We arose at 5:30 AM and packed our personal gear, then ate breakfast in camp. We discovered that the Ute Gulch Commissary had issued us an extra lunch meal. That gave us another option for todayís meals. We could use two lunches and skip the cooked supper meal. Apparently, Dave Weisenfeld had not been using the menu-planning sheet that I gave him.

As we were packing up, Harvey and Crew 10 roared into camp and set up to eat breakfast around the sump in our campsite. We chatted a bit and I asked Harvey to save us some tent spots at Tooth Ridge camp, because I knew that their crew would arrive there before we did.

We headed over to the staff cabin area at 7:15 and set up a pack line. Crew 5 was there having breakfast. They would be joining us on the horseback ride. At 7:45 we went to the corral.

The name of the horse that I was to ride was Phantom, a rather large black stallion with big feet. In fact, he was about the largest horse in the Clarks Fork Remuda. Bob Greeley claimed that this was the same horse that gave him trouble at Beaubien in 1996. Apparently, Bob made light of Phantomís ability to count and the horse stepped on Bobís foot. Phantom and I had a little chat in the corral, though, and he was a good boy for me.

After adjusting the saddles and getting a lecture on the rules of the ride we mounted up, which was a real challenge for me. I couldnít get up on Phantom without a boost from Brian, the head wrangler. I didnít feel too bad, though, since Larry also needed a boost to get on his horse. When I saw Brian smile I said to him that they probably didnít need TV with all the entertainment provided by us city slickers. He just gave me a big grin.

We left the corral for our ride at 8:50. The pace of the horseback ride was very slow, but it provided beautiful views of the back side of Tooth Ridge, Window Rock, Cimarron, and Colorado in the distance. As we rode along I sang some of the tune that Billy Crystal sang in City Slickers: "Rolliní, rolliní, rollinÖ. Lord my ass is swollen. Rawhide!" I also told the mole-asses joke, but few got it.

We arrived back at the corral at 10:30. The ride was great, but I had found some new places on my anatomy that ached. Larry made a dash for the I-B-Hurtiní for his knees. I changed out of my long-sleeved shirt and long pants and into hiking shorts, which was a welcome relief.

The crew prepared a spaghetti dinner for our mid-day meal. They also made a blueberry cobbler, to which they added (finally) the last can of cherry pie filling. It was a fine meal and we all ate our fill. The program at Clarks Fork was great and the staff was very friendly, but it was time to move on.

At 12:50 PM we hoisted our packs and got on the trail, just as the rain arrived. We passed by Upper Clarks Fork at 1:15 and reached Shaefers Pass at 2:15, with intermittent rain and sun along the way. The trail was pretty challenging, and we used the caterpillar hiking technique along the way. At 2:55 we dropped our packs at the side trail junction and hiked up to Shaefers Peak. We didnít spend much time on the peak, because we heard thunder in the distance (and not too far off at that!). But we did record a few great Kodak moments from this vantage point.

At 3:25 we were back on the trail again, wending our way along the rocky Tooth Ridge trail. We reached the side trail to the Tooth of Time at 4:40 and at 5:00 we arrived at Tooth Ridge camp and set up in site 9. It was a tough hike (for me, at least) today. The uphill haul with 4 liters of water (about 8 pounds) took the steam right out of me. To make things worse, hopping around, over, and on top of all the rocks on the ridge made my feet take a real beating. I didnít develop any blisters, but the dogs were really barking.

We ate a lunch meal for supper at 5:25 and relaxed in this trail camp. It was our last night on the trail and we met it with mixed emotions. Some of the crew appeared anxious to be back in base camp, but I was reluctant to leave the backcountry. This camp was a pleasant place with great views from the rocks at the edge of the ridge, overlooking base camp and the great expanse of the plains below.

Larry and I had a good critique and evaluation session with the crew, getting their feedback on our preparation for the trek, the pre-trek touring, and our itinerary.

Afterward, the crew asked me why I always teased Rich Goldman whenever I saw him. When I told them that Rich and I were good friends and hiking buddies they appeared confused, but I explained that we enjoyed teasing each other and told them about the experience that Harvey, Walt, and I had at Forestburg the previous summer when Rich was the Dan Beard Director. I suggested that the next time they saw him they should yell: "Hey, lady!" I explained that the Jerry Lewis line was somewhat of a trademark cheer that Rich had started the previous summer.