8-26-06
Start: Elephant Hill Trailhead, UT
Destination: Forest Rd. 088, UT
Elevation: 8600 ft.
Miles: 21.3
Weather: Breezy, cool, nice! (Aaah)
We changed today's route just a bit to accommodate our water droppers - so we ended up shaving a few miles, but didn't cut any miles from our westwardly motion. So we started our day by having Ba-ha Grandpa and Gopher bring us out onto the Beef Basin Access Rd. We came up to a creek crossing in the road maybe .25 miles in. Mom, Gopher and I all cringed, but Grandpa stepped on it and went right through. It was a bumpy ride, so grandpa had to stop 3 times for mom and I to go to the bathroom - we are trying to hydrate well before we head out, so after a liter of water, the bumpy ride was hard on us. The bottom of the car hit a rock a couple of times, so that was a sign that the road was getting a bit too rough for the Malibu. We got out of the car, made sure we didn't go in too far, said our good-byes, and hiked away.
It was a quiet morning. A few vehicles went by - one stopped as we were getting dropped off. We confirmed with them where we were and where we were headed - they were really nice people. They said they saw a bear this morning, so we know they're out here. We're pretty sure that's what we scared down a steep hill as we came around a corner. We didn't see him, but it was an awfully big crash. We also saw tracks from maybe a few days ago.
We had a pretty walk with good weather. It rained a little off and on, but that was okay. At about the time we wanted to find a camp spot - a freakin’ cow was standing there! I walked a little closer, turned to mom and said, "That's not an udder." Oh, crap, a stinkin' bull! We hiked our booties off through some sagebrush around him. Thankfully he was more interested in his grass than us.
So we are camped, and something is walking through the trees behind us. Cracking twigs... and we're eating. And it's really dark outside. This is one of those places that mom and I both get kind of an eerie feeling about. Soon the food and smelly stuff will get hung and we'll try to sleep. Maybe it's just another cow.
I'm thinking of you, Jamie and Eric! Wish I was there! Hope you're all having a blast at the reception! :)
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