The first thing I noticed this morning was the stars. I haven't seen stars in weeks. A clear, cloudless, blue sky followed. We continued on Sportsman Lake trail which was a steady climb up to the lake. You can fish if you wish, catch and release only. There was a patrol cabin there but we didn't stop. Then more uphill. Actually I'd say most of our day was spent going up. There was a trail junction that gave us two possible routes to Shelf Lake. One went through a river valley and one went by lakes and followed a ridge.
We've been hiking through river valleys since Dubois and wanted something different. So we took the ridge route and were soo glad we did. We've been talking about why we're still out here, hiking. Two more hikers went home. Both of us agreed we don't know why and couldn't tell you if you asked. For myself, I just keep lacing up my shoes and taking that first step. I'm always glad I did especially when I get days like yesterday and today. The views today from the ridge were amazing.
Our efforts and perseverance does get rewarded. Shelf Lake is our last camp in Yellowstone. We ranked the climb up the third hardest of the hike and we deserve a gold star. Parkview mountain in Colorado gets first prize. Happy and content.
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