Day 29

July 19, Spruce Ledge to Tillotson

After the rain cleared up in the morning, we packed out of camp and headed down into the slippery-boulder-full Devil’s Gulch, where we kept reminding ourselves that slow is safe and safe is fast.

We made it out of the Devil’s grasp with souls intact (we think), and proceeded on the climb up Belvidere, keeping a slow pace since we were navigating more slippery terrain and lots of mud. We were rewarded with an incredible view from the fire tower at the top of the mountain.

We ate our lunch up at the top, where we could barely hear each other speak over the noise of the wind. Then we headed down the mountain and set up for the night at Tillotson, where we’re staying in the shelter again tonight to avoid pitching our tent in the mud. Today and yesterday have both been quite short days for us. While in some ways we’ve ended the days feeling a little antsy, confident in our ability to go farther, at the same time we feel grateful for the opportunity to slow down and be present.