Every day is so … fraught! Where to begin. I raced to grab my phone and watch from the proprietors at 6:30 a.m. – they were charging them overnight – only to find neither device had charged! After a lot of head-scratching, we realized my knock-off Apple charging cord was bad.
One of the ladies from last night gave me hers, and her friend offered me her battery in case it was both my cord and battery. I took the cord, but decided I was pretty confident my battery was fine.
After a hearty breakfast, the ladies took off for a hike and the other guest went fishing. I hung around for a while to get my phone up to 80% charged. Then the proprietor offered to drive me to the trailhead. Everyone has been so kind!
Starting Off in Error
I hiked back up the trail and immediately went astray. I didn’t see the sign pointing to the CDT cleaving off on my left; I’d thought it veered off farther ahead. So I lost even more time.
Once I got on track, I finally saw the beauty of The Winds that everyone had been raving about. After a long, steep climb, the trail wound past several beautiful lakes, ringed by the mountains.
Lots of people were out and about, hiking, fishing and heading for the famous Cirque of the Towers. After enjoying a great lunch packed by Big Sandy Lodge, I hunkered down for the huge climb ahead.
One Step at a Time
I knew I had a big climb ahead of me, and I was mentally prepared. But just before the climb began, it began to rain and hail. And then I had to wade through a calf-high creek, soaking my feet.
Luckily, the rain/hail was short-lived. So then I began the uphill grind. I passed a few 
hikers, then a large group, mainly women thru-hikers. They gave me the names of some Trail Angels who might be able to shuttle me to Pinedale.
Earlier in the day, two hikers told me the forecast was fine for tomorrow (Thursday), but rain would begin on Friday and continue through Saturday. So I’ve decided to get off the trail a few miles earlier than planned, in the hopes of avoiding most of the Friday rain.
An Unknown Future
The trailhead I had originally planned to get off at, Elkhart Park, is very popular and just 15 miles (24.1 km) from Pinedale. That’s where most hikers go. I’m getting off at Boulder Lake, which is farther from Pinedale. I sure hope someone is willing to come get me!
Snowshoe
Today’s Miles: 11.7 (18.8 km)
CDT Miles to Date: 1,347.7 (2,168.9 km)
CDT Miles to Go: 1,752.3 (2,820.1 km)
