of two stories with a hardwood floor, 4 guest bedrooms, a huge two story fireplace and loft, knotty pine ceilings, and a custom staircase made from trunks and branches. The kitchen was modern and I could eat anything I found. The fridge had bacon, eggs, yogurt, orange juice, etc. The laundry had a washer and dryer for my laundry. And best of all, I was the only person staying tonight so I had the entire place to myself. Dana and his wife live elsewhere so I truly had the run of the place. And my bed was the most comfortable I’ve slept on for the entire trip. I am truly grateful for their trust with such a nice place and I will take care of it like it was my own.
There are no resupply stores in Encampment, but there is a gas station/convenience store in the town of Riverside a couple miles away. I made the trip down there and loaded up with a few snacks and Diet Pepsi’s of course. I also learned that Gaucho was staying in Riverside at the Lazy Acres campground. We agreed to meet for dinner at the Bear Trap Cafe across the street from the campground, so I made the two mile trip again just before dark. Damn I hate walking when I’m in town! Gaucho was late so I went ahead and ordered and ate. Just before I was ready to give up he came in. I guess he had been waiting for me outside! <sigh>. Soon another thru hiker named Driver joined us. Driver is a younger guy and the three of us had a good time exchanging stories.
It was getting late and the cafe was going to close so it was time to return to my room. I hadn’t thought to bring along my headlight so the trip home was in the dark. And I mean pitch black. The section of highway between Riverside and Encampment has no street lights and runs through some large, empty fields. I had a hard time seeing where the edge of the road was and kept tripping. Once I got to Encampment I had to use my cell phone light to read the street signs to know where to turn to get back to the B&B. Even so I ended up walking up the wrong driveway to the neighbor’s cabin before realizing my mistake.