August 5th 2015

August  5th 2015

I need to get ahead on my journaling.  I'm laying in my tent cold and tired without much imagination right now.  Looks like I'll have to finish this tomorrow.

I'm back. 

I packed up from the Koa and headed to a diner with a dozen pickup trucks out front for breakfast, it was tasty. Subway for sub and the outfitter for some antibearbag rope and new socks.  I met up with reststop  and focus to use their shower and spent some time at the laundry mat for some self cleaning. It was great to finally catch reststop and now I have someone to hike with in grizzly country.

We headed to the end of town and hitched back up to Elkhart trailhead. The hiking wasn't bad and we climbed back into the Winds. Day hikers and "cottonbacks" were everywhere.  Cottonbacks is a term I just learned for the all cotton wearing backpackers out for the weekend. The rain started and cold windy air moved in,  the fun had started. A few miles later and we decided to set up camp in the freezing rain,  50mph winds and sub  zero temperatures at 11000 ft. It was my first super windy setup with the new tent and it was a challenge. 

Nothing too exciting today and it's really great to hike with Reststop again. Focus came to the trail from Reno and worked with my buddy Joe who started the trail with me. He mentioned trying to catch her in the beginning and it took me 3 months, the trail is funny that way.