Lander to Dubois (8/12-8/19): 160 Miles
Knowing The Winds were going to be a top highlight on the trail, we agreed to 1) Be immersed in the mountains and skip a town stop that would have broken up this mileage 2) average 20 miles a day, taking it a little slower to enjoy it. We left Lander on Day 100 with 7 nights and 8 days ahead. We hadn’t done this long of a carry in quite some time, and actually, this is the longest carry both Ross and I had ever planned for: 160 miles.
While in Lander we purchased a smell proof bag for our food (Ursack) along with bear spray. Our routine of cooking at our camp was ending for the remainder of the trail, and paying more attention to our surroundings was about to begin. We were now in grizzly country.
Our plans of taking it nice and easy quickly changed as we got stuck in heavy rain the first few days. Our 20 miles per day were not being met, which meant we were already behind our intended mileage. In fact, we were on top of a (no named) pass when thunder and lightning seemed to shake our cores while being above 10,000’. We quickly hiked down, hid underneath a rock, got cold from waiting out the storm in our soaked clothes, changed into warm clothes and sat there for 2 hours. Rocks were falling down from the tips of the mountains with the sounds echoing in the valley. We needed to make a few more miles that day, but the rain hadn’t stopped. A smart hiker never gets their warm gear wet, no matter how cold they may be. We unwillingly put back on our soaking clothes, socks and shoes to continue on in the pouring rain.
The blue skies came out when it mattered. The Wind River Range showcased their beautiful, jagged and steep mountains to us and wow, what a view. Alpine lakes surrounded the trail, and we were lucky enough to take a swim in Summit Lake during lunch - water so cold it takes your breath away until you’re able to focus and control your breathing. I foraged on wild strawberries and raspberries, and we saw a bull moose grazing in a meadow near the Green River. We also reached the high point on CDT trail in WY: Lester Pass.
With 3 days of hiking left, we still had 81 miles. We hiked all day those last 3 days to have any chance to make it into town on time. We were running low on food, energy and motivation. We had heard of hikers having to use their bear spray in these miles due to a sow and her 2 cubs, so we dragged our poles on the ground and talked louder than usual to let them know we were around. Luckily no grizzly sightings.
Somehow, we made it into Dubois on time - hiking 27 miles before 4:30PM on 8/19 to get to the highway while we got one last dose of rain and hail. We stuck out our thumbs and got picked up within 30 minutes by the nicest folks.
The Winds were so amazing, but quite the challenge (mentally and physically) with having 6 out of 8 days of rain. I’ll be back to conquer you even more soon, Winds. You are a beautiful mountain range.
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