Daily Miles: 15.3, Total Miles: 42.1 A quiet night, not surprising since I was the only human there. I set off on the Brown Pass Trail on what was still a fairly clear day despite the ongoing fires in ID, WA and nearby Whitefish. I passed by scenic Lake Janet and then on to Lake Francis, a side trip but so well worth it. On the side trail I surprised a large buck with antlers in velvet, he obviously didn’t…
Daily Miles: 14.1, Total Miles: 26.8 I left Glenns Lake and headed up Stoney Indian Pass Trail paralleling the Mokowanis River with Pyramid Peak a prominent feature. From pretty Atsina Lake, stunning waterfalls and cascades galore! A relatively steep uphill to Stoney Indian Pass was made more challenging by “wading” through 5′ plus tall green bushes, some with ripe thimbleberries. The vegetation was so thick at times, I couldn’t see my feet. Over the pass, I made my way down…
Daily Miles: 12.7, Total Miles: 12.7 Teresa got me to St Mary’s and I was second in line at the backcountry office. I watched the bear video, passed the “test” and we were back on the road a little after 8am. What a nice, sunny and relatively clear morning! At Chief Mountain, I took the customary pics at the border signs and on the walk back was soon quickly questioned by a border patrol agent on whether I had “stepped…
I flew into Kalispell MT yesterday and was picked up by an old friend who lives in Whitefish. He has recently sold his house there and is in the process of moving and now doing the “deep clean”. After a nice Italian dinner and bottle of red, we headed to his girlfriend’s house who graciously offered a spare bedroom. I forget to mention that the air quality was absolutely horrible, smoke from ID and WA fires now compounded by a…
After our Greece/Turkey trip in May, we left on a long road trip later in June to escape the desert heat and re-visit some old haunts and explore some new areas. Our first stop was Durango where we took some long bike rides, kayaked and fished in Vallecito Lake and got some good hikes in on Lime Mesa in the Weminuche Wilderness and Bear Creek near Ouray. Salida, Colorado was our next stop, originally on my “places to retire to”…
As mentioned in my Pacific Northwest Trail – 2026 introduction, I plan to start the trail (PNT) this year, in fact, I am leaving this weekend! Not only has the PNT been on my list for many years, it is also my last “piece” to finish the 7,000-mile Great Western Loop. I’ll start at Chief Mountain/Belly River Trail in Glacier National Park where I finished the Continental Divide Trail in 2017. I only have time this year to knock out…
I meant to provide a wrap-up to my Desert Winter Thru-Hike adventure a bit sooner but I just wasn’t up to it. Ellie, our nearly 11-year-old black lab passed away nearly three weeks ago from a rare rapid-onset cancer. I fortunately was able to spend some real quality time with her after my return. She was the sweetest lab we’ve ever had – she never met a dog or person she didn’t immediately want to be best friends with. She…
Daily Miles: 24.1, Total Miles: 793.1 After completing the DWTH and strolling into Yucca Valley, I had a rest and some good meals before hiking the connector piece to the PCT. As a movie theater was right next door to the hotel, I even saw a movie although my primary interest was heavily buttered popcorn. Weird and kind of spooky, I was the only person in the theater for the entire movie. I was confused by the ending of the…
Daily Miles: 22.0, Total Miles: 769.1 I woke up about 2am to something walking by my tent. With good moonlight, I could see an animal slowly making its way along, I’m thinking a bighorn or maybe a deer. Wow, what a gorgeous morning and sunrise over the rocks and Joshua trees! I continued up the scenic Boy Scout Trail and exited JTNP at Indian Cove. The Desert Winter Thru-Hike is officially done! But my hike continues because of my intent…
Daily Miles: 18.0, Total Miles: 747.1 Another early start on what was expected to be a long, warm day hiking west and then north through Joshua Tree National Park. My first observations were many more footprints on the trail and then the very impressive, tall Joshua trees, so much larger than the yucca plants I have been seeing for a few hundred miles. I made my way to Park Road and retrieved my last water cache, before once again setting…
