The ‘late’ nights hit more when the body has become accustomed to waking up at 5.30 in the tent. Had a FaceTime with Phoebe and it was lovely to catch up, even if Matilda did sleep for the whole time. Said goodbye to the fellow riders and thanked our hosts again before hitting the road. 

 

The first section was a fairly flat pavement section where the only challenge was the swarms of mosquitos biting me as I rode along. Stopped to put on bug spray which deterred them from the exposed flesh but not from biting through my shorts and jersey. A pretty miserable experience and ended up covered with bites. 

 

Got to Bridger-Teton National Forest where the road turned to dirt and I began the ascent of Union Pass. Doro had stopped for some food so I stopped briefly too and we shared our disdain for the mozzies. The first section was pretty rough and rocky but it smoothed out quite nicely as the road rose and became flanked by pine trees. Although the main section of the climb was done, the road bobbed along the ridge for a while longer before the highest point. 

 

I caught up to Zach and Kara filling water at a creek and decided to do the same. They’d been told about a campsite further on with toilets and bear boxes so were aiming for that, but I wasn’t overly keen on going that far. Carried on briefly and then came across a safety cabin, which is mainly used by snowmobilers and other mountain users in the winter, complete with a stove and other first aid and safety equipment - as well as a toilet. So I decided this would be a pretty cool place to spend the night. Debated putting the tent up outside but opted for a mat and sleeping bag on the floor of the hut. 

 

Later on Doro arrived and then we were also joined by an American south-bounder. A pretty unique experience where three people from three different countries can just sleep on the floor of a hut together and it seems pretty normal. We shared some stories about what was to come in each direction before heading off to sleep.