Day 68 Wyoming

25.9 miles

Reaching the border was on my mind from the get go this morning and I hit the ground running. 

It was a difficult sort of day, following a forest road for most of the morning with too many ups and downs to enjoy really. It was hot, dusty and sweaty work. The highlight of the morning was reaching a couple of coolers full of trail magic – snacks, sodas and Starbucks coffee cans. 

Mid morning the trail finally transitioned off the road onto single track that led to the Colorado – Wyoming border. I was over the moon to have reached the border defined by a line of white quartz rocks on the ground with the letters WY on one side and CO on the other. A number of licence plates from the respective states lay on the ground and a more official looking Wyoming State Line sign propped up on a tree. There used to be a single tree with this sign with a licence plate from each state on their respective sides. 

Colorado was tough for sure and I’m not afraid to say it was great to have it behind me. It felt amazing to have reached another milestone too. It felt like real progress was being made on this trail. Wyoming promises some flatter ground to start with before transitioning into desert through the Great Basin, back into the mountains for some of the most stunning scenery on the CDT in the Wind-river Range and finishes with Yellowstone National Park; all sections I was looking forward to, particularly the Wind River Range. The It’s the shortest state on the CDT with just over 500 miles. 

Pumped up I had a kick in my step and pressed on.

I had Bon Jovi in my head “whoo, I’m halfway there….“ for the rest of the afternoon.

Another super humid day the sky finally let loose with multiple storm cells. The change in air temperature was a welcome relief.

At a random trail head in the afternoon I came across yet another Trail Angel camp. Regrettably I can’t recall the name of the host. He had been camped for five days, with this his last day and was just about to get packed up. He said grab anything I wanted as there was way more supplies than required for maybe another hiker or two who may come through in the next couple of hours. A Gatorade was most welcome and I grabbed some lollipops as well which are great for dry sections of trail to keep some moisture in the mouth and the mind distracted.