Thank You Audie

A few days ago we set out for another day of the trail that included a two and a half-mile uphill climb. Much to our chagrin, we hit the hill at 3:00 in the afternoon in the direct sunlight when it was 96 degrees out. How's that for bad timing? Luckily, we had just received a little trail magic in the form of ice cold watermelon and sodas just before the climb. At the top of the climb was the Audie Murphy memorial marking the place where Audie Murphy's plane crashed in 1971. As beautiful as the memorial was, the nice bench sitting there was much-appreciated and enjoyed by all of us. By the sight of the growing rock cairns, I would say that many a hiker has enjoyed that bench at the end of the tough climb. Audie, thank you for your service to this country and thank you for your beautiful park bench. Pictures: Eastern Continental Divide; trail magic cooler and Jogle; Animal, Donnie & Jogle; bench at memorial; Audie Murphy memorial