It feels really good to be out of town. After eating most of our excess food, packing, and me talking to Lauren, we got on our way out of town. A 40 mile hitch is no easy task for two full grown scruffy men, especially when most of that 40 miles is on a lightly traveled dirt road. So we went to the bakery one more time, a huge cupcake makes everything easier. This was my 3rd carrot cake cupcake from this place, amazing.
We got to the edge of town with thumbs out. It was about 30 minutes before we got our first ride, a guide heading out to lead a group. He said that not too many folks in Utah are going to pick up 2 hippies! He took us about 15 miles down the Hole in the Rock Road, where he was turning off. Good. We found some shade and began hitching again. 30 minutes went by. Then a truck with a family pulled over. Only going another 10 miles. They were super friendly and let us ride in the back with their dog! The next ride took the longest. Still 10 miles from where the route crosses the road, we couldn’t see walking that much further. We waited for about an hour and a half before a couple from Switzerland picked us up. When we got in, we were surprised to see a small child in a child seat next to us. Glad some folks are ok with picking up backpackers, it would be a lot more difficult to do this trail, and most others, without rides from complete strangers. The family drove us the last ten miles to Hurricane Wash, where we started hiking again.
It felt great to be hiking again. We were on an old jeep track for awhile, which then turned to a steep pack trail. It was warm, but got cooler the further up we went. And up we went, nearly 2500 feet from the valley bottom up to a ridge. Even passed a few chunks of snow.
On top we began following cow paths to a spring. Its a beautiful spring too. Its fenced off from cattle and has aspens all around. I am happy to be out again, and though we only made 8 miles, I am very glad that hard hitch is over. As I was digging a cat hole this evening, I spotted a scorpion. Didn’t think they would move around so much in the cold.
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