PINEDALE, Wyo. — Jeff Garmire of Vancouver is now 1,140 miles southbound on the Continental Divide Trail in his quest to hike America’s three great long-distance routes in a calendar year.
Wednesday was day No. 33 on the CDT. He already has completed the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails, having logged 6,020 miles since beginning his quest in early February in Georgia.
He’s near the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Range.
“For the first time since Mather Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains back in May, I am camped near 11,000 feet,’’ Garmire wrote in his blog. “Tomorrow I will scratch, claw and climb around an incredible cathedral of towers. I am not out here to set records, which is why I often take the route less traveled to see more. I am shockingly low on food, but should it become a real issue I have some tricks up my sleeve.’’
Although struggling with sore feet, Garmire is averaging 35 to 40 miles per day.
The Cirque of the Towers is the most popular hiking and climbing destination in the Wind River Range.