Last night was the first evening in which I could touch the stars in the sky. The Milky Way and all its galaxies were ablaze. Truly a beautiful night sky. After a quasi good night of sleep, and a late start, today should be a glorious day!

Our first bit of business was tracking down the trail. This is starting to be the story of our journey on the CDT. But truth be told, we still have not hooked up with the Redline, so hunting, pecking and scratching we will go!

The cut through (dotted redline) was billed as half-mile shorter than hiking the Blueline. And honestly, I really don’t like going backwards, so forward we went. There was an old rock dam wall that seemed reasonable to walk a top. At this point, I have become one with rocks and boulders so why not?

Once on the opposite side of the dam, we found stacked cairns. This was our one and only indication of a trail. It was more like a game trail, but it was all we had. At first it seemed benign but as the morning wore on, it was not a trail but another rock climbing adventure.

Little Sandy Lake is 9300’ give or take, and the intersection to the Redline is close to 10,000’. Not that bad, unless there is no trail! We were on our hands and knees climbing, pulling and prying our way to something that resembled our route.

After over an hour, we made it to the top of the world. Well, at least that’s what it seemed like. There was no one else on this goose chase. No other hikers anywhere to be found! Just me and Fearless, the only thru-hikers that decided that this was a bonafide way to reach the Redline. But now we have something to write home about and tell our kids. We have, most certainly, lost our minds!

What a joyous celebration to know we are back on the official CDT. Never ever again will I stray off. Well at least not until… next time. We literally skipped down the worn path, like reuniting with an old dear friend. .

The upcoming section is quite gentle and should have been done in little time. But my partner in crime was having a harder time with walking. We had wrapped up her leg like a mummy. She had so much discomfort when she walked, especially flats and downhills. It seemed to do with flexing her ankle and she was not a happy camper.

I noticed an upcoming Picnic Area on the Sweetwater River. This might be a well-deserved place to stop and take a break. Being it was Friday, the beginning of Labor Day Weekend, there were tons of RV’s, Trucks and Trailers. We found a shady tree and had a snack. On top of that, there was a dumpster with a Porta-Potty so we could make two deposits.

As we were getting ready to head back on trail, we met up with a local from Rock Springs. He was here for an annual family reunion and pig roast. After talking for awhile, he asked his friend Mike to access Fearless’ leg. He is a Flight Medic and felt that she should go to a clinic and get an X-ray to rule out anything like a stress fracture. Before we could say no, we were in a truck heading towards Lander.

I have noticed that people are more concerned about our well-being, and truly want to help in any possible manner. The ride out to the road was close to an hour one-way, yet the Cederburg’s were more than happy to be part of the solution. Jen needed help, obviously was having a hard time hiking and they were determined to get her where she needed to be.

We were dropped off at the Rest Area and within 20-30 minutes, we met Mark and Leona from Salt Lake City. They were on a road trip, celebrating their 29th anniversary. After rearranging their car, they made ample room for Jen and I to get in the backseat. They drove us close to an hour to Lander, dropped us off at the Rodeway Lodge, and made sure we were inside our room before they left. This is compassion for your fellow human beings! Happy Anniversary and many thanks to you both.

So now we are regrouping. Hogged Up met up with us in Lander and our trio is back intact. All we need to do is come up with a plan, get Fearless back on the trail when she’s able and continue our southbound journey. I know that many of you who read my blog are true prayer warriors. I am asking you to pray fervently for Jen. I trust and believe that Fearless will continue to finish what has been placed on her heart, and we will cross the finish line together, praising God for what He has done!

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” James‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬