Day 108: Sky Rim Trail out of Yellowstone

Mileage: 29 miles (1977.7-2006.7)

**I BROKE 2,000 MILES**

Well, it's been a good week in Yellowstone National Park and the final day was the cherry on top. I woke up to see the burnt orange light of a beautiful sunrise and laid around awhile waking up. Then I headed out and said bye to the horse crew, already hard at work for their clients. I was excited for what lay ahead, my first full day in Montana!

Walking through the woods I came across a mushroom bounty, almost tripping over the biggest King Boletes I've ever seen and huge patches of Chanterelles. It was like a mycophagist's dream, though I didn't have a good way to cook 'em so I just left them alone. Some of the Boletes, ranging from a rust orange to cinnamon brown must have weighed more than five pounds and were more than a foot across. And I walked by hundreds of them. Some regard this Bolete as one of the best edible mushrooms in the world. And likewise with the patches of much smaller, but equally delectable Chanterelles, bursts of bright orange and yellow dotting the forest floor. If only I had butter, that's all I'd need to make a tremendous meal. Oh well, fun looking at them anyways - and that's not even to mention the countless other species, from Puffballs to Russula and many I didn't know. I'd entered a mushroom wonderland!

There were a lot of ascents and descents today down to river valleys and up to subalpine lakes, and then following ridges up and down and up and down.

I took a swim in Crescent Lake, with Bighorn sheep climbing the cliffs above me and felt very refreshed and clean afterwards. Then I ascended to the Sky Rim Trail, which was spectacular, studded with dark lava rock towers and commanding wonderful views south to Yellowstone and all the way to the Tetons. 

You got a much better feeling for the Yellowstone landscape up high. The crest was the northern boundary of the park and I wound my way in and out following the trail. I finally left the park over Buffalo Horn Pass at end of the day. A storm rolled in but didn't rain too much, just some drizzle and wind. And thunder here and there.

Coming to Buffalo Horn I helped a YMCA group find their way at end of day with my GPS and sense of direction. They were a bit turned around, but no more than I've been many times out on the trail.

I bushwhacked and eventually found a trail to Ramshorn Lake where I witnessed a beautiful sunset, with Fortress Mountain turning all manners of orange and gold as the clouds parted for the setting sun. A bald eagle flew right over head and a couple Mule Deer bucks grazed in the meadow beside me. 

I contemplated my route for the next day (high or low? short or long?) and hit the hay late again.