Day 117 Old Home Day
CDT mile 1916.4, miles hiked 29.8
charge getting ready for the day
I awoke to Tatu-Jo’s alarm at 4:30, rolled over and passed back out. My alarm finally rose me at about 5:25, I did my morning routine and at 6 am we walked out of camp. Zorro and Easy Strider were still asleep so Tatu-Jo said, “come on boys time to get up, we are out of here.” We never saw them since as I imagined they kept on sleeping and woke up an hour or two later.
We strolled along the first five miles and eventually found Charge packing up to go. He got in front of us yesterday and we finally caught him. The three of us took off and hiked together for the day. The trail went up and down like the day before but not as dramatically. During one of our climbs the sky was begging to get dark, we looked up the hill and saw a hiker coming our way. As he got closer we recognized him it was Half Mile who is hiker famous for mapping the PCT and then making a free GPS app for all hikers to download. He is hiking the CDT this year for fun and had flipped from NM. It was fun seeing him we chatted for a while and then got moving.
Rain on the horizon
The sky got very dark and a storm moved in over us. We stashed electronics and put on rain gear. As we got close to a gate we saw another south bounder coming our way, it was girl and we recognized her, it was Dora the Explorer who I know from the Sierras last summer. We ran up to her and greeted each other, she talked about the hike and then told me she was hiking with D=RT and hiker I have known for some years.
We hiked on and tried to find the buffalo caves, unfortunately, they have been filled in by the quarry, but we spotted a hiker so I yelled DIRT! and lo and behold he came up to say hi. I nearly didn’t recognize him, his hair is long, his beard like a wizard and he had lost over 40lbs. We caught up and then each went out own way.
Sunset before camp
The storm picked up and dropped rain and hail for a bit before tapering off. We pushed our way up over the hills trying to make Deadman Lake. We did some bushwhacking to save miles, made the lake by 7:45 and kept going. For our final miles, we climbed a large hill and tucked into the trees to sleep. A late dinner, some blogging and now sleep, tomorrow we plan to do a mid 30 so I need all the rest I can get.
Day 116 Hiking with Tatu-Jo
CDT mile 1886.6, miles hiked 21.1
The trail boss Tatu-Jo is on his way to his double triple crown
The day started with a little sleeping in, then a shower, then heading to Jan’s Cafe for a hot breakfast. When Tatu-Jo and I walked in we found Zorro and Popeye already eating, we sat down with them and ordered up some food. We all chatted about the trail the past few months and Popeye’s new chapter. Popeye’s wife was arriving today from Belgium to come hike with him to the end. He lamented how he would miss us but he is determined to finish the trail this season.
Crossing the grassy hills of the Montana-Idaho line
Tatu-Jo and I then headed to the Post Office to mail some stuff, grabbed a few last snacks at the Exxon station and then at 9:30 Mike from the motel drove us and Charge back to the trail. Tatu-Jo had already done the 2-mile frontage road walk so Mike dropped him off and then Charge and I walked together to catch him. A few miles in and we found him sitting in sage bushes waiting for us. We all walked together for about 6 miles and then we took a break but Charge carried on (he doesn’t take breaks, crazy).
Tatu-Jo and I enjoyed some snacks then took the alternate up Modoc Creek which was longer but stayed low. We ended the alternate with a bushwhack through sagebrush up a dry creek bed to the top of a ridge which is the actual Continental Divide. From there we started what many south bounders describe as a terrible roller coaster. We, however, thought it was very pleasant and we enjoyed walking in open ridges and going up and down all day.
The hills here are amazing but kicking our butts
The day went by quick we had so much to catch up on since we have last seen each other a year ago. We told stories, took our time and enjoyed some awesome views and breaks on the divide. It’s a real treat to hike with Tatu-Jo he is a very accomplished hiker, in his 50’s and had worked with me on the board of ALDHA-West for 2 years. It’s great to be out here with him.
As we came down off the ridge we saw a large herd of elk about 200 or so. Their hoof steps sounded like horses and we watched them for a bit as the crossed a meadow and ran up the hillside. It must be getting close to fall because the babies are getting big and the Bulls are starting to bugle.
As the day was winding down we heard a shout and saw Easy StrideZorro zorro on the ridge above, looks the 4 of us will be rolling together for the time being. It’s funny how the trail provides and how things come full circle, I was alone but now in company and two of the guys I already knew so from here out, it will be a new experience with these guys and one I look forward to.
Day 115 Lima, MT
Miles hiked 0
Sketchy hanging her shoes on the shoe tree in Lima
Lima is the kind of town that you can spend a week in one day. I started my day with a trip to the post office for my bounce box, and then I rolled to Jan’s cafe for some breakfast. I had an awesome meal and the side of ham was an actual ham steak.
The day was spent relaxing and doing chores, at 10 am Tatu-Jo rolled up and he got right into his groove having food and catching up. We sorted food and had a good lunch. Zorro and Popeye showed up a few hours later and we all had lunch and had a good time catching up.
Bull Moose of the bar
Zorro told me his tale of the grizzly attack. He was walking down Leeds Creek when a grizzly popped out of the bushes 40 yards away, the bear saw him and immediately started to charge. Not knowing how to use his bear spray or having time to react he did the only thing he could think of he dropped to the ground and acted dead. The bear kept coming and ran right over him. The bear’s nails punctured his pack and the Grizzly just kept going. Glad it was him and not me.
At 6 pm Mike from the motel came in and dropped off Spirit, Veg, Sketchy, Easy Strider and Stop and Go, my god, it was a hiker party. We all rolled down to the Peat Bar and Grill where you can grill your own steak, we all enjoyed it and the experience was something I will never forget.
Grilling steaks in Lima like a cowboy on a cattle drive
Day 114, on the way to Lima, MT
CDT mile 1865.5, miles hiked 27
The view from camp, the big wide empty
I was awoken at 1:30 am by the smell of smoke, I got up to pee only to find the air thick with smoke and ash, dang it was there another fire? Oh well, it was too late to think about it so I crawled back in my tent and passed out until my alarm went off. I woke up and it still smelled like smoke but I couldn’t tell where it was from so I made breakfast, packed and set off for a 27-mile day.
About 45 minutes later in I ran into Dances With Chickens who I met in Colorado back in March at the Rockies Ruck. We BS’d for about 15 minutes and then each of us went our own way. I stopped at a spring to fill up on water, put on sunblock and eat a snack. The day was a giant PUD, pointless up and down, however it stuck to the divide and the ID/MT line. It wove through some woods but mostly was on ridges and high desert.
The divide here is a spine of high desert
I kept track of my mileage and tried to take short breaks. One thing I now do is set a timer for 20 minutes and keep my breaks shorter, I knew if I hustled I could make it to town for dinner. I stopped at one of my last water sources at 10:30, Rock Springs. It was in the heart of the sheep research area and the water tasted like metal and sheep poop but it was water none the less, so I filled my bottles and carried on.
At noon I saw two SOBO’s sitting off trail having lunch, they said, “hey it’s lunch time join us,” so I did. Steve and Cathy are from Jackson and the same age as me, we enjoyed a nice leisurely lunch and chatted for an hour. It was so nice to have a meal with them and share our adventures and stories of our lives. We parted ways and I continued on, I still had 14 miles to go.
I met Dawg on the way up my last climb, he was another SOBO who was wearing American flag shorts and he was a character. I made the steep climb and went from thick woods back to the high desert, I love the desert and high desert is the best with sagebrush and scrubby little trees. The trail lay ahead of me over some hills and then down to the valley.
My future in the distance
I stopped and called the motel to arrange a ride and a room for the evening. I took a look and only had 10 miles to go. I took a break in the shade, fueled up and then threw on some tunes to crank out the last miles. It felt like a Pink Floyd day so I listened to Wish You Were Here, The Division Bell and ended with The Wall. As the music played I got lost in my thoughts and before I knew it I had arrived at the highway.
I called Mike at the Mountain View Motel and then waited by I-15 for him to get me. Tatu-Jo called me while I was there, him Popeye and Zorro are 15 miles behind and will see me tomorrow, we are going to hike out together so I guess my solo time is ending for now.
Trail art work by the highway
I have really enjoyed being alone, more than I ever thought I would. Those three guys are great though so spending some time on trail together will be a good time, and I really want to hear Zorro’s bear story first hand.
Thank god for signage
Day 113, Solitude
CDT mile 1838.5, miles hiked 25.2
Walking through a sheep research area
I awoke at 5:15 hoping to get a jump on the day and do close to 30 miles so tomorrow would only be a low 20 into Lima. When I went for my food bag I could see the sky was still dark and lightening in the distance, by the time I was back at my tent it was hailing and thunder was rumbling. I jumped in and zipped it up right as the rain started to come down. I made breakfast and took a look at the weather and the radar, I was screwed, a big front was coming over me so I hunkered down and took the time to eat and rest. At 7:15 the sun finally broke through so I packed quickly and started hiking.
Walking the border
I walked through open meadows and saw Taylor Mountain in the distance it was fully exposed with storm clouds over it and I had to climb 1300′ up to its ridge and walk it for 3 miles. As I descended to saddle to start my climb I met two SOBO’s Micheal and Sue who had flipped from New Mexico to avoid the snow in Colorado. We stopped and chatted before carrying on. By the time I reached the saddle to start my climb the weather had cleared and the sun was out.
As I climbed I could see dark clouds off in the distance so I pushed hard to the ridge, when I got there I felt the first raindrops so I put on my rain jacket and rain skirt and started the long ridge walk, there was distant thunder but no lightning so I walked the ridge and then dropped down the trail to the next junction. The sun came out so I had a yard sale of my gear to dry it out and cooked up some lunch. Not having a real dinner last night had left me pretty hunger and feeling weak.
As I continued hiking I felt strong from the meal and was really enjoying being lost in my thoughts and hiking my own hike for the day. I came to a long ridge that made up the Idaho/Montana border so for miles I walked the line that divides the states, let me tell you it’s just a bunch of grass and flowers and the occasional tree but it gave me great views of the surrounding landscape. I met two more SOBO’s one from Russia and one from Germany we chatted for about 15 minutes and I think we all enjoyed the brief visit. The rest of the day I didn’t see a soul and it was nice.
Angelina from Russia and Grande Buritto from Germany
The meadows gave way to a forest and eventually brought me to Aldous lake. I kept waking to the next creek and cooked up my dinner, washed my socks, and my filthy feet and then started up the climb. I was hoping to maybe get in 5 more miles but the climb kicked my butt and 3 miles up I found an open ridge top with a view to a valley on one side and mountains to the other, so instead of descending into the woods I opted for a camp with a view.
A great sign and trail register
I was so worried about going this stretch alone but really I am enjoying it. The peace and quiet are good for me, I daydream about home and life after the trail. My day is filled with thoughts of Suzy and Karluk and what we might do in the next year. It’s funny but after all this time hiking the CDT this is the first time I have truly found peace with myself and I think being alone is benefiting me more than I ever thought it would.
Day 112, Solo
CDT mile 1813.3 ,miles hiked 20.1
I drank from its’ source, and it was delicious
I woke up late I needed some extra sleep plus our campsite was next to the highway so it took awhile to get to sleep the night before. I heard Polar Bear grab the towel from the clothesline and head for the shower, I got out of bed and started to pack up to go.
I called my parents to let them know what was up and where I was, my father and mother are both very worried about me being out here alone. My father said he woke up at 3 am worried about me laying in my tent somewhere and being eaten by bears. I assured them I was fine and would be safe, I hate that they worry so but I’ll always be their baby boy.
Polar Bear returned, she still felt sick so she went up to see if she could get a room for the night, they had room so she decided to stay and get better. I think both of us were a bit bummed, we get along well and we had planned to camp with each other this next stretch.
Since it was nuking I figured I would hunker down
The two of us headed to breakfast at Subway before I headed out. We had a good talk and she told me she would catch back up with me in Lima so we could hike to Leadore together. I also heard from my good friend Tatu_Jo he was headed to Sawtelle today and we agreed to meet up in Lima, so really I would only be alone for a few days.
I have never been much of a solo camper, at minimum I have always had my dogs with me, so going all alone would be a bit out of my own comfort level, with my mind and also facing any fears of camping alone in bear country, hey at least there aren’t Sasquatch here in Montana, or is there… So I said goodbye to Polar Bear, grabbed a few snacks at the gas station and headed up Sawtelle Peak road.
The road was a grinder of an uphill hike and took what seemed like forever. I had a late start so by the time I was going it was already hot. I walked a few hours being passed by ATV’s and razor cars. Not one person stopped to say hi, oh well. I ate my Subway sandwich and then kept going it was so hot I was blowing through my water so I flagged down a truck to see if they could help, they gave me a liter of water and can of sparkling mango flavored water, ah La Croix…
I eventually left the road and stated on the cross-country bushwhack that would rejoin the CDT. For the most part is was straight forward through open meadows of flowers. I saw an ammo can on a carin and went to explore it. Inside was a CDT register explains that I was at the headwaters of the Missouri River the longest watershed in the US. I signed the register and then a short distance away found the spring which makes the headwaters and drank from the rich water that came up from the ground, only moments before finding this in my thirst and desperation I drank from a stagnant puddle full of mosquito larva about 150′ above it before realizing my folly.
I kept chugging along finding my way when the footprints stopped. Luckily enough CDT hikers have been through this year that you could kind of tell where to go. I took a real break and when I started back I heard “hey there” it was my friend Tic-Toc who is hiking the CDT this year to get her triple crown, she had flipped when she hit Colorado. I dropped my pack and took an extra break with her and her hiking partner Orbit. It was so nice to see a familiar face and catch up, that visit really raised my spirits and I felt re-energized for the rest of my day.
The bushwhack ended with me getting turned around in willows and walking through a creek before finding the trail and then the CDT. I looked at the map and figured I’d cook in 3.5 miles at the creek and then hike another hour or so. I wasn’t going to get in my 25 miles but at least I’d get in 22-23. As I walked the sky darkened and in the distance thunder started to rumble. It drizzled but not much so I kept hiking. A mile later and Mother Nature decided to lay out a slapping. Marble sized hail started to pelt me, I found a tree, stashed my electronics in ziplock and put on my rain gear and kept going.
The hail turned to rain and then hail and rain, it was not letting up and all I could do was walk to the creek. When I reached the creek it was full on nuking on me, the trail ahead was an exposed open meadow and I knew I had to climb higher so it was decision time, camp where I am or try to push on?
I took the safe route I loaded up water and found a place to set up my tent. I got it up just in time for the wind to pick up and the hail started again, I crawled inside shivering and decided to forgo cooking and just eat snacks for dinner. After loading up what I could I took a small break in the weather to go secure my ursack for the night. It was only 7:30 but if figured an early night of rest and an early wake up will allow me to make some extra miles and push for a 30 or so tomorrow.
So day one going alone went ok, I got to test a few skills: bushwhacking, dookie weather, and my decision-making skills. Hopefully tomorrow will be easier and I can make up some ground, bonus I’ll get to have hot lunch and dinner.
Day 111 Idaho
CDT mile 1793.2, miles hiked 29.2
A border selfie at the Idaho line
It was damn cold this morning my water had frozen along with my shoes and a thick layer of ice covered my bag. I had cowboy camped and had some great star gazing late at night with the Milky Way overhead. By the time I went for my food bag Hotshot was already long gone, she can wake and pack in about 15 minutes.
I rolled out of camp at 6:45 I said goodbye to Polar Bear and told her my plan to go to Sawtelle, she said she would try to catch up. I walked around Summit Lake there was smoke on the water as the sun rose and it wonderful to see, I walked through an old burn area and once the sun was up on me finally warmed up enough to shed a layer. I met two SOBP’s about a mile from the Idaho border we chatted a bit and then I hiked on.
My celebration beer
As I came through the woods I saw a line of rocks and an orange piece of metal that read “CDT NOBO’s welcome to Idaho,” I let out a shout of joy. I took some photos and even though it was 8:45 in the morning I cracked the tall boy PBR I had packed just for the occasion. After that, I set off with my head a buzz on my way to the Macks Inn cutoff that would take me to Sawtelle and save me about 40+ miles of up and down on the official trail.
I made some good time and was soon on some old roads that led the way. The roads had been dug up and big berms were in them so folks wouldn’t take ATV’s and the like onto them, it was a pain to walk around or over them but even with that, I was still moving well. 17 miles in I came to the only spring, it was a long ways off trail but I walked down to it and drank my fill before taking off for the rest of the hike.
Hikers always help each other out with directions
I met two mountain bikers towards the end of the dirt road, I asked them if they had seen Polar Bear, they had not. Man, she can really sleep in I thought. Eventually, the dirt changed to pavement, and I hoofed it into Macks Inn a small resort along Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. I bought a soda and then walked the last two miles along the highway to Sawtelle resort.
When I arrived I got a text from Polar Bear. She had been puking her guts out all day and wasn’t sure she would make it. An hour later when she arrived at Macks Inn. They were full so she ground out the last two miles and camped with me at the resort.
She told me of her day slowly walking and having to nap at breaks because she was so ill. She had pretty much emptied her gut so we headed over to the saloon for dinner. Polar Bear had a salad but I had the full Monty a prime rid that melted in my mouth with homemade cornbread and a twice baked potato. After gorging we headed backtor bed.
My good friend swami called me as I was headed for my tent. I walked to a playground at the resort and talked with him for a while. He wanted to check on me and make sure I was going to be ok now that I am hiking solo. It was nice for him to check on me and he said something I am taking to heart, “consider this time a gift, you can focus on you and Suzy, your life post trail and reflect on the experiences you have had”. That conversation eased a lot of nerves for me and made me feel ok going it alone. It’s nice to have a friend that understands what I am doing and going through and that call was just the push I needed.
