Journey Day 422 | CDT Day 85

Carl Ownby hiking south in the shadows.

9/7/87

Up before daylight, quick breakfast, then up to a ridge near Separation Peak, where we talk with hunter Gary Chambers and his son and rancher Phil Espy before pushing on. At break, Laurie pulls a crown loose. She initially says, "On to Encampment." But when we hit an occupied homestead and Carl breaks the ice, they end up staying for a ride back to town. Carl and I begin our Oddysey together.

Immediate friction. Miss turn from pass and argue. Walk til meet ocupant's son, who tells us there's a spring ahead, so we hike on, sealing our fate. After a break and futile search for the spring by an old shack, I convince Carl to follow me down a road that dies. Turns quickly into a bushwhack climb over a ridge. Use a deer trail through aspens to make it easier. From ridge down to a valley. Carl gets water, I ponder as the sun cooks my available shoulders.

Badly in need of a new shirt, Wyoming.

Up another ridge by a drainage through sagebrush. Find road, think we've succeeded in finding the route. Walk along, doesn't match the guidebook, eventually deadends back on a viewpoint. So we backtrack to turn off, through a field from the hip choose a turn, end up on a knife's edge that ends with a steep descent. Down to good creek, apparently McKinney Creek. We thankfully camp with water. During the night think we're at McKinney Creek...