Follow Strider's Rambles

Day 34

Our hosts, Max and Tina, had rafting plans so we left their house at 7 am. On the way, Max stopped at Fluffy Butt bakery, where a local lady has baked goods and chicken themed items available for purchase on an honor system. Everything looked tasty, but was of course glutinous. Swampy enjoyed her scone. Tina gave us mugs of hot coffee to drink on the drive, which was treat enough for me. They dropped us off at the Chief Joseph trailhead. I said goodbye with a heart full of gratitude.

The trail eased us back in with a six mile road walk. After a recent dearth of animals, I saw an elk with large antlers. The sky darkened and a light rain fell, not enough to need a jacket. Halfway through the day we stopped at a spring for lunch. Afterwards, the trail wound along the edge of hillsides. It was pleasant hiking. For a while, the sky again darkened and there were rumbles of thunder. However, no storm materialized or we out-hiked it.

Not too long before Big Hole Pass, I saw a badger coming down the trail. It paused and we stared at one another, then it turned and ran back the way it came. Yay, another critter! I saw people picking huckleberries at the pass. A mile later, I entered a long stretch of forest full of huckleberries and currants. I ate so many huckleberries!

There was an old cabin where we planned to camp. I arrived and ate dinner, then set up my tent. When Swampy hadn’t arrived, I got worried, usually she is not far behind me. I gave it an hour and was about to pack up and go searching, when she showed up. Swampy had missed a turn, realized it and thought the road she was on would reconnect, only it hadn’t and eventually she had to turn back; a 2.6 mile detour. Bummer!

There were log seats across from the cabin and it was a pleasant evening, no mosquitos or rain. I kept Swampy company while she ate dinner. We had just climbed into our tents when a voice called out a hello. It was Jan! He recounted his adventures at Camp Sula and his attempt to get a hitch back from Darby. After the three of us caught up, he went inside the ramshackle cabin to check it out.

Day 35

While Swampy and I thought the cabin was creepy and pitched our tents off to the side, Jan slept inside in his tent. We assembled in the dining area. Swampy and I ate our breakfast and Jan chatted with us. I drank coffee, knowing we had a high effort day ahead, 5,500 foot gain total.

The first creek crossing had sloped rocks that looked awfully slippery. I attempted them, but ended up sliding into the shallow creek when the trekking pole I leaned into for support compressed itself. I do adjust them daily for tent setup and one segment was loose. It turned out that Swampy also slid into the creek so we both had wet feet to start the day.

Straightaway, we climbed 3,400 feet over seven miles before the trail flattened to wander hillsides. On the lower half, I snacked on huckleberries. I saw a mom and fawn mule deer plus a snowshoe rabbit. At the top, Swampy and I took a lunch break beside a gurgling spring surrounded by pink flowers. We dried our feet in the intermittent sun and I did a little solar charging.

Thirteen miles into the day, I crossed into Idaho. It’s my first time backpacking in the state! It was a beautiful terrain day with passes, live forest, and lakes. My favorite lake was Upper Slag-a-Melt Lake. It had a vibrant blue color and such a unique name. At Lena Lake, I stopped to wait for Swampy and Jan called my name. He intended to go over the next pass and camp, however when I told him we were camping at the lake two miles ahead, he decided to camp with us.

At the tiny lake (which was full of spotted frogs!), Swampy and I arrived to find Jan tending a fire on the shore. We set up our tents then joined him to eat and chat by the fire. Even after Swampy went to bed, Jan and I stayed up chatting. It was nice to see the moon and stars in the sky.

Day 36

I slept poorly. It was a chilly night and morning; we all woke to tent condensation. Luckily the climb to the first saddle warmed me right up. And it was gorgeous, tumbled rocks and narrow creeks winding through low shrubs, mountains beyond. On the second saddle, the three of us took a break to dry our gear in bright sunlight.

The saddles were followed by two Rock Island Lakes, the upper of which had an island. The lower might have, I didn’t verify. In fact, I felt a little low energy until I mixed electrolytes, that made me perky. Then I encountered a large group of people with fishing poles and dogs, headed to Ridge Lake.

There was a pleasant climb through trees with a long series of switchbacks. I listened to my latest audiobook, the first Mistborn book. A short distance into the descent, I halted beside a creek for a late lunch. Jan, who I thought was ahead, ambled up and stopped to chat. He’d reserved a bunk at the Mustang Inn and gave me all the details.

Late afternoon, I met a NoBo named Top Gun. We’ve been seeing more NoBo’s recently, most  solo. A bit later, I saw a brown flank and hoped it was a moose, however it turned out to be a cow, one of a small herd. The trail then took me through a sagebrush filled meadow before heading back into forest. Swampy and I had decided to dry camp near a trail junction. I set up my tent and was partway through dinner when she joined me. Since I had service, I reserved us two bunks at the Mustang Inn.

Day 37

After my morning oatmeal, I drank coffee and then shot up the trail. Three miles later I reached a stream and stopped to filter water. I met a NoBo hiker who was chatty (most of them are not, heads down toward their goal). She talked about walking through snow in the San Juan mountains.

Then came a series of ascents, getting ever taller. On the approach to the first one, I saw a couple marmots and heard a pika. The top overlooked a valley full of pine trees. I took a snack break and made use of cell service. Next I topped a steep divide that towered over a shallow lake. The trail followed the ridge ever upward and reached 9,700 feet. I admired a rock covered in yellow and orange lichen.

At Goldstone Pass, I took a dirt road to a meadow spring. The spring was tricky to collect from and I made use of my mesh strainer to prevent algae from clogging my filter. After I gathered a couple liters, I ate lunch. Back on trail, as I climbed yet again, I contemplated the small challenges of thru-hiker life and how fulfilling it is to overcome them and live surrounded by nature.

A long ridge descent took me back amongst pine trees. Dark clouds threatened and the sky rumbled, yet only a few drops fell. At a flat spot near a dirt road, I ate my lentil quinoa dinner. Afterwards I set my tent up, tucking it beneath the branches of a scraggly pine tree. About 1.5 hours later, Swampy joined me. We were both relieved that the rain did not materialize. It was another 22 mile day.

Day 38

I slept well for the first time since Darby. After breakfast, Swampy and I went in search of water down a nearby dirt road.  It was a chilly morning so I hiked in my puffy. We found a stream winding through a meadow and sat to filter in the sun. Rather than retracing our steps, we continued a couple miles along the road, until it intersected the CDT.

At Lemhi Pass, a nice couple from California gave me water, saving me the 1/2 mile walk to the Sacajawea Memorial. The couple went in search of a NoBo hiker and I took a snack break. Soon Swampy arrived and I directed her to the couple’s water tank. It was late morning, yet we made coffee, fuel for coming hills. Swampy dried wet gear (her tent had morning condensation, mine did not) and I solar charged my phone.

In the afternoon, I encountered several trail goers, the most memorable was the Unicycling Unicorn. He said he hiked the first half of the trail and planned to unicycle the remainder, with only 200 miles to go. He wore a bicycle helmet to which he had attached a horn. I had no idea how he kept his balance on the rocky, dirt road. As for the terrain, the hill climbing was mainly via dirt roads with a few views. The miles passed quickly; I listened to a book.

A NoBo, named Sin Nombre, and I exchanged water intel. The day’s last water source was a clear, piped spring surrounded by pink monkeyflowers and yellow daisies. While I waited for Swampy, I sat in the sun and drank cold water. Then we hiked four miles along a rolling ridge line with fantastic views and camped on a flat hill top.

Day 39

It was a short day, only 13.6 miles to Bannock Pass! As much as I love the wilderness, town days are also exciting with their promise of a shower and food. The hiking was mainly downhill. I left the ridge behind, hiked through green forest, across grassland, and on into a dry forest with piles of beetle kill. At the pass, I had no service so I used my Garmin to request a shuttle. While I waited, a car pulled up and a lady let two Corgis out for a pee break. I happily petted one; the other barked at my pack.

Swampy had immaculate timing, arriving just as our shuttle pulled up. The driver, Jen, was a school teacher in Leadore and told us about the tiny, 100 person town. I realized the road she drove along was the same one that I drove between Leadore and Lima, when I dropped off boxes pre-trail. At the Mustang Inn, she showed us around. We were in the upstairs bunk room, which had two other occupants: Jan and a Canadian NoBo named Rudy.

There was a scale in the bathroom and we all weighed ourselves; everyone had lost weight. Swampy and I were each down about 10 pounds. Jan lost the most, 30 pounds. When Swampy asked what that was in kilograms, he said 15 water bottles. Haha! Then Rudy tried to buy my bear canister off me, but I’d grown rather fond of it. Plus, it’s not mine to give, it belongs to my friend Noel.

Swampy and I walked to the Stage Stop, the town’s only convenience store, attached to a gas station. We got dinner food and returned to the Mustang Inn to eat in the backyard. I supplemented with hot tea and watermelon slices, courtesy of the inn’s kitchen. It was a pleasant evening, the two of us chatted with the guys. Swampy gave Jan his new trail name of Fifteen, referencing our new system of measurement.