Daily Miles: 25.9, Total Miles: 2,426.3 A lot of elevation gain/loss today as the trail stayed true to the rocking and rolling Divide. I hiked on ridges all day starting with Black Mountain. From the top, the smoke looked like an incoming fog. I saw a van at the Granite Butte Lookout and stopped and chatted with the camper for awhile. He restocked my nearly empty water bottles. It was also nice to top off at a water cache at…
Daily Miles: 24.1, Total Miles: 2,399.4 Ryan got me back to Mcdonald Pass bright and early. By the time I had walked down the highway to head north, he called and told me I had left my rain jacket at the house. He came back out with the jacket and solar eclipse glasses. I got to give the grandkids a kiss and was on my way. Thanks son, sorry for the double trip. I hiked over relatively low Priest Pass…
Daily Miles: 0, Total Miles: 2,375.3 A very relaxing and pleasant day with my son and family. Homemade huckleberry pancakes for breakfast, prepped a bit for the upcoming fantasy football draft (my son is the league commissioner), and got a few supplies for the next leg. I had dropped the $5 earphones that I bought in Darby into a creek a few days ago. What was poor sound quality before was now hissing, popping and cracking. I replaced them today…
Daily Miles: 21.2, Total Miles: 2,375.3 I was all alone in the woods but this morning it smelled like I was in a campground with everyone burning fires. The sun had a hard time making an appearance as well. The solar eclipse may be a non-event in this part of Montana. I finally found water about ten miles down the road/trail this morning and kept on through the pine forests, logged areas and burns to McDonald Pass. My son, who…
Daily Miles: 27.0, Total Miles: 2,354.1 The smoky haze is increasing as I get closer to Helena. I heard from my son that the air quality there is not good. One of the highlights of the day was watching a mama and baby moose feeding at Cottonwood Lake. Mama got spooked as I got closer and they both splashed away. Late in the afternoon, I was hiking through a thick stand of small lodgepoles with poor visibility on either side….
Daily Miles: 30.6, Total Miles: 2,327.1 I walked out of Anaconda and past the old smelter and tailings pile as the sun came up. I continued roadwalking to Warm Springs, crossed under I-90, and hiked up a gravel road along the Clark Fork and then Cottonwood Creek for several miles until rejoining the official CDT at Four Corners. Unfortunately, I needed water and had to dip into the creek, which has heavy cow traffic. This long section was made more…
Daily Miles: 11.8, Total Miles: 2,296.5 I was dreading this morning’s roadwalk from Anaconda out to where I left off yesterday at Twin Lakes Road. But at least a light pack with only water bottles. It turned out to be not that bad on a cool morning. Only a slight elevation gain, and most miles were on gravel roads that paralleled Highway 1. Even better at the finish, I got picked up within five minutes by Connie, a painting contractor,…
Daily Miles: 12.1, Total Miles: 2,284.7 I thought it was chilly last night as I put my gloves on for the first time this morning. Confirmation was seeing a thin sheet of ice on a shallow pond soon after heading out. I hiked further around beautiful Storm Lake, climbed to a pass and then down to Twin Lakes, obscured by tall pines. Came to an obviously new trail that didn’t show up on my Guthook app or my maps. I…
Daily Miles: 24.8, Total Miles: 2,272.6 My favorite day so far in ID/MT although one of the toughest with three high passes – Cutaway, Rainbow Mountain and Storm Lake. I spent almost all day in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness with gorgeous lakes. Warren Lake was the tops, old-growth forests, and steep-faced, near vertical rock mountains. Took the Anaconda cutoff trail at Goat Flat and Storm Lake Pass. With dramatic views, I dropped down to Storm Lake for another late camp. Much…
Daily Miles: 27.5, Total Miles: 2,247.8 A terrific thunder and lightning show directly overhead late last night. I know some of those strikes were very close. I quickly entered the Antler-Pintler Wilderness and passed scenic Surprise Lake. In and out of new and old burn areas all day and got great views of the rugged and rocky Pintlers from Pintler Pass. I dropped down to pretty Johnson Lake and then chugged back up to Rainbow Pass at over 9,000 ft…
