Follow Strider's Rambles

Day 10

This morning I was contemplating arising when Lucy noticed me awake and asked if I wanted hot coffee. I was up in an instant! We sat in a booth and talked about her travels. She started her journey in 2017 and her goal is to walk the length of the Americas! When asked, Lucy said Peru was her favorite country. I was curious about the Atacama Desert in Argentina, where it turns out she did a lot of night hiking. Her dog Wombat was a super sweetie! Their adventures can be found at tanglesandtail.com.

Wendy and I left in a rush, hurrying to mail a box – with our traction and her Ursack – before Wyatt picked us up. He and his wife drove us to Marias Pass. This time we headed south and into the Bob. My pack felt good, even though it held my bear canister filled with seven days food.

The terrain was a mixture of gentle ups and downs with occasional blow downs and plentiful creek crossings. There were a lot of pines and wildflowers along with evidence of a past burn. Early on we encountered a SoBo named Pub, who had turned around due to a muscle strain or stress fracture injury that was getting worse.

The hiking would have been pleasant had Wendy not felt radial pain along the edges of both feet. She moved slowly to compensate, eventually reducing the pain to one foot with careful step placement. I’d get out of sight for a couple miles then wait for her to catch up. Emotionally I vacillated between acceptance and frustration, in support of my friend yet eager to go now that we can camp anywhere.

In the end, we stopped short of our goal mileage, at a pleasant campsite adjacent to South Fork Two Medicine River. I didn’t mind, Wendy was obviously tired and I was hungry, though once we stopped I felt tired as well.

Day 11

After breakfast, we discussed our options and walked a short distance south before turning around to hike back to East Glacier. There was a lot of wilderness ahead and Wendy’s foot was not better. Her advice to a patient would be to rest the injury.

We arrived at Marias Pass in the afternoon. Wendy approached a couple rangers, in charge of a trail work crew, for a ride back to town. It was fun chatting with them about their experiences in Glacier and other national parks. They dropped us at the hostel, which had a bunch of new faces.

I chatted with my parents and helped Wendy arrange travel to Bozeman, where my Dad kindly offered to pick her up. It turned out that I still had 5ish days of food. Wendy let me pick through what was left of her food and that brought me to my desired eight days worth. An exposed wire gap in my iPhone charging cable finally broke… so glad it didn’t happen in The Bob! I found a replacement in one of the hiker boxes.

Wendy and I got delicious veggie bowls from the Island Thyme food truck and split a tiny cabin to escape the bustle of the main hostel space. I’m grateful she joined me on the CDT. It was fun to hike together once again. Wendy has a gentle and perceptive way of interacting with the world that is a joy to be around.

Day 12

Wendy caught an early shuttle to Whitefish. After breakfast and hot coffee, I dawdled over miscellaneous tasks. The sky was a dark blue to the south and I saw a rainbow. I inquired, but no one else was hiking into The Bob. My new plan is to hike eight 20 mile (average) days to Lincoln; skipping Augusta to make up time and avoid what sounds like a challenging hitch.

Eventually I walked to Hwy 2 and held up a cardboard sign. I quickly got a ride from a nice rancher named Al Boyd. He takes tourists on horse rides. When he dropped me at Marias Pass, he shook my hand and said to visit if I am in the area in the future.

Since I was walking the same section of trail for the third time, I put on an audio book. It was an overcast day as opposed to the prior sunny and partly sunny ones. I moved along at a brisk pace, stopping for lunch and water. Several times the sky let loose a light, brief rain shower. I startled a ruffed grouse with several young ones. She stood in the trail, trying to distract me, so I walked around opposite to where her babies had gone.

At Whiterock Creek, I almost camped, yet it didn’t appeal. I pushed on for another mile before I was caught in a downpour. Quickly I erected my tent in a flattish patch of low vegetation. It was not my best work, but I got it up and shoved my pack in the vestibule. I sat in the door, my pants now damp, shoes & socks soaked. Luckily the squall passed fairly quick; I re-did a stake and made all the lines more taught. Then I placed my bear canister a distance off and got cozy inside.

Day 13

During the night, I put on my down hood. I saw why when I woke up… my tent was covered in frost, inside & out. I was reluctant to get up, knowing it involved putting on damp socks and sliding my feet into semi-frozen shoes. Fortunately, there was a ranger cabin 0.6 miles away. I decided to eat my breakfast on its porch. When I arrived, I found it dry and receiving the full force of the sun. While I ate, I laid my tent and other items out to dry. I even got buzzed by a hummingbird!

Another hiker described it as a car wash, walking along the trail getting your lower legs and shoes soaked by wet brush. Luckily my pants dry quickly and by mid-afternoon dried the vegetation. It did mean my feet were damp all day.

The morning offered the best vistas. The trail zigzagged up a ridge then wove along its top, which I loved. Eventually it dropped down to crystal clear Lee Creek, where I sat on a hollowed out log to filter water. For a ways the trail followed the creek, the brilliant green vegetation dotted with rounded white rocks. At the next creek crossing, I ate lunch and set out my solar panel.

As I approached Muskrat pass, there were a bunch of mud patches and I observed a lot of bear tracks. I put on country music to warn critters of my approach. A motion caught my eye, it was a tiny Western Toad, the size of my thumb nail, adorable! Then I reached the pass, which marks the northern border of the Bob Marshall Wilderness. I camped about a mile later, just south of Beaver Lake. I saw no one all day.