SUNDAY - AUGUST 11 (20 miles)

Sentinel Mt. to Half Moon Park, Scapegoat Wilderness: A long day. Initial trail through forest then up and along a very NARROW tail on a steep slope. Definatly an “E” ticket ride for those who remember the early Disneyland coupon books. Knowing that we would be crossing two passes hoped that this would be the only cliff section. Luckly it was. Observation Pass, at about 7,100’ was reached after numerous steep switchbacks which had all of the horses sweating - the only time we saw any of Jack’s stock sweat. On top of the pass we were wrapped in mist and cold with threat of rain. We postponed lunch to get down to lower ground incase a storm rolled in. Our second pass was over the Continental Divide and finally saw rivers running in the right direction. Day continued to stretch out and all getting tired. Passed the Green Fork Ranger Station, a single room log cabin with piles of firewood. Station empty at the time so after a quick stretch continued on. Trail now very rocky ran along the Green Fork River through huge stands of downed and standing lodgepole pines. RayAnn and I played a game of building a homestead. With the lodgepoles we could build our house. With all of the flat flint-like rocks we would tile the floors and build a magnificent stone fireplace. The river would provide water and trout. Going through these Wildernesses it is really easy to imagine oneself back hundreds of years. Across the valley two springs erupted out of the mountainside, one producing a long waterfall, the other multiple spectacular cascades. From the river we climbed up toward Scapegoat Mountain, a gigantic stone mountain pushing straight out of the earth. Literally under it’s shadow we dropped down a sloping meadow into our camp for the night.