I descended to the South Fork Williams Fork creek and started the long haul up the other side.  Near the top I caught up with Gaucho who was sitting on some rocks below me.  I tried to sneak up on him and do the growling-bear-scare game we have been playing, but he just calmly looked up and said “Hi TicTac!” I think he is immune to being scared now or he heard me. We went over the top of Ptarmigan Pass (11,781 feet) together.

Gaucho and I were going to have lunch together in Silverthorne, but we both took the same wrong turn at Angler Mountain trail.  I went cross country and recovered in about an hour, but he hiked all the way back up and ended up getting far behind me.  Fortunately we had cell service so he told me to just go ahead without him.

I stayed at the Quality Inn and he stayed in the Luxury Inn right next door.  We ate dinner together at Bamboo Gardens restaurant. Gaucho is planning on taking the bus into Denver tomorrow to spend some time with an old friend he met on the PCT.  I’m afraid I may not see him again after this which makes me sad.