Colter Bay WY to Dubois WY- 76 miles.

By David Hardy

The crew atop Togwatee Pass. Now where's that grizzly??

I saw the first scout at Togwatee Pass about 12:45. Then another, then another. Then I saw Ed and the rest, grinding up a steep grade on a rain spitting day. Murphy seemed especially glad to see me. I found a place to park, opened the car and unloaded the drinks and snacks I had bought in Jackson Hole. Despite the steep grade the boys had just climbed, they weren't even winded. Murph showed up and started dumping his gear on the shoulder. "We're switching now?" I asked. Murph continued to dump. Then a driver pulled up and said a grizzly had just been spotted a quarter mile away. Amazing how everyone got focused. Ed suggested descending a bit to put distance between us and the bear. So Murph threw his gear in the car and we dropped another 5 miles.

Then we switched out gear for good; I shredded about a third of my stuff.

And that was it for Sargeant Fury, the Hoya Destroya, the Man of Carbon. He threw his bike in the back, shook hands with the boys, bro-hugged Ed, cranked the radio and headed to Jackson- just like the song.

And then I was on two wheels following the boys to Dubois, "land of the warm winds" in the rain.

Waiting for us on the side of the road was a woman in a van with good news: St Thomas Episcopal Church is offering free accommodation in their fellowship hall. "Praise Allah!" exclaimed a Jewish scout.