Zirkel Wilderness

A foggy mist obscured the landscape this morning and steam rose off the lakes.  Trees were just dark shapes.  

We started early and pushed hard as we had a 14 mile stretch above treeline.  Clouds formed early and the fog became low clouds.  

But we felt we'd make it and we did.  Our high point for the day was Mt Ranger which was also the last time above 12,000 feet on the CDT.  From the high point we descended down to a swampy, muddy bog.  Pounce sank in up to her thigh at one point.

 Our shoes and socks smell like sewer.  We are still on the Wyoming trail 1101 but we left the Mt Zirkel Wilderness and are in the Routt National Forest.  We initially were going to camp at a campground but the storms never materialized and it turned into a nice evening.

 We haven't had a stress free evening walk in a while.  It was nice and the last miles of the day flew by, probably because I wasn't thinking about it.