What an incredible sunrise I woke to this day. It was star (the sun) and purple skies with pink stripes. I didn’t even realize it was the Fourth of July till I turned on my phone. Funny how some things like dates start to blend together out here.

The trail today was a missed bag of treats. First thing we had a double river crossing. I don’t even bother taking off my shoes at this point. They are already wet from the day prior and if I even thought I was going to keep them out of the water or the mud, I would be on a different trail. It is what it is. Mud, rivers and more of the same.

However we did get to climb to Badger Pass today. Prior to that I missed the trail and took us on some bonus trip to Beaver Lake. Then we backtracked and we got to see it again but from a much higher view point. I have found that one water filled trail looks like the other. There’s few and far between signage so you definitely need to rely on your map or app. It’s the most navigation I’ve had to do since my friend Sally and I hiked the Unita Wilderness in Utah. That was a booger too!

After reclaiming the trail, the morning hike was nice. We made it to the pass with seeing nothing more than a rodent, moose and bear prints and a lot of scat. But not a single human being or hiker in sight!

After lunch, we had a bit of navigational excellence and stayed fairly close to what appeared to be the CDT. We crossed Strawberry Creek but it was a river. We made it across only to find our last two miles was nothing but Blowdown City! Oh my goodness, this is really starting to wear on me. But as Natalya reminded me, it’s just not that easy to be a Triple Crowner! She is so right. These are the dues you have to pay for the reward at the end. Thank goodness I have my HoboBlue with me. She keeps it real and is my truest hiking partner ever! She holds nothing back.

Being on the trail was a bit out of sorts, being we are celebrating 250 years of American independence. A friend of mine, Suzanne Petersen, sent me this beautiful poem on what we are truly celebrating.

Before We Were Red or Blue…

Before we were Republicans or Democrats…We were created by the same God. Fashioned by the same hands. Loved through the same sacrifice. Perhaps the enemy has convinced us that our greatest battle is with one another…When Scripture reminds us that our struggle “is not against flesh and blood.” Maybe our greatest victory will never come when one side wins. Maybe it comes when hearts choose Christ over conflict. When grace becomes louder than outrage. When compassion outlives criticism. When neighbors once again look like neighbors. When we remember that no political party can accomplish what only the love of Christ can. The cross was never painted red or blue. It was stained with love. And perhaps… that’s the only color the world has truly been longing to see.

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

~ Ephesians 4:2–3