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Sep 18, 2017. Jackson Lake, WY
Found my bear spray! All is good again. But didn’t find it until this morning, so wouldn’t have helped last night when I stealth camped off the road, my food hung from a free nearby.
Up at around 8. No hurry, I want to cover the 23 miles to the Yellowstone Park South Entrance in two days, enter the park on the third. Of course, it is forecast to start snowing today around 5 PM and continue for several days…
Right now I’m at the Jackson Lake Lodge restaurant: white cheddar soup and roasted beet salad. Life is good! And my seat faces floor-to-ceiling windows with the Teton Range beyond, Jackson Lake in the foreground.
Right on schedule, it started to rain around 5. So cut off the hiway into the woods for the night. Rained all night, brief respite in morning.
Sep 19, 2017. Shoshone Lake, WY
Walked on road alongside Jackson Lake, entertained for awhile by four otters in the lake. But snow forced me to try hitching, and I did so, with a German couple who vacation in the U.S every year. They drove me to where the trail crossed the road to Grants Village, and off I went, about 5 miles on the official CDT, until I reached a campsite on Lake Shoshone.
Pitched my tent, and hoisted backpack on a bear pole. While doing so, a dead tree suddenly fell over less than 20 yards from me. Bad omen!
Sep 20, 2017. Yellowstone, WY
Tried following the trail, but it was obscured by snow. Also, several streams ahead were supposed to be wet crossings. So back I went to the road, and walked into Grants Village, where I hitched a ride with Lynn & Don Kazwell to West Yellowstone & the Days Inn (~ $250: And that was a good deal!)
Now at the Three Bears restaurant: 4 salad bar servings, 3 cups of soup.
Saw a bit of Yellowstone stuff.
2017 CDT Yellowstone 1.MOVSep 21, 2017
I'm outta here! Back home. Not sure when I will return for the rest of the CDT.
Jul 13, 2018. Palo Alto to Lynn Haerr's cabin, Livingston, WY
I'm back! After a gap of almost a year. Caltrain to Santa Clara, free shuttle to San Jose airport, Delta flight to Salt Lake City. Layover gave me a chance to watch part of Nadal-? Match. Then another Delta flight to Bozeman. Lynn Haerr met me at the airport, drove me to REI for fuel & bear spray; then dinner with son & girlfriend at the best steakhouse in town (I paid), and night on a cot outside her beautiful cabin, after meeting her four horses, 1 cow, and 2 cats (her dog was put down yesterday- after 14 years in the family). Nice start to the CDT!
Lynn and her cowboy friends
Downtown Livingston
Lynn's house, my tent beside
Jul 14, 2018. Yellowstone
A truly miserable day - and it’s not over. It started fine, with Lynn driving me to mile 1992, stopping on the way to see some Yellowstone goodies, and registering with the Backcountry Office at Grant’s on Yellowstone Lake. Then off I go, at around 11 AM, along the wrong trail, to Lewis Lake. Oops . I stupidly decided to cross country to the CDT, but gave up after a while because of all the blowdowns. Fell down hard on the way back to Lewis Lake, with lots of cuts. Mosquitoes are the worst I have ever encountered. Broke spray, then later lost it, when I discovered I no longer had my glasses. Finally got back to my starting point, at around 2 PM. REALLY tired. Pack is heavy, I am dragging, weaving from side to side, stopping every half hour to rest. Forded Summit Creek, getting wet up to my thighs, pitched my tent illegally in swampy grass next to Shoshone Lake. Now in tent, cow camping against all Yellowstone rules, covered with mosquito bites, and thousands of the critters on the other side of the mosquito net. Hoping they all just go away. Tomorrow is going to be a bitch. Did I mention that my IPhone now is displaying everything in a different color palette? And we have new condo guests and I have no way to let Betty know for at least two days? Not hungry: just two Swiss Miss chocolate drinks. Am I going to make it?
Mile 1970: 5 miles.
2018 CDT mosquitoes.MOVHow's this for mosquitoes?
July 15, 2018. Lake Shoshone, Yellowstone, WY
Campsite 8T1, on Lake Shoshone (supposed to be here yesterday evening).
Miserable days - mosquitoes really horrible. I wore my hat, my CDT scarf around my head, my CDT tube thingy around my neck, covering my mouth and nose. I must have looked like a cowboy from the Arabian desert. Only good news: felt a little stronger, and didn’t wear out as fast as yesterday. Trail OK but for two very wet stream crossings in one case up to my waist grabbing on to a tree - way too then to try balancing across on it. Breakfast of granola, dried cranberries and milk. Not great, but I really need to start eating.
Strange event: I woke up with piss in my sleeping bag and on my clothes- and with no memory of it happening.
Mile 2005. 8 miles
July 16, 2018. Yellowstone, WY
Started walking at 7, fewer breaks, backpack not as onerous.
Big improvement in every way. Mosquitoes still a huge pain, but managed to cadge a spray from a passing couple around midday, then Old Faithful Village. Had a cheeseburger and chocolate shake at the General Store, and OMG am anonymous person paid for my lunch (the waiter said he liked the fact that I looked like the only backpacker in the place). Bought two large mosquito sprays, and was able to phone Betty in time to meet the guests arriving today. Woo woo!
The CDT trail follows along the most popular footpath in Yellowstone, past lots of cool geysers and colorful pools. Even encountered a big old Bison beside the path, just grazing away and ignoring us tourists. Cowboy camping at around 6:30 PM - tomorrow I should be out of the park and into Idaho (about 15 miles from here).
One more thing: saw a really big worm-like thing on the trail. No idea what it was.
mile 2020, 15 miles
2018 CDT Bison Yellowstone.MOVGoogle Sites
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