Day 145, Welcome Creek to Benchmark Trailhead/Augusta

With lower temperatures and changing colors has come another sign of seasonal change. The days are now shorter. I'm still setting my alarm for 5:00 or 5:30 a.m., which used to be when the sky started to turn light. Sunrise is now happening after 6:45 a.m.

The trail began a climb right from the start, though it was not particularly steep. The first 1.8 miles went up about 700 feet to Straight Creek Pass.

I started while wearing an extra layer of clothing but didn't go far before I wanted to stop and remove it.

After climbing to an elevation of 6,725 feet, the trail descended gently for the next 6.5 miles. It followed a valley where Straight Creek flowed.

Most of the trees in this distance were dead. They were killed in a large forest fire nine years ago. Many were still standing after all those years. Fireweed, a few grasses, and some small trees were the only signs of life to be seen.

The fire was known as the Elbow Pass Complex. It started as five separate fires caused by lightning strikes. Within a few days, they merged into one massive burn zone.

Guy Number 5 and El Dorado passed me on the long descent. Then I passed them when they stopped for a break. It wasn't long before they passed me again, and this time Thirteen and Fraggles were with them.

I eventually caught up to them, as well as Top O'. Everyone had stopped for lunch near where Elbow Creek flowed into Straight Creek.

The site looked like the scene of a massive explosion of backpacks. Everyone had spread out their gear to dry in the sun. I did the same.

When we finished lunch, we left Straight Creek and followed the trail on a climb that went along Elbow Creek.

I met three men carrying fishing gear soon after I started hiking again. They told me they were planning to fish on Straight Creek.

Top O' told me later he also talked to them. They asked him if he knew a hiker named Kegger. They appeared relieved when Top O' replied that we had camped with Kegger several days ago and that he seemed like a good guy.

The fishermen told Top O' they met Kegger at the Benchmark Trailhead as they were about to start their hike. One of them gave Kegger the key to his truck so Kegger could drive to Augusta to resupply. That was a distance of about 30 miles.

That was some genuine trail magic for Kegger. And though it may seem like a remarkable amount of trust made by a stranger, it's not the first time I've heard of someone doing that for a hiker.

The trail section up Elbow Creek was steep, climbing more than 750 feet in 1.3 miles. A much more gentle descent began at the top, which was called Elbow Pass. Soon, the trail followed the downstream flow of the South Fork Sun River.

About 6.2 miles from Elbow Pass, the trail crossed the shallow river. I had no problem finding rocks to step on to keep my feet out of the water.

I was surprised to find the river so shallow. The last couple of comments in the Guthook app about this crossing reported the water was nearly waist-high.

As I continued down the trail and along the river, I met a hiker named Marge. She was hiking alone and told me she was a 67-year-old substitute teacher.

Marge was out for three days and mostly wanted to watch for birds. She was carrying a can of bear repellant, as nearly all hikers here do. As an added measure of protection from bears, she had a bell attached to her walking stick.

About a mile before the trail crossed the river a second time, I ran into Raven. She had hitched to Augusta from Lincoln. After getting a ride to Benchmark Trailhead, she hiked a short distance to wait for Freebird.

I chatted with her a short time, then continued on before reaching a side trail that would take me to Benchmark Trailhead. This trail crossed back to the other side of the river over a wooden bridge built large enough to handle the weight of horses.

I didn't have far to walk before reaching the trailhead. A large parking lot was there, and that's where I found Top O' and Polecat.

The time was already past 6 p.m. We were unsure if we wanted to make the long drive into Augusta now or wait until the morning.

The question was settled quickly as thoughts of town food took over the discussion, though there was a risk in our decision. As late as it was, we didn't know the hours of the restaurants in Augusta. All we could do was count on finding one still open.

Our trust was rewarded when we arrived at Wagons West Motel and RV Park. A restaurant was also here, and it was still open.

By the time we finished dinner, the sky was nearly dark. The campground was located directly behind the motel and restaurant. We found plenty of room on flat ground to pitch our tents.

After a long day, we didn't bother to take showers tonight. We'll do that and shop for our resupply in the morning.