“Look! A trickle of water running through some dirt! I’d say our afternoon just got booked solid!”
— Bill Watterson

A and M Reservoir to ridge above Farm Tank
30.2

Last night we night-hiked a bit to the next water supply at A&M Reservoir, arriving in high winds and loud mooing cows. Because it was dark, it was hard to tell if there were 5 cows or 50. More importantly, my concern was knowing exactly where the bovines were located in regards to my tent. Another beautiful sunrise brought light to all my worries. The cows were indeed on the other side of a fence.

Shortly after gearing up physically and mentally for the upcoming dry, hot day, a father and son on an off road vehicle stopped while on a short Basin excursion. I was very bold and quickly asked if they had a soda. The father pulled out a Mountain Dew and I asked to pay for it. He enthusiastically exclaimed, “Certainly not. Christ, this is Wyoming!” A huge thanks for the soda.

At the morning break/second breakfast, we were all super excited and shocked to find a Bocce Ball set in the middle of nowhere tucked in a barrel that housed the valve to turn on the piped water. The water smelled like sulfur. Of course we all took the time to play 2 very competitive rounds before heading back into the dry wasteland.

At Benton Hot Springs we took a super long lunch break to beat the mid-day heat. Silly Chili and I enjoyed the soda and toasted my brother-in-law, Greg, who loves Mountain Dew. After looking at the maps, Silly Chili and I decided to hike into the night to the next water source almost 20 miles away.

Sweetfish stopped us around 12:30 AM. He was camped beside the dirt road and warned us about wild dogs he had heard in the darkness. Silly Chili and quickly halted and set up camp. Currently, my tent is pitched on top of a sagebrush and the wind is howling. It has been a very big day.

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