Homeward bound Day 5

It was a little warmer last night and this was by far the best sleep I've had all trip. Just get used to sleeping in that tent and its time to pack up!

We had burritos with eggs, sausage, steak and anything leftover that we wanted. The energy level is definitely different today. There is a little more stress on pack days simply because there is a lot to do and a lot of animals and people to get out safely. We can sense it from the crew and even though we do our best to help when we can, they obviously have a lot to do.

While they break down the kitchen, the latrine and get the mules ready, we pickup our gear. We wait on packing the tents for as long as possible to let the sunshine dry them. We pile all of our gear on white tarps and Dusty and Joe pack things up so they are equally weighed. Dusty has a scale that he hooks to a bag then lifts it off the ground. Looks like a new Crossfit lift to me.

By around 11:30 we are all packed up and ready to go. We follow Jake in the same order we came into camp. This time we head the other direction, up the meadow and back across TIbbs Butte Pass again. We circle around Losecamp Lake but then veer right this time instead of heading to Stockade Lake. We make our way around to Hauser Lake, where we see several fly fishermen on the lake. Eventually we start to hear the sounds of construction and traffic, our cue that we ware close to the trailhead. As we head down the hill we can see the trailers to the left but Jake takes us to the right. We all follow him because, well, he is the leader. A little while later he turns and says, "I went the wrong way!" We all turned around and rode parallel to the highway and back to the real trailhead, arriving around 1:30.

For the next couple hours we wait and try to help unpack as best we can but the crew has a routine and its easier for me to keep the boys busy. Eventually we are all packed and back in the trucks, headed back home.

We stop at the little grocery at The Top of the World for some cold sodas, ice cream and candy. The cold beverages are like heaven, after not having anything cold for 5 days. Then we pile back in and head back down the Beartooth pass and towards Powell. The ride is long, close to 3 hours because the grades are so extreme.

Eventually, we arrive back at Jakes place and unpack our gear. We back up our rigs and say our final thanks and goodbyes to everyone. It was such an incredible trip and we are all very thankful to the crew and to Jake for making it such a great adventure. We hope to see Dusty ride tonight in the rodeo.

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