Was woken in the night by some large animals enjoying a long meal of grass just outside the tent. I presumed it was elk or deer but Steve said he saw some horses in the morning, so it could have been that. 

 

Finished the climb from the night before and saw the Jeep crew at the campsite at the top. Nice long paved descent and then onto the gravel again. It started out fairly innocuously but things got tougher as the road went up and the surface deteriorated. Caught up to Steve and realised I had sealant coming from a spoke eye hole. Put some super glue over it and it seems to be holding for now. 

 

Plugged away in the afternoon through very slow going terrain as the afternoon thunderstorm clouds began to build. Steve was stopping at a campground but I was trying to get up and over the climb and down the other side. As I neared the top the rain closed in and roads became super muddy so I pulled off the trail and sheltered under some trees. Decided it was as good a camping spot as any so set the tent up once it had stopped. As the clouds cleared I realised I was right on the edge of the ridge with amazing views. 

 

Definitely one of the toughest days so far due to the climbing and the harshness of the surfaces which just saps energy and concentration to keep moving forwards. Listened to the News Quiz and then fell asleep - it was nice to hear some English accents.