SEPTEMBER 8, 2002

Rain Camp, Gros Ventre Wilderness to Granite Creek Trailhead & KOA, Wilson, WY

It was a cold damp morning to wake up to. I really would have just liked to have curled up and stayed in my sleeping bag all morning. But, felt guilty, the boys were up calling Charlie and trying to figure out exactly where we were and where we were going to go. We all packed up wet tents, ate a quick breakfast and headed up the hillside we had descended the night before. At the treeline, ½ hour of climbing, we checked our location and the GPS said we should be within feet of the trail. We spread out and sure enough there it was. So, on we proceeded. However, again, slippery, slick mud slowed our progress and several more locations where game trails, cow trails, lack of hiking traffic, and little maintenance hid the trail from us. Several good decisions/guesses finally brought us to the right drainage and we dropped down onto the final, well-defined leg of the trail. About an 11-mile plus day, persistence, Support Team data, and teamwork brought us home after one of the most difficult legs of our Journey. Thinking back, the trail was no more strenuous then others we had been on, the distance not greater and the rain - well, we’d encountered lots of rain - but the effect of the rain, MUD, not only boasted the difficulty but also took much of the pleasure away from the days through the Gros Ventre.

Prior to our departure we had been told that the Forest Service was managing the Gros Ventre to be wild, true untrammeled Wilderness. However, if the public is going to be indirectly invited in by trails indicated on maps and trailheads then there should be some level of maintenance, blazing (tree marking), cairns, or primitive and unobtrusive signing to allow the public to with some degree of safety negotiate indicated trails.

How great to get into camp for a hot shower. But, best of all were several guests, one being Paul Slavik from American Honda. Paul is a colleague of mine from California and over the years become a special friend - and it was so good to see a friend from home after 41 days on the trail! From the Journey, dana