August 22 – Day 56
3 Highlights:
- Hitch to town (in the back of a truck, no less!)
- Lunch: a mouthwatering steak salad
- Dinner with 10 fellow SOBOs at the brewery
Daily Summary:
- Distance hiked: 24 km
- Starting point: Close to Little Sweetwater River
- Ending point: Lander
- Weather conditions: Sunny
Daily Reflections (challenges, insights, musings):
Woke up feeling like I’d spent the night on a tilt-a-whirl—my tent was pitched at such an angle I kept sliding down. Not exactly the restful sleep I was hoping for. I also woke up late and started the day grumpy, realizing that my water filter was working at the speed of a snail and fallen trees were doing their best to trip me up.
After trudging through about 12 miles, we finally hit some dirt roads, and life got easier. Then, we managed to hitch a ride in the back of a truck carrying a tractor. The driver casually mentioned we could stay on until town, so we did. The 30-minute ride was windy and nerve-wracking, but hey, who needs safety when you’ve got adventure, right?
Town days are the best days. I treated myself to a steak salad and a cortado, and found a NOLS hotel room, which felt like a military bunkhouse—but infinitely better than last night’s slanted tent. Granite had to handle the key situation because apparently, I’m not very hands-on today.
Managed to do some shopping, laundry (though it took two tries—because apparently, I can’t tell the difference between a washer and a dryer), and even got in some accounting. Finished the evening with dinner at the brewery surrounded by a bunch of happy hikers. Everyone else was having a drink, but I stuck with a sip of wine and loaded up on a burger and Caesar salad.
To cap off this day of mishaps, I realized I’ve lost my toothbrush. Let’s just say, today was not my most graceful day on trail. Here’s hoping tomorrow brings fewer mistakes and better sleep.
