Much better day on trail than yesterday. No crazy river crossings, no snow, no rain. It was cool and windy but I’ll take that any day. My cousin Ed gave me a ride back to the trailhead and off I went.

Elizabeth Lake is breathtaking. It’s surrounded by glaciated mountains and the clouds were hanging on top. As I headed back towards the CDT, there was a rainbow over the waters edge. Quite a nice view for my morning stroll.

The trail was fairly unremarkable. Except for the two, very long suspension bridges. I should be getting better at these but they still freak me out a bit as I walk across them. I remember years ago when my friend Sally and I hiked the Wonderland Trail in Washington. There was a mama bear and her cub attempting to walk across the bridge. We all gave her plenty of birth and somehow, someway they both made it across. So that’s my plan. If a Mama and Baby Cub can do it, I can too!

Being it was a very short day with little elevation, I stopped a lot. Honestly I haven’t found my trail legs yet. I’m exhausted and moving fairly slow. Sometimes I question this idea of hiking from Canada to Mexico. Who does that? But here I am still trusting that God wouldn’t lead me out here, if He was going to have me turn around. So I keep heading southbound.

Red Eagle Lake is in a bowl surrounded by dead trees. I can’t tell if there was a fire many years ago, best guess or if there was a mean ole beetle that decimated the forest? I need to find out these things. (My Trail Family said a very long time ago was a huge fire, so I’m sorry beetle of accusing you.)

I was the first to camp so I scouted a site that we can pitch two tents. The options were slim but I found a reasonably flattish spot and hunkered down. Curly showed up next but without Max. Sounds like Max is off-trail due to Achilles injury. Glacier NP is already claiming our class of hikers. And it’s only day five!

I hung my bear bag, not with ease like the times before. This pole about claimed my line but somehow- someway I was able to untangled it from the grommets that were attached to the horizontal pole. I’m not sure whose grand idea that was but it’s not helping the bear hangs.

Coyote and Radio showed up and shared their disastrous night. It rained heavily so everything was soaking wet. Coyote found not one, but four slugs in her shoe and a worm. Yuck! When they stopped for lunch to dry everything out, ended up another hidden slug had hitched a ride inside their tent. Oh the joys of hiking in the woods. I promised that no slugs have been found, seen or reported in our dry dust bowl of a campsite. Worlds apart and only one mountain range that separated us.

I’m taking a much needed rest and have no plans of leaving my tent till dinner. On the menu tonight is Chicken Alfredo. Then to bed so I can mentally and physically prepare for Triple Pass tomorrow. That’ll be fun. Or maybe not.

Today was what my body needed. A easy peasy day that finished early, and gave me rest for tomorrow.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭1‬-‭2 NIV‬‬