Follow Strider's Rambles

Day 40

Rudy and Fifteen caught a 6 am shuttle back to the trail. Swampy and I were up not long after, however we had to wait until 9 am for The Depot restaurant to open, so long! Fortunately there was plenty to do. I chatted with my parents and went through my resupply box. Finally it was breakfast time and I devoured a veggie and cheese omelet, hash browns, and 3-4 cups of coffee.

Back at the inn, Swampy decided to zero. In the past couple days, her foot developed an odd wound that will need time to air out and heal. (Mark, one of our hosts, recommended yarrow, which I did not realize had medicinal properties.) Though I enjoyed hiking with her, I finally developed trail legs on the section to Leadore. Plus I felt rejuvenated by town food… therefore, not ready for a zero. Swampy also enjoyed hiking with me, but did not expect me to stay. We’ll keep in touch and perhaps hike together again.

At noon, I got a ride from Jen back to Bannock Pass. She traded me for a NoBo hiker headed into Leadore. As I began the long, yet gradual, climb out of the pass I contemplated the trail and how it is different from the other two in the triple crown. Most of the NoBo hikers that I’ve met on trail have been solo. People seem less willing to compromise their pace for others, willing to be alone. I’m an example myself.

I fought a strong cross wind for most of the climb. Dark clouds loomed and rolled past, letting loose the barest precipitation and giving way to sunshine now and then. At the top, I was just below Elk Mountain, the highest point so far on trail, ~10,100 ft. From there, I descended to a spring where I filtered water and ate dinner. Another 1.5 miles and I found a spot, out of the wind, to camp.

Day 41

While eating breakfast, I heard breaking branches and looked over to see a small herd of cows. They gazed cautiously at me. Despite being mostly sunny, there was a cool breeze so I wore multiple layers as I hiked dirt roads along exposed ridges. Eventually the trail descended to a small spring.

Near sparkling blue Morrison Lake, I met Rattler, an elderly NoBo. He and I chatted, discovering a shared disdain for those who continually skip trail sections yet still call it a thru-hike. On the far edge of the lake, I stopped for lunch. Then it was back to dirt road hiking, though across grassland with grazing cattle and multiple creeks.

Finally, around 4 pm, the road became trail once again, much to my relief. And excitedly, I saw a black bear ambling across an exposed rocky hillside!! My first bear sighting since Glacier National Park! A short time later, I encountered a familiar face, the Unicycling Unicorn. He rolled his unicycle at his side and was excited to hear of a long section of dirt roads ahead.

The day featured a couple more critter sightings! On a sunny hillside, a Western Terrestrial Garter Snake lay across the path. Afterwards the trail took me on another ridge traverse, this one marked by cairns and posts, the trail a faint line that I occasionally lost. As evening fell, I descended into a valley. I sat to filter water from a creek and heard an odd series of hoots. A young elk ran across a hill. It was joined by several adult elk and another young one. A short distance later, I camped in a flat spot under sheltering pine trees.

Day 42

Waking from a good night’s sleep, I was slow to leave my sleeping bag so I got a late start. The sky was entirely overcast. After 2.5 miles, I passed a small lake and turned uphill. A post in a squat rock cairn marked the way and a long-tailed weasel popped out of the rocks! It played peek-a-boo with me, seemingly quite curious. The weasel was absolutely adorable and I was delighted by the encounter.

On dirt roads, I met two NoBo hikers, one prior to and one shortly after the unimpressive Harkness Lakes. Feeling mildly low on energy, I stopped beside a creek for a coffee break. It gave me a surge of energy. At another creek crossing, I spied a campsite and took a lunch break. It felt luxurious to sit on a bench vs. a rock or the ground.

Earlier the day became sunny and the early afternoon offered striking vistas of tree dotted hills with mountains beyond and clouds above. I saw two pronghorn in a field. The top of a long yet gradual climb offered a view of Deadman Lake. It was an intriguing turquoise color. The trail descended to Deadman Creek and brought me alongside the lake before climbing again via a series of switchbacks.

Day 43

The final portion of the day was again dirt roads along ridges and across cattle grazing land. The road ascents and descents were steep and I contemplated how the CDT’s terrain is a mixture of the PCT and AT. I ended up hiking my longest day to date on the trail, 26.2 miles. Unfortunately there were no great tent sites. To get out of the wind, I dropped 30 ft. below the road level and made do with a spot next to a patch of trees. I eagerly ate dinner while I set up my tent.

Well, my makeshift spot turned out to be more sloped than I realized, though I slept okay. One benefit to being on a ridge straightaway was that it got early morning sun. I soaked in the warmth. Before descending into a forested valley, I stopped at a cattle tank to collect water from the inlet pipe.

Mid-day I observed a geological feature, a neat rumpled hill of russet rock named the Red Conglomerate. Following lunch, I chatted with a NoBo named Zeb. It was his first long trail and he was over hill climbs; I encouraged him not to give up.

One thing I appreciate is that a lot of the trail gates have fence ladders nearby, which I climb instead of dealing with the gates. I’d like to construct a fence ladder on my parent’s ranch. In the afternoon, I got off trail several times, though never far. Mostly it was confusing cattle trails with the actual trail, though a couple times the trail faded out at an unmarked turn.

The last five miles were a gradual climb, which I liked, followed by a bunch of steep ups & downs, which frustrated me. One 1/2 mile from my goal, I was stopped by a super chatty NoBo, named Rocky, from Lithuania. Eventually I had to cut him short as I was ready to end my day. Though I get it, that’ll probably be me in a couple months if I keep hiking solo.

At my destination, an off-trail spring, a NoBo named ThatBrunette had set up her tent. She invited me to camp next to her, which I did. We chatted and I enjoyed the company.

Day 44

In the night I heard cows and coyotes, and right at dawn, the bugling of an elk. When I started out, I was still annoyed with the steep ups and downs, but watching a group of birds flit over the tops of sagebrush awakened me to the beauty of my surroundings. Slowly the hills flattened out and the last eight miles were a road walk to and along I-15. Luckily I had my Mistborn audiobook.

I attempted to hitch into Lima, however it was tough on the interstate. After 30 minutes, I called the Beaverhead Inn and requested a shuttle. Tori was there 45 minutes later. She and her husband recently bought the inn and have been remodeling it. They host a lot of CDT hikers and Great Divide cyclists. I picked up my resupply box and camped in a grassy area out back.

Fifteen texted that he left Lima earlier that morning. I was disappointed as I hoped to catch up to him. Still, I thought of Andor and the rebel’s phrase “I have friends everywhere” because I chatted away with Buffalo Bill, a NoBo from the Czech Republic. He told me about Colorado, how he post-holed through snow and got fleeting frostbite. It made me even happier to be a SoBo!

My town food craving was ice cream. Happily, the Exxon gas station carried locally produced pints, from Reed’s Dairy in Idaho Falls. The strawberry cheesecake flavor was delicious! Though no showers were available, us hikers and bikers were given access to the inn’s laundry room which had a bathroom, wash sink, and charging outlets. On the minimal side, yet it satisfied my needs.