Follow Strider's Rambles

Day 20

After rising, I walked to Lambkin’s Restaurant and ordered two fried eggs plus hash browns with peppers & onions. The food fulfilled my cravings! I also enjoyed several cups of hot coffee. Then Mamacita and Bugs Bunny arrived and sat with me. We chatted and shared stories in between completing tasks on our phones. I had another cup of coffee.

At the Wheel Inn, I packed my gear and gave my parents a call. My dad and sister were out fixing fence and saw a mountain lion; they excitedly shared the story. I cut the call short to hitch out with the others. Mamacita asked a guy who was pulling his pickup out of the inn. Tim gave us a ride back to Roger’s Pass, even though he’d only been heading home initially.

On the drive, Tim and Bugs Bunny chatted about hunting. From Mamacita, I learned that in Switzerland their rangers hunt elk and sell it to the public. Everyone eats the elk along with cranberries and all the other foods we have at Thanksgiving in the States.

Back on trail, I climbed far up out of the pass. It was a warm day and I felt sweat trickling as I reached the top. Then Montana came to my aid, cooler air buffeting me as I completed a long series of ridge walks.

After 13 miles, I reached an off-trail spring where I planned to camp. I was happily surprised to see my new friends there. They planned to go further, unfortunately Mamacita had a foot issue. She cut the back off the associated shoe and replaced it with duct tape, which seemed to help. I sympathized, I have a blister on my right pinky toe which is giving me grief. While I set up my tent, they celebrated shabbat. We chatted by our bear canisters before heading to bed.

Day 21

I woke to Mamacita taking down her tent. My tent site was rather sloped so I hadn’t slept the best, still I got up. Mamacita and I exchanged contact info, then she departed. I sat on a log, ate breakfast, and chatted with Bugs Bunny. 

When I hiked back to the trailhead, I saw a hiker getting out of a car and met Capital. It turned out that he and I hiked the AT and PCT in the same years. He is a CDT hiker, however his knee has been causing him pain so he plans to get off trail in Butte. Capital pointed out a water source that I had missed; it was noted in the comments for a trail junction. It reduced my water carry to 20 miles so I dumped one liter and chugged another; three liters felt better as a pack load.

The trail meandered up and down. In a burn area, I noticed a vast carpet of low-lying Whortleberry bushes and stopped to munch on several. They were perfectly ripe. Late morning I encountered Zookeeper taking a break and stopped to chat briefly. Like Bugs Bunny and Mamacita, he was hurrying to reach Helena by Sunday evening.

Near noon, I reached a possible water source. It was one I hadn’t counted on – noted as a trickle – but made a convenient lunch spot. Capital was there and we chatted. Afterwards, the trail wound through a ski area, blue arrows on the trees. On top of Granite Butte, there was a lookout tower, apparently rentable. I saw a truck and person inside.

At the junction to Nevada Creek, I caught up to Capital. We descended 0.4 miles to reach the water source, which I found running from a pipe that passed under the trail; it was plentiful and clear. There was flat ground nearby where we set up camp. We chatted while I ate dinner. Coming back from stashing my bear canister, I had a moment with a snowshoe hare. Then it was an early bedtime for me.

Day 22

The snowshoe hare reappeared while I was eating breakfast. It wiggled its cute nose and hopped to within eight feet of me. I wondered if it was trying to sniff what I was eating.

In the morning, the path – a mix of trail and road – was very rocky with steep ups and downs. It made walking tricky, especially as the torquing motion was hard on my injured right pinky toe. The road portion also had a lot of downfall, though it was easy to step over or walk around.

Around 1 pm, I reached the day’s water source, a circular cattle trough filled by clear water from a pipe. A calf watched me curiously as I collected and filtered water. Afterwards, the walking was easier. Well, my right foot hurt, but it was all dirt road walking for the rest of the day and most of it was soft, smooth roads.

I camped on soft ground at the base of a cluster of pine trees. A snowshoe hare hopped around my tent. I called my parents for a quick chat. Tomorrow my dad is going to bring my resupply and take me into Helena. I’m excited to see him!

Day 23

I got on trail at 6 am, my earliest start to date, as I was highly motivated to meet my dad at MacDonald Pass. The day started with road walking then transitioned to pasture land that echoed my parent’s ranch. On the last climb, there were trees with vibrant green moss and, up top, a collection of radio towers.

At the MacDonald Pass recreation area, I settled on a rock to wait for my dad. A vehicle pulled in; the driver recognized me as a thru-hiker. I met Opa, dad of Lumos, a NoBo hiker who is finishing last year’s hike. Opa gave me a V8 and chair to sit in. From Phoenix, he drives his son’s vehicle, which I signed, to support him along the trail. We chatted until my dad pulled up.

It was so fun to see my dad on trail! He is always supporting me, though from afar, via excellent handling of my resupply boxes. In person was the best! He had a resupply box, extra items I had requested, and fun surprises: ranch grown veggies & eggs, tiny strawberries from the greenhouse, and a Costco sized bag of Jalapeño Lime chips (a family favorite). He drove me to MTBCity, my in-town lodging, and we chatted while I organized.

After a hug, my dad took off to get a late lunch. I hung out in the shade structure, eating and chatting with fellow thru-hiker Steam Engine. In the late afternoon, we watched an impressive rainstorm roll through the site, accompanied by a little thunder. The smell of wet vegetation was lovely. When I retired to my tent, I found it dry and cozy, the sandy pad warm despite the recent rain.

Day 24

For my first trail zero day, I spent the majority of it chilling in the shade structure, airing my feet. My right pinky toe’s blister finally dried and its tenderness lessened. I took a luxurious hot shower and chatted for a long time with my sister.

In the early evening, I felt restless so I borrowed a loaner bike and rode to Big Dipper Ice Cream. I got two scoops: cardamom – tasty – and Mexican chocolate – even tastier! The shop was on a cute downtown street. While I ate, I listened to live music. The vocalist did a good rendition of 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,  one of my favorite Paul Simon songs.