CDT - Day 105 - Bear Cub
The first order of business this morning was heading to the post office to mail a package home to my mom. I wanted to lighten my pack as much as possible because the next section requires a six-day food carry.
After the post office, I met Pudding for breakfast at the Cowboy Cafe, where I had scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, and French toast. I also asked for a bowl of fruit, but apparently fruit isn't on the menu. So much for trying to make breakfast healthy.
At 10:00 a.m., Pudding, Greg, Loading, and I met Mike at the church for our ride back to the trailhead. Mike was a really nice guy and more than happy to drive all four of us out there.
The hiking was fairly easy. We started on the Blue Line, which took us to Brooks Lake Lodge. We stopped at the lodge for some ice-cold water before getting back on the trail. On the north side of the lake, we rejoined the Red Line and spent the rest of the day hiking through a beautiful forest.
Shortly after leaving the lodge, I saw my first bear on the CDT. It crossed the trail about 30 feet in front of me. It was a small brown cub, possibly a grizzly cub. We immediately made plenty of noise and kept moving. Thankfully, we never saw the mother.
After about 19 miles, we found a campsite near a creek nestled in the woods. Once the sun went down, the temperature dropped quickly, and it became a very cold night.