Day 69 - Rawlins!

Rawlins! Our first town stop in the Great Divide basin. Since we were rained on with last night's thunderstorm, we were really hankering to get to town. A hot meal, laundry, shower and a place to dry out were on our minds. Since we took an extra long lunch yesterday, we were 32mi+ away from town, farther we had planned. We set the alarm extra early (for us), and were out hiking by 6:30am.

As we ate breakfast, we were joined by a pair of mustangs, one white, one bay, also eating their breakfast near the spring. They were stoic for wild animals, staying within 100', and looking up occasionally while we packed our gear and chatted. They watched us with detachment, then went back to the business of eating the grass growing near the water. Given the dryness of the basin, I haven't seen much grass at all. Smart of the horses to come here to eat.

We took off, and the day was surprisingly cool. We powered through the monotony of the terrain and roadwalking with our radios, listening to Carbon County's own Bigfoot radio, specializing in rustic rock and cool country. Fitting to walk through WY listening to songs about Western girls, good ole boys, trucks, creeks, blue jeans, and the simple life.

We spent most of the day walking near Hwy 287 which rolls into Rawlins, but splits into a bypass with a half mile to go. We had no real plan, other than to go to Pizza Hut, and start from there.

A few days back in AC, we ran into Amanda and Wayne, newlyweds from Rawlins. They had given us their contact info and told us to call them when we got to town. Since it was Saturday, we weren't sure if we should call them because we didn't want to inconvenience them.

As we were walking into town, just nearing downtown, we paused to pull out our phones and maps to get oriented. A white jeep pulled up, and it was Amanda! Apparently, her father in law saw us walking by the cemetery. He called Amanda, and she drove out looking for us. Small towns amaze me.

We are in for the night at Amanda and Wayne's. Trail angels and trail magic of the first degree.

First laundry and shower since Pinedale, and sorely needed. Tomorrow, we'll figure out the rest of it.

Mileage: ~32mi from Bull Springs to downtown Rawlins