Posted by 23.2 miles
I never caught the motel managers name which is a real shame. I should have done more to learn and remember it. He was keen to drive me back to the trail head. I kept asking yesterday what time would suit him. He said, it didn’t matter, just come to the front desk and if unattended ring the bell as he lives onsite and always on call. I also kept asking, how early is too early for him. Same response. As long as he could get the breakfast for guests set at 6am, any time would suit. I said let’s aim for 7am.
I had breakfast, completed a final pack up and sweep of the motel room and headed to the front desk to press the bell. The manager appeared, saw me with my pack and said just give me a couple of minutes. He grabbed a jacket and we were on our way out the door. He gave me an option of transport. We could take a car or take a 4 wheeler which I think he has keen to take for a spin but with the morning chill and an expected breezy ride we opted for the car.
The ride out was full of conversation. People always ask lots of questions about the trail which is understandable but I’m tiered of repeating the same lines and try to steer conversations towards learning more about their lives and interests. I kept asking what my host what he did for fun but he kept coming back to hear about the trail. It was obvious that he was fully occupied with running the motel and spent most waking hours working. I got the impression he just wanted to live vicariously and hear all about my adventures which I obliged. Originally from Mexico he was amazed that I’d hiked from the border all the way to Pinedale.
I was back at the Elkhart Trailhead by 7:45am sent off with a solid handshake and hug.
I had 4 miles of trail to backtrack to the junction with Seneca Lake Trail which I hiked yesterday coming in off the Pole Creek Trail. From there it would be another 9 miles on the Seneca Lake Trail to link back up with the CDT.
The trail was just as busy as it was on my way out to Elkhart on Friday night. I crossed paths with many of the groups I saw headed in on Friday night, done for the weekend and heading back home.
The hiking was scenic and fairly easy. A beautiful section of trail. By now I’d seen my fill of alpine lakes and meadows and had ti stop taking photos as they all tend to start looking the same.
Hitting the CDT Red Line around 12:30 it was time to lunch, kicking back in the shade to enjoy a fat roast beef roll carried out from town while doing my best to brave the mosquitoes.
Much of the ground in the afternoon was swampy with many snow drifts giving way to the summer fun flooding the trail. There was still the odd snow drift to cross on foot.
Late in the afternoon I crossed paths with the two ladies from the shuttle yesterday morning. They didn’t recognise me until I spoke and the thick occa Aussie accent came out. Surprised to see me they were amazed I’d hike from Elkhart in a day – they were travelling half the distance in the same day.
I found the afternoon to be an incredibly meditative hike. Lots of time for the mind to wander, random thoughts coming and passing.
At one point I was contemplating the English language. The motel manger kept saying his english was poor but I could understand him perfectly. Then I got thinking how tricky it would be to pick up as a second language with completely different word mechanics and words that can have multiple yet completely different meanings. Hell I struggled as a kid with english, with my spelling remaining atrocious. Take the word ‘spring’ for example. It can mean the season, a water source, or a mechanical component.
Dinner was another quick affair to dodge the mosquitoes before moving on another mile to camp in the shelter of trees and a solid cushioning of pine needles.
Mick Beckers 