Day 69 Encampment 

8.9 miles

I woke to rain on my tent and hit the snooze button a couple of times on my watch. I was not is a rush in this morning with only a short distance to reach the highway leading into Encampment. 

A wet pack up is never great. It means a reconfiguration of how gear is packed to how it would normally be stowed. This is to keep critical pieces of gear dry and allow for wet gear to be easily accessed to be pulled it out to dried when an opportunity presented later in the day. Knowing I had motel room tonight I wasn’t so worried. The main difference in packing was to stow my wet tent on the outside of my pack. 

I hit the trail in rain gear and light drizzle but it cleared quickly and within 30 minutes I had shed my shell layers. 

Hiking in the cool air was great. It was easy walking all morning although much of the country was swampy or through open grassland soaked by rain making for wet shoes and socks. 

In several locations there were some really random bridges constructed over nothing at all. I had to have laugh when having just done a wet foot creek crossing due to lack of stepping stones, only to walk on 20m to a solid bridge over an absolutely tiny dry depression. 

I had reached Battle Pass and the highway to Encampment by 9:20am. This was going to be one of the hardest hitches into town simply due to the fact that traffic was infrequent – a very quiet road. 

I waited for 40 minutes for the first car to pass. It was a no go. 8 minutes later another car and again no success. Another 10 minutes and the same result. 1 hour into hitching a logger coming from his camp pulled up. The cab full with his daughter, dog and gear inside, he said jump in the back of the pickup. He pointed to a cooler and said there was water and beer in there and to help myself. I actually declined the offer of a beer this time. Propped up behind the cab to stay out of the wind I sat back for the 13 mile unsecured ride in the back of the pickup to town, the wind breezing past. No way that would happen at home. He had me in town by 10:45 dropping me at 307 Pub and Grub. I must have looked like absolute hiker trash as he asked if I needed anything… including cash. I declined and said I’m fine and actually on paid holiday leave. 

Entering 307 for second breakfast I found First Gear inside having just finished his second breakfast. I shared the table with him and had a catch up as I waited eagerly for my meal. He’s headed straight back out having just picked up his resupply box from the post office. In hindsight I should have done the same but with a room already booked I would have forfeited my payment. 

With time to kill before checking in I wandered down the short main street towards the motel.  Passing a liquor store, the owner was out front having a cigarette and asked me if I was on ‘the trail’. I stopped to chat and with nowhere else to be I ended up talking to him for about 30 minutes out the front of his store about the trail, the US and life in general. 

Wandering further down the road to the Pine Lodge where I would be staying I was greeted by Hunter. Too early to check in just yet I was able to leave my pack and wandered further down the road to the sister ‘town’ of Riverside about a mile away. It was close enough to lunch and although having just eaten second breakfast I ordered a burger and coke at The Bear Trap Saloon.

I would love to do some laundry but for now am still in stinking hiking gear and wet shoes. My sun hoodie looks appallingly filthy with dried sweat marks and salt all over from the last couple of days. I guess the locals are used to seeing dirty hikers like this but I get the odd look from tourists and day trippers. 

Encampment/ Riverside are both very small. Not much in the way of facilities or shade to hide under. I’m bided time as best I could, slowly eating my burger and sipping on a coke before starting back towards the motel. 

Only a few hundred feet into my walk a car heading in the opposite direction pulled up next to me. It was Hunter. He offered a ride back to Pine Lodge, turning the car around and driving me back saving me a walk in the blazing sun. This also meant my room would be ready. It was. 

The main manager, Joan, who I communicated with prior to booking to confirm I could send a resupply box there, was amazing and had me checked-in in no time. She showed me to my room and had my resupply box waiting in my room already. 

I passed the afternoon away watching the first few episodes of season one of House of Dragons. 

Like I said earlier, hindsight is great. I had a whole day on my hands and probably could have simply picked up my resupply and headed back out on trail, saving some money as well. Although a shower and laundry feels so good.