It’s time for some more leisurely backpacking! We hit the Jack’s Creek trailhead around 10:30am, and it’s busy. We’re the first to have to park in the weeds. On the trail, we meet hikers and equestrians enjoying the nice weather. It looks like it could storm, but after just a few drops it clears up again. I had hoped for an array of strange mushrooms to look at, like the last time I was here, but they aren’t out now. Still, it’s a blissful outing – no mosquitos, a break for hot tea at Pecos Baldy Lake, and we still have time to climb up to the summit of East Pecos Baldy.

The luxuries continue with hot coffee in the morning while we watch a herd of fifty or so bighorn sheep file up the draw behind the lake. They make a strange noise, a little like pronghorn antelope, kind of a buzz like a hummingbird flying by. We make a long, vegetated descent to the Pecos River, then climb back over the ridge to the trailhead in more fine weather. My only mistake of the trip is that I didn’t bring enough food! I realize I really was sick on much of the CDT hike, and not eating nearly as much as I normally would.