The Dago Diaries

CDT mile 1764, miles hike 14.8

Lone Star Geyser

After hiking together for over two months, two states, countless snow drifts, lightning storms and dry dusty desert miles….cheesy and I finally had to say goodbye and part ways at Old Faithful.  It was a hard day for me as I have truly grown to love her like family and the time we spent together was good for me.  She was always there to listen to me when I need to talk, push us when the weather was crap and sing a happy song to lift spirit last while making miles.

resupplying like a boss

Our final day on trail started with an early wake up by me and then a hike to lone star geyser, which is 4 miles From old faithful, goes off every three hours and is way more spectacular of a show.  We headed up the trail and saw Polar Bear cowboy camped beside the trail in the next site, we later learned the park service put her there by accident instead of with us, we kept going and before the sun was on us arrived at the geyser.  Seeing how there was still frost on the ground, we broke out our stoves and made hot coffee and oatmeal and waited for the show.

Morning Glory hot spring

A few minor eruptions happened and during that time polar bear arrived, after about an hour or so the big one happened.  For the next half hour we watched this geyser shoot water 40′-50′ up in the air, a rainbow formed and it even misted us with drizzle toward the end.  It was one of the most amazing geothermal shows I have ever seen and the best part was we were alone in the woods, just 4 thru-hikers enjoying one of natures wonders.  After the show, we packed up and headed to Old Faithful Village for the tourist show and food.
We first started by scooping up the boxes I had, my Aunt Rosemary and my good friend space girl hooked me up with some great care packages.  Plus the food I had was so much I was able to share.  Between me and the hiker box at the backcountry office, Polar Bear didn’t spend a dime on resupply and cheesy and Johnny had plenty of food too.  I sat on the floor of the Old Faithful Inn and sorted and packaged my food, more than a few tourist gave me some glances.  Then I took my bag and tent outside and dried them out, I really hiker trashed up the place.

The four of us regrouped for the lunch buffet and gorged ourselves on buffalo sausage, trout, salads and other delights.  After our meal, we all went and did our thing: Cheezy and Johnny went to work on their new route data, I sorted my pack and wrote cards home, but Polar Bear wins the prize.  Polar Bear rolled outside and found a tree by the lodge, laid down and went to sleep, an hour later two park rangers came over to make sure she wasn’t dead, man did we all get a good laugh at that one.

The parting of the partners is now complete

I hung out with Cheezy and Johnny for a bit and then we went to see Old Faithful go off, what a scene, 4,000+ tourist all there with phones in hand recording it.  The geyser blew for a few limited minutes but from the first time I saw it in 1995 I must say it has lost some of its height and length of the eruption, I hope if it ever stops they don’t build a tram or road to Lone Star and Disney up that natural paradise I saw today.  After Old Faithful was done so was my time with Cheezy we gave each other a big hug and both had some tears running down our faces, it’s funny but out here your emotions are so raw that you really get to know each other and walking away was like walking away from home a few months ago.

I strolled out of Old Faithful Village with Polar Bear, she is a great young lady from Minnesota who before this guided teenagers in the Arctic on canoe trips, a total bad ass girl.  We walked through the geyser basin and biscuit hot spring region and were in awe of the various pools and geysers.  We then climbed up the mountain where we found Hotshot cooking dinner.  The 3 of us hung out and then hiked the last 3 miles to Summit Lake to camp for the night.

I enjoyed talking with them as I cooked and getting to know each of them.  Tomorrow we walk out of Wyoming and into Montana and Idaho, the long walk through the big sky state to Canada is about to begin.  Just 5-6 more weeks of thru-hiker life and then I should be home to my love.

CDT mile 1749.2, miles hiked 20.5

my view for months is about to end, ill miss that ula pack and the dirty socks hanging from it

We all woke up extra early so we could get to the breakfast buffet at 6:30 when they opened.  Hotshot walked up to the check-in and called for the courtesy shuttle to take us there, what a treat to not walk that extra mile.  We all enjoyed the buffet and got well caffeinated.

Shoshone geyser basin

Polar Bear and Hotshot decided they were going to take a zero at Grant Village and then hike on tomorrow, we said our goodbyes and then Cheezy, Johnny and I walked up to hitch back to the trail.  Now being in a National Park which is full of tourist it took us nearly an hour to get a ride.  A nice couple from Arkansas loaded us in their pick up and drove us to the trail.

A hot spring

The trail was super easy all day but the highlights were Shoshone Lake where we lounged for an hour plus and took a nap in the warm sun.  Then we walked through Shoshone geyser basin where we saw geysers, hot springs, and mud pots.  It was really a cool treat and one of the reasons to come to Yellowstone.
We ran into Beacon and Mermaid towards the end of the day.  I have known Beacon for about 5 years and this is his 4th hike of the CDT.  He gave me some pointers as to what was ahead and then we said goodbye.  Our camp tonight is at upper fire hole.  We have two hot springs in camp and a nice creek too.  It’s a great spot and nice final camp with cheesy.

The emerald blue water of hot springs

I am going to miss Cheezy the two of us have become thick as thieves these past few months and it’s hard to think of being out here without her.  She is doing the right thing though, she told me she is losing some heart to finish the trail and by doing the cutoff she can finish with Johnny and that will motivate her to finish this season.

I’ll miss this girl, we had some fun and I will always remember the cold beer we enjoyed at Monarch Pass

The only problem with hiking with others is that eventually you have to go separate ways and it’s as hard a break up as any…

CDT mile 1728.7, miles hiked 12.8

Fresh Grizzly tracks on trail, still haven’t seen a bear

We woke up a bit later since we only had to go about 12 miles.  It was cold and some frost was on the meadow plants in the opening by us.  We packed up and went to the core camp to get our food bags and cook breakfast.  By the time we were all done and ready to go it was nearly 7:30.

The three of us walked as fast as we could to get warm, about 45 minutes in We met two SOBO’s named Steady and Hamburger.  Both are Triple Crowners and both did the Butte super cutoff when they hiked the CDT so they were out seeing the official trail.

Hamburger was from Germany and the Germans did their thing for some time.  After all of us decided we needed to move to get warm we were off.  We hiked along Heart Lake a beauty of a lake and met another SOBO named Tugboat who had an 85lb pack, he told us he carried 20 days of food, insane.  After seeing him we walked through a meadow with hot springs and there came to Witch Creek.  The creek was about 105*F so of cours, I took a nice long half hour soak.

Heart Lake

From there we climbed a small mountain and then dropped down to the highway.  I got there first and started hitching to Grant Village.  A car turned back around to get me and the driver and his son were AT alumni, they fed me chips and soda and dropped me at the store.  It was my moms 70th birthday today so before I went in I sat down in a rocking chair on the porch and called her.  She was shocked to hear from me as she assumed I was in the woods but we caught up and chatted about her special day and the trail.  I wish I could have been there with her but maybe this fall I’ll be able to find my way east to see her.

A large thermal off trail feeds Witch Creek

Cheezy, Johnny and I spent the next few hours eating, doing laundry, showering and finding our camp spot.  While doing the laundry Johnny went back to camp to deal with his blisters so Cheezy and I sat down and had a gut check.

She told me her and Johnny want to do the Butte super cutoff which misses about 300 miles of the CDT.  It’s a route others have taken but not one I am interested in at this point.  So the only issue is she has to move forward is the lacks of info on the route.  She has toyed around with this option since northern Colorado but never taken the time in town to research it.  So they have no maps, GPS etc…. We went up the hill and called my friend Beaker who had done this route a couple of years ago, he had some basic info but that was it.

So we talked some more and pretty much decided the plan would be to get to Old Faithful where they would try to get the info online.  From there I’ll hike out alone and continue on my way to Lima and eventually Canada.  It’s strange that in two weeks I have gone from hiking with a core group of three and sometimes four to now basically being alone.

We did see Hotshot and Polar Bear in Grant Village and enjoyed a nice Asian meal at the lake house.  These two woman kick ass and are hiking the CDT solo so I figure if they can do it, I should be able to, then again women are stronger than men in many ways.  My biggest fear isn’t being eaten by a bear but just being a bit lonely.  I do enjoy others company so hopefully, some folks will catch me and I’ll only be alone for a short while.

CDT mile 1715.9, miles hiked 23.3

The park boundary along the snake river

Yellowstone national park, a place near and dear to my heart long before the idea of hiking the CDT ever crossed my mind.  When I was a teenager I was a mess, I ran around with some bad kids, got into some trouble and rebelled against my parents with everything I had.  But when I was 18 my parents insisted I go to college, so I said, “fine I’ll go west.”

I had my heart set on going to the University of Montana, so the fall of my senior year before I would leave for the Appalachian Trail in the spring my father and I took a trip to Montana to see the school and also while there we went to Yellowstone.  No my father and I are a lot alike so much so that for many years we wanted to kill each other at times, but that trip to Yellowstone changed all of that for us.

I have fond memories of driving the park road at early morning hours to watch the wildlife, a bison covered in hard frost still is as clear as the moment I saw it.  We visited the grizzly research center, old faithful, the lake, geysers, hot springs, mud pits and even took our picture on the continental divide.  To this day I think of that trip as the moment we finally understood each other and came to some sort of peace that I would live a different life than what they thought was best for me.

Wildflowers do well in the burned areas from the 1988 fires

Flash forward 8 years later and I again visited Yellowstone this time with both my parents, my sister Courtney and Suzy.  At Mammoth Hot Springs I got down on my knee and asked Suzy to be my wife.  Luckily she said yes otherwise it would have been one hell of an awkward week of vacation for everyone.  That trip was special as it was the trip where I will always remember Suzy seeing her first moose, and elk bugling in the fall air.  The long walks we took in the park and the two days we spent at old faithful watching geysers and hiking.
So today when I descended down from the lakes and crossed through a marsh at the headwaters of the Snake River, I knew a third chapter of my time in Yellowstone was about to begin.  When we hit the border all of the above memories came flooding back in, the park is a special place and this time I get to see it on foot, a more intimate way in my opinion.

Our first day in the park consisted of walking along the Snake River until it’s confluence with Heart river.  We had texted my good friend Tomato last night and he was able to get our permit changed so we could do a bigger hike in today.  So when we hit the boundary we had nine miles to hike.

The terrain was easy and we made quick time, there were flowers all around and Johnny was I awe.  For Cheezy and I, we just enjoyed the nice easy hiking and making noise to scare away bears.  We saw fresh bear tracks on the trail and pile of scat still wet and fresh, but no bear.

The snake river

We made camp by6 pm, enjoyed a soak in the creek and made some dinner.  We even had enough time for a quick fire before turning in for the night.

I’m excited for the next few days even though we are going slower than I like the park is so special I want to enjoy it.  The memories of the past will help build new memories for me and I can’t think of a place more American to share with my German friends than our first national park.  Tomorrow is my mothers 70th birthday so to her surprise I am going to hike into grant village so I can call her on her special day.

I look forward to sharing this Yellowstone experience with Suzy when I get home and also my Dad next time I see him.  I think he would really get a kick out of seeing these off the beaten path parts of the park.

Easy walking through flat terrain

Oh yeah and I didn’t go to university of Montana but instead Virgina Tech, so maybe that should be my lesson today, no matter what you desire don’t over plan your life but go with it, because sometimes the unexpected choice will make all the difference.

CDT mile1692.7, miles hiked 23.4

The parting of the waters

When I woke up I had a few more moments to chat with a SOBO who arrived late and camped with us, his trail name was St. John the Baptist.  He was a nice young guy who had hiked the PCT last year he let us know who was ahead.  Cheezy and I are about NOBO number 14&15 right now, a few friends have gotten ahead and we learned that Kenobi rolled his ankle in the Winds and it ended his hike.

The first miles this morning came easy the terrain was relatively flat and uneventful.  We did walk through some nice river valley and meadows and enjoyed the views of the granite peaks above.  At our first break, I was looking at my maps and noticed we would be passing the parting of the waters.  This is a very special spot on the CDT as you reach a spot where two ocean creek splits and you see water head to the Atlantic and the Pacific.  We were all excited to see this special spot.

SOBO’s are in full season, from Left to Right BlueSky, Allgood, and Toes

The three of us took a long hour lunch to let Johnny get some rest and also to dry out tents and bags from the previous night’s thunderstorm.  When we set off from our break Johnny lead us at a brisk 3+ mph.  About 1.5 miles from the parting of the waters we met 3 SOBO’s, it seems each day we meet a few more.

One of the guys was German and the Germans started having a long conversation.  The other guys knew some friends of mine so we chatted for a good 40 minutes.  They also informed me that I have 5 packages at Old Faithful, man it will be like Christmas for me.  After a good long talk, we all set off in our opposite directions.  They told us to make sure to take a zero in Lima and go to the bar where you get to cook your own steak, hell yeah!
A few miles later and we stood at the parting of the waters.  A cold mountain stream that flowed to a fork in the river the sign read Atlantic Ocean 3,488 miles, Pacific Ocean 1353.  It was cool to think that water I saw would flow to the Pacific and even some salmon I will catch will swim in water I saw go by.

Even tiny had a splash in the parting of the waters

We took a long break and cooked dinner on the spot.  After dinner I soaked my ankle and then the three of us loaded up for our 1800′ climb up to two ocean pass.  The climb was steep and about 3.5 miles but we made good time and enjoyed the views below.  We walked by the first of two lakes, number one was dry but the second held some water so we made camp and enjoyed some lake time before turning into our tents.

Two ocean pass

CDT mile 1669.3, miles hiked 22.8

The Pinnacles

We enjoyed some fresh coffee and freshly baked muffins at the lodge and then set off on our final stretch of highway to get back to the trail.  A few miles up the road we saw a road that leads to Brooks Lake where the trail went, it was a dirt road and we all agreed to get off the pavement and take that option.  Much to our surprise J Ley has it listed as a purple alternate so we were sort of back on trail already.

We arrived at Brooks Lake a lovely lake tucked up against the pinnacles, which are series of sharp Rocky peaks.  The smoke had mad a haze though so pictures didn’t work out too well.  We had done over 8 miles so we took our first break.  We sat at the water’s edge and soaked our feet and ankles.  Much to my surprise, the swelling in my ankle had gone down a lot and the pain was less than the past few days.  We snacked and then headed out.

Cheezy and Johnny enjoying Brooks Lake

The trail was pretty mellow, we passed some lakes, walked through meadows and enjoyed the granite peaks that were rising above us.  We stopped at Little Cub Creek for lunch, we spread out our tents and sleeping bags to dry out the condensation.  We had a leisurely lunch before hitting the trail and our last big climb of the day.
Even though we are doing fewer miles a day right now I was a bit sluggish after lunch so at 4:45 after going over 20 miles we stopped by a creek and while the others swam I laid down for a nap.  Man, letting Johnny get his trail legs is helping my body get back in shape and get well rested.  When I awoke we made dinner and then set off at 6 to do a few more miles.  We climbed up from the valley and had some great views of big granite peaks and the valley below.

Johnny enjoyed his first creek crossing

It started to rain as we climbed but none of us cared.  The rain was warm and gentle not like the icy cold downpours we had experienced already on the trail.  It’s nearly August and it finally feels like summer had arrived.  We walked until the rain stopped and then walked through a meadow and over a creek.  Since we had made our miles and it was Johnny’s second day we stopped hiking and made camp.

Johnny is a lot of fun and great guy he told me he felt great and could do more miles.  Cheezy and I chatted about plans after this week, we have decided when we reach Old Faithful they will decide if they can go back to doing the required 25-26mpd or if they will need to go slower.  If they need to go slower I’ll carry on with my hike solo for the time being and see if my friend Tatu-Jo can catch me in Leadore or some other town up the way.  Personally, I would love to finish the trail with Cheezy, we have hiked a lot of miles together and I have seen her grow so much personally that seeing her succeed with completing the trail would be a real reward.  Well, I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it in a few days until then more sleeping and napping is in my future!

CDT mile 1646.5, miles hiked 21

Road signs warned of heavy smoke and fires

As we sat at the church eating breakfast I knew it would be the last time I saw Buttercup on the CDT.  It’s weird to have walked with someone for so long and in a minute they are no longer there.  We talked about time after we are done, he is coming to Portland and we plan to get CDT tattoos while he’s there.  We also joked about getting our DNA results and how he will be French and I’ll be Moroccan.  We said our goodbyes and then Cheezy, Johnny and I headed to the post office to send our bounce boxes and then leave town.

Helicopters were dropping water all day

Since we had walked into Dubois our only option to keep continuous steps was to walk the highway 28 miles back to the CDT.  Since my ankle is cooked and its johnny’s first week we have decided to do lower mileage for the next seven days.  The boys had passed a place called lava mountain lodge on the highway 22 miles from town so we decided to go there for the first day and camp.

Smoke was the main show today

We headed up the highway, 2 hours in we had a break and ate lunch, after that I threw on the latest episode of the trail show and started moving pretty good, and an hour later I turned around and could no longer see Cheezy and Johnny, so I said ok let’s see what I can do.

Tie Hacks monument for the men who made rail road ties back in the day

For the next few hours I moved at about 4 mph, by 3:45 I reached our destination, walked in and sat in the lounge.  I had a cold beer and waited for the others to arrive.  An hour or so later the two of them rolled in.  Johnny had got his first blister but otherwise was in good spirits.  We had a few cocktails, an appetizer and then set up our tents in the back.

Dinner was a fish fry with hush puppies and man it was good.  We wrapped the evening up with a cold beer and watched the fire burn in the distance.

Lava Mountain Lodge