CDT Day 143: Spotted Bear Alternative

Daily Miles: 27.7, Total Miles: 2,561.2

Very early this morning, I was awoken by something walking very close to my tent. I yelled and smacked the side of the tent and heard what I thought may be two deer run away. They came right back and clopped around the tent, chewing on trees and bushes and making a lot of noise. My fear was that they get caught up in the tent guy lines and send the stakes flying. I leaned out of the tent and put the headlamp on them – two sets of beady doe eyes. I got out of the tent and tossed a few rocks at them, regretting that I hit one. But they did run off – and came right back two minutes later. These deer have no fear. I finally gave up and tried to go back to sleep – let the does have their fun.

One mile in, I turned onto the Spotted Bear River Trail, an alternative trail in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Took me to the headwaters of the Spotted Bear River. I followed the river downstream for about eight miles, most of it shaded by thick, old-growth forest. A bonus was the abundant huckleberries.

I turned at Pentagon Clack Creek and climbed 3,000 ft to Switchback Pass. Great views but more alarming was a nearby forest fire racing across the treetops and pumping out smoke. The obviously new fire was not yet blocking my path. I quickly headed down the switchbacks, then back up to Dean Lake and down the other side.

At the next stream, I met two SOBO hikers that seemed familiar – Turtle and Willow whom I met on the PCT – small world!

The next event shortly thereafter was I fell down going down a hill – happened so fast I couldn’t break the fall with my hands. Landed hard on one knee, then directly on my chest with the backpack pushing my face into the ground. Mouthful of dirt and banged up but I seemed to be OK.

I kept going late into the afternoon and early into the evening and started seeing more and more fresh bear scat on the trail. Not a good place to camp. I rounded a corner into a green tunnel of trees on both sides of the trail and yelled out, “Hey bear!”. I instantly heard a thump of something heavy hitting the ground and then a loud, unearthly screech, followed by something crashing through the tree branches. Unmistakably, a mountain lion – and I was so focused on grizzly bears! Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

I checked the Guthook app for what was ahead and found the Gooseberry Guard Station Cabin was only one mile ahead. Not quite a 4-minute mile, I forded a river and got to the cabin at 9pm. No one at home so I cowboy camped on the front porch. Beautiful view of the mountains and night sky and I was somewhat comforted by having a wall behind me. The only noise that night was the resident mouse trying to steal anything that wasn’t nailed down.