Stormy Weather part 2 Land of puds CDT mile 2119.1 to mile 2463.8 To Anaconda alternate mile 26 August 5th-22nd

The 5th of August, I awoke early and broke camp. I hiked out a little before 5:30, Dosu, Redfish, and Hobo Max had yet to stir; Sea Legs was already gone. The early morning was a beautiful exposed ridgewalk through the short grass with the first rays of dawn peaking over the mountain tops. It was gorgeous, and quiet. I reveled in the solitude as I strolled along, breathing the crisp air, it’s hard to describe the way a solitary early morning on a mountain top feels. Wild, free, peaceful? All these things are there but so much more: an undercurrent of rightness, maybe? I don’t know the words to explain it but it’s magical. I strolled along enjoying the moment until it was time to descend from the ridge line and cross a valley. I passed Sea Legs along the way and we said our good mornings before each returning to our solitary trek.

The day went on much like the others. I hiked on and on. I walked through forests and meadows crossed burned areas and waded creeks and streams. The trail wound in and out and around. It vanished occasionally and I would have to bushwhack until I could find it again. Lumber came from somewhere and passed me by mid-morning. Around noon Dosu came by at a steady jog. I was stopped at a stream a little before 430 when Hobo Max and Redfish passed. I met a couple of sobos that were getting water at the creek and we chatted a bit. The forest service was keeping sheep up there in the meadows as some kind of experiment and I had seen the signs but no sheep, then I suddenly ran into a dog. I was wondering how a stray got all the way out there when I heard baaing and realized that it was one of the sheepdogs in charge of keeping the sheep safe. I topped a small rise and saw hundreds of sheep crossing a meadow with 4 or 5 more dogs running around them. There weren’t any people so, I guess the dogs are in charge.

For some strange reason the trail turned right, walked around the meadow, climbed a hill. came down the hill, turned left and came back to the other side of the meadow. I followed it and then entered the trees. I found Redfish talking to some sobos that had started in New Mexico and then went home for a while when it snowed and then flipped to Canada and started again. There are so many of them this year. These two had met Redfish way back in Lordsburg. I greeted them and then hiked on by. About a mile and a half later I found Dosu, Hobo Max, and Lumber camped in the spot where I had planned to stop for the night so I joined them. We were about 12 miles from the interstate where we could take a shuttle into Lima Montana. I doubted I’d make it for the one at 9 but planned on catching the 11:30 one into town. We were camped at mile 2152.9 a 33.8 mile day.

The following morning on the 6th I woke up before the rest and headed out. I was already hiking as the sun started to wake up and was making decent time. After about 5 miles I was looking at information about Lima on guthooks and realized the shuttle ran at 930 not 9 and if I hurried I could make it. So I took off at a dog trot. Running with a pack is definitely not my thing. I’ll never forget the pack runs I was forced to do during my time in the Marine Corps all those years ago. Funnily enough, When I got out I swore I’d never carry a pack again. But it’s amazing what I’ll do for pancakes and coffee so off I trotted. I won’t say I sat any records but I did make it to the interstate at 915 just as the shuttle was pulling up. It discharged a gaggle of Sobos and I climbed in. Sam the driver is also the owner of the only hotel in town. I was planning on taking advantage of the free camping at the gas station, (the only store in town). But Sam knows his clientele, he looked me up and down “get up early and run to the shuttle?” he asked while his super friendly dog climbed in my lap for some ear scratching “I got a room all ready to go, you can have it and get a shower right away” It was 930 in the morning and I could go ahead and check in, awesome. Wait free camping. ” the cafes right across the street, you can grab breakfast there.” I was lost and he knew he had me. He didn’t even ask just drove straight to the hotel office. I didnt mind at all. I loved that little motel. The rooms were weirdly shaped with dark paneling and huge bathrooms. The TVs were an afterthought stuck up on top of a tall bookcase. Outlets were in strange spots with cheap electric cords running from them. There was a hiker box in the office where people had left things they didn’t need so anybody could pick them up. I found a cheap raincoat in it and took it with me. I had breakfast, bought snacks at the gas station, and picked up my box from the post office all by 11 am. I was happily lying in bed watching the travel channel when I got a text from Sea Legs asking if I had an extra bed. I did; there was a full and a Twin in the room. So she moved in. Dosu, Redfish, Lumber, And Hobo Max were all splitting a room just a few doors down. We relaxed the rest of the day not doing much of anything. :CDT mile 2164.7 an 11.8 mile day.

The 7th, Sea Legs and I went over to the cafe for breakfast around 7 figuring we’d eat and then catch the 9 am shuttle back to the trail. She ordered pancakes and pie and I ordered biscuits and gravy and pie. It took almost an hour and a half to get the food. We spent the time drinking coffee and chatting with other hikers. Slowbro was getting off trail because he was feeling unwell and Slinky was getting on trail, he had actually come out to hike from Lima to the border with Slowbro, but since Slowbro was now getting off he was going solo. I finally made it back to the room around 840, jammed everything into my pack, and made it to the 9 am shuttle. Sea Legs and Slinky were also headed out; everyone else had decided to catch the noon shuttle.

We got off and crossed under the interstate. It was over 12 miles to the next water source. This part of the trail followed along the Idaho Montana border, crossing frequently and was famous for PUDS or pointless up and downs. Just imagine a roller coaster. All the sobos we saw told us we were in for some rough hiking. The puds were steep as we climbed up and down but the terrain was beautiful it was short scrubland and we were on ridges so the views were mesmerizing. We actually made decent time. I hiked with Slinky that day and the miles went by quickly. We made it to where water was marked on the map and there was an arrow made out of bones pointing to the right down a hill, we walked that way until we could hear water running. We found it coming out of a pipe running into a cow trough and drank our fill then filled up our bottles and continued on. We hiked up hill and down until we descended into a valley where there was a stream crossing a relatively open meadow. We decided to set up camp there by the water. Shortly after setting up Redfish, Lumber, Dosu, and Hobo Max ran by continuing on into the evening. Slinky and I ate dinner and retired to our tents. A little before 9 Sea Legs arrived and set up nearby.

The 8th of August I was walking by headlamp as the sun began to wake. Sea Legs has left shortly before me and Slinky was eating breakfast as I left camp. I crossed the valley and climbed back into the mountains. I hiked through a forest and was enjoying being among the trees.

I crossed several creeks and greeted Sea Legs as I walked by. I strolled among the trees and listened to the early morning bird calls. I took long breaks and enjoyed the morning. A little after noon a storm rolled in and it started to rain. The rain settled in for the afternoon and I was really glad I had gotten a raincoat from the hiker box in Lima. I climbed up to a high peak and saw Bobber; another nobo I had met in the woods before. He was looking for a dry spot to eat lunch and I hiked on by. The rain was relentless but at least my coat was keeping my top half dry and relatively warm. I made it to Deadman’s lake around 5 o’clock in the afternoon and wasn’t really planning on staying but there was a beautiful campsite near the lake under thick trees and the trees were blocking most of the rain so I fit my tent in between the trunks and set up. It was warm and dry and I stayed there for the night. :CDT mile 2213.4 a 28 mile day.

I got up on the ninth to a lovely sunrise and muddy trail. I walked a forest road for a bit that paralleled the CDT to avoid the worst of the mud and then rejoined the trail near another lake. I ran into Bobber again and he was trying to get within 20 miles of the road where we would hitch into Leadore Idaho the next day. I figured that sounded like a good idea. My shoes were full of holes and really worn out so I had mailed another pair there. The problem was it was Friday and I knew I wasn’t going to make it into town before the Post Office closed at 1030 Saturday morning so I was going to be stuck there till Monday. Still I needed food so I decided I would try to get within 20 miles of town as well. It was another day of puds and I hiked up and down the hills and ridges. I made it to Morrison Lake and took a snack break then from there it was a long climb up. I hiked until I was 19.9 miles from the highway into Leadore and set up camp on a ridge with a beautiful vista overlooking the mountains. It was a little before 8 pm and I cooked ate and watched the sunset before retiring for the night. CDT mile 2245.8 a 32.4 mile day.

The following morning on the 10th I started to pack up at 4 am and head to town but it started to rain so I went back to sleep. By 6 the rain had stopped and I finally got going. The morning was amazing up on the ridges and I was above the clouds that filled the valleys below. Herds of Elk and Deer crossed the mountains in front of me and dawn painted the sky. I walked slowly taking it all in.

I climbed over Elk Mountain and met several sobos heading the other direction and walked the whole 19.9 miles without stopping for a break. A little before 2 I reached the highway at Bannock Pass. It wasn’t really a highway but a gravel road deep in the mountains and it was a notoriously hard hitch for CDT hikers from there into Leadore, as there was barely any traffic. I sat there for 20 minutes and heard a truck coming. I was excited because many of the comments had said they had waited hours before even seeing a car. The comments also said do whatever you can to get a ride because you may not see another one. So I waved and stood in the road and did my best to flag the truck down as it came over the hill but to no avail. The passenger just gave me a dirty look as the truck swerved way around me and sped by. As I was making a spectacle of myself a car drove up from the other direction. After the truck passed the car pulled up and asked “what are you doing?” “Trying to get to Leadore” I replied. “Well you’re in luck if you don’t mind waiting a bit, I’m here to pick up my friend whose coming south. He should be here in less than an hour.” I quickly agreed and he parked and handed me a can of bean dip, Fritos, and an Arizona Iced Tea. My lucky day! I sat in the parking lot and happily ate while he brought out a small chess board and asked if I’d play. We played a game and soon his friend showed up along with two other hikers. We all climbed into the car and headed for Leadore.

Leadore is a tiny town in Idaho that had lost most of its businesses and population when it lost its mine. There’s a gas station/ general store, one restaurant, a post office and a whole lot of abandoned buildings. A local named Sam had built 4 rooms in his back yard to rent out to hikers and called it the Leadore Inn. I rented a room for two nights since it was Saturday and I had to wait till Monday for the post office to open. I walked over to the general store and bought a pizza and some drinks then went back to my room. All the rooms were full with most having 3 or 4 hikers in them and they were all hooked to the same water heater so the shower wasn’t very warm and the WiFi basically didn’t work, but the room was very homey. It felt like staying in a guest room at a relatives house instead of a hotel. I relaxed and ate pizza. After a while I went out and socialized with the other hikers. They were all flippers and southbounders. I was the only one going north. Around 6ish while I was sitting outside talking to the others, Sea Legs walked in. I told her I was in room 2 and she was welcome to share it. She went and dropped off her stuff. The restaurant and store were both closed so everyone started trying to give her food. A box of Mac and cheese came from somewhere and I had bought milk earlier in the day so she made it in the small kitchenette in the room. I slept well happily relishing in the fact that I didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn the next morning.

I’m not good at sleeping late though so I was still up at 6 on the 11th. I read and hung around till 8 when the restaurant was supposed to open. Sea Legs and I walked over and no one was there and the doors were locked. We walked around town for a bit finding the Old Post office and where the bank used to be. The bank was gone but the old bank vault was still there just sitting in the field.

We made it back to the restaurant about 930 and the door was open so we went in and the guy hollered he’d be ready to start cooking in about half an hour. Things run on their own timetable in Leadore. The general store was opening for the day and Sea Legs had some packages there so we went over and picked them up. One of her packages hadn’t made it to the store and was at the post office so she was suddenly trapped in town till Monday too. We made it back to the restaurant and got in our orders about 1030. I had the chicken fried steak and eggs and when I it a little before noon it was absolutely delicious. Afterwards we just hung around the Leadore Inn. More hikers came in, mostly Sobos except for Slinky who made it to town. He came in and got a room that had been emptied that morning. He asked us if the restaurant and store were open and we laughed, shrugged and said “maybe?” He left to find out. Rattlebones and Watchman got in and found a place to camp in the RV park across the road (also owned by Sam.) There were several more, sobos I didn’t catch the names of. We sat around on the porch relaxing until long after hiker midnight. I returned to my room where Sea Legs was already trying to sleep but she apparently wasn’t feeling well and kept having to throw up during the night.

The 12th came all too soon and I was ready to get back to hiking. Sea Legs still wasn’t feeling well and looked pretty rough as we made our way to the post office at 8. Slinky was roaming town. He said that the restaurant had been open the night before and he ate there. He had asked what time they opened for breakfast and they’d told him 8 am so he had been there at 8 and no one was there.

I laughed and wished him luck then went on to the post office and got my packages. Shoes!!! Mine were so worn out I could feel every rock. Of course after I did the math and realized I had been wearing them for around 900 miles I couldn’t complain. I also got new pants to replace my duct taped ones and a puffy. The zipper on the puffy I was carrying had quit zipping one day back in Yellowstone.

I went back to the room and finished packing and put on my new duds then went to check on the shuttle I had heard was leaving at 9. Sea Legs returned and said she felt awful and was going to remain in town another day.

I got word the shuttle had been moved back to 10 so everyone could finish their town business. Slinky was still trying to get into the restaurant to eat. I went back and cleaned up the room a bit and grabbed my pack . I carried if to the front porch and sat down to wait on the shuttle when one of the other hikers came by and said “just heard, shuttles been moved to 1230” I sighed and settled into my chair apparently Leadore wasn’t an easy place to leave.

We all ended up gathering on the porch and hanging out for a few hours until 1230 rolled around and Sam pulled up in his truck. We all squeezed in, half in the bed, and Sam drove us back to the trailhead where the Sobos went South and Rattlebones, Watchman. Slinky and I marched on North towards Canada. We all stopped at an old radio tower for a snack then Watchman and Rattlebones took off. Slinky and I hiked together though neither of us felt like going really far. We stopped at a nice flat spot a little before 8. :CDT mile 2281.1 a 13.6 mile day.

On the 13th it was back to business as usual with an early start. We were 8ish miles from our next watersource. We covered the terrain quickly chatting to pass the time. Slinky hiked at about the same pace I did so we stayed together for the day. We reached Goldstone and walked down a road to find the water. We took a break there and then went on. We reached Lemhi Pass a little before noon. This was where Lewis and Clark had crossed the Rockies on their way west. It was the highest point they reached during their journey. Only 7381 feet in elevation. We ate lunch under some trees and continued North. Water was a bit scarce and where we had planned to fill up before camp was dry. I looked at the maps and spotted a creek that we could walk a road to and then follow the road to where it met the trail again further up. We decided it was the best way to get water and turned onto the road. It was a little after 4 when we arrived at Petit creek and we went ahead and cooked and ate dinner while we were there so we wouldn’t have to carry enough water to cook with to camp since there was no more water ahead for many miles. The road took us back to the trail and we kept hiking until a little after 7 when we stopped for the evening and made camp in a grove of trees. CDT mile 2306.1 a 25 mile day.

We were up and headed for our next water-source at Goldstone Pass at dawn on the 14th. I was planning on a long day of 32 miles because I knew I was going to run out of food if I didn’t hike more miles. Slinky was planning on slowing down and doing 20 mile days for a while. It was getting further and further between resupply stops. From Leadore to my next stop at Sula Montana was over 120 miles. I was also going through my snacks wY too quickly and needed to get as close to town as possible before I ran out. We watered up at Goldstone Pass and had 20 miles in before 4. Slinky hiked a little further to Pioneer creek at mile 21.1 for the day and decided he was going to camp there for the night. I wished him luck and continued on. I hiked until nearly 9 that night and made it to the Miners Lake trailhead where I set up camp near some southbounders. I ate dinner with them and we talked about the trail. They were all flippers and were amazed that I had kept on hiking all the way through Colorado. After dinner we all retired to our tents for the night. :CDT mile 2337.7 a 31.6 mile day.

I realized on the morning of the 15th that I was nearly out of snacks. I had ramen and several Mountain house dinners but nothing to eat while I was walking. I usually keep snacks in my pockets and my hip belt pouches and that’s what I eat during the day. I only cook once a day for dinner as anytime else it’s way too fuel and time consuming. I was planning on a 35 mile day so I could be close to Sula in the morning but I didn’t have much energy without my usual calorie intake. I can walk without food but it definitely slows me down especially in rough terrain with loads of steep climbs. I decided around 11 that I was going to have to stop and cook whether I wanted to or not so I took an hour break and ate one of my dinners for lunch. I continued on afterwards but was still making slow progress. I had barely reached the 20 mile mark at 5 pm and knew it was going to be a lot longer day than I had planned. I needed to get as close enough to Sula so that I could get there and get my box before the store closed the next day. I had to stop and cook again since it was either that or eat raw ramen (yes, Thant’s a thing out here) and I needed some energy so I cooked and ate as quickly as possible and got back to hiking. I had originally hoped to have 35 miles in by 8 but 8 came and went and I hadn’t even reached 30 yet. I knew I wasn’t going to make 35 but I had to at least get over 30. At ten I was hiking by headlamp came to a river. It took me a while to find the log I was supposed to cross on in the dark andI fell several times in the thick underbrush but I made it across. I had been out of water for a while so I had to stop there and fill up. I did the math and realized I was 21.3 miles from town which while further away than I’d hoped, wasn’t too bad. The only flat spot I could locate in the dark was the trail itself which was pretty wide there: so, I sat up my tent on the trail and crashed. CDT mile 2368.4 a 30.7 mile day.

The 16th I awoke and had nothing to eat for breakfast (I wanted to save my last dinner for midday) I took a Flintstones vitamin then, dumped two coffee packets into my water bottle and drank it cold before setting off into the chilly morning. I hiked by headlamp until the sun woke up. The scenery was spectacular with huge Rocky Mountains and forests interspersed with creeks and lakes. There were loads of puds and I climbed up and down all morning long. Along the way I realized I had lost my bear spray somewhere the night before; probably while trying to cross the river in the dark. Oh well, it was too late to go back and look for it now.

I was trying to hurry to get to town but I was feeling the lack of food. Around 11 I stopped and cooked my last meal and ate it. I felt better afterwards and made a little better time. There was only one store in Sula and that’s where my resupply box was . I got signal on a mountain top and was able to call and ask what time they closed. 6 pm, If it didn’t take too long to get a hitch at the road I could make it. I actually had to walk to a highway and then follow it a mile to a bigger highway and then hitch Sula from there. I made it there a little after 4 pm and discovered road construction. Their were flagmen blocking traffic just before where I was trying to hitch: cars were slowly trickling through but once the flag man let them pass they poured on the gas ready to go. Still I had to get to town so I walked a few hundred yards down the road and stuck out my thumb. It took about an hour but eventually a van pulled over and offered me a ride. It was 13 miles down to town and I got there about 530. I was able to get my box, a 5 dollar turkey sandwich, a Mountain Dew, and a camp spot for the night outback by the pond in the RV park. It was actually a nice place with showers and laundry. I washed my clothes and cleaned up. It was a relaxing evening. There was actually decent WiFi as well so I was able to work on my blog before retiring to my tent for the night.

I slept in till 630 on the 17th and then went up to the restaurant at the store for coffee and a biscuit and gravy. I packed up and bought extra snacks then sat around and typed on my phone. At 11 I went back to the restaurant for a cheeseburger, published what I had ready to go and walked down the road to hitch back to the trail. It took about an hour again but a guy stopped and picked me up. He was from Alberta, and had left only that morning. I was headed there and it was going to take me weeks on foot. When he dropped me off he asked if I had bear spray and I told him I had just lost mine in the woods. He handed me a can and said here I have extra. The trail is truly a magical place.

I walked the mile from the main road on the smaller road back to the trail. I planned to take the official route to Butte from there but there was another shorter route that went through Anaconda Montana. My dad called and told me I should think about taking it. I hadn’t really considered doing the alternate but as I looked at it on my phone it started to look appealing. Anaconda had a free place to stay in the park for hikers; there was a place with 10 dollar steaks on Wednesday’s which would be when I got there, and their was a cool theater built in the 30s playing the new Lion King. The trail went straight through town and I wouldn’t have to hitch and it was an easy town to get around. Butte was a large city that would be hard to navigate on foot and I would have to hitch into and out of it from the interstate. Interstate hitching is never fun. I was torn.

While walking I got a text from Sea Legs and she was back on trail about a day behind me. She said she had decided to take the Anaconda alternate, she was about to hitch into Darby which is a little past Darby on the same road. I didn’t make it far that day. I found a great campsite at Gibbons pass around 7 and decided to go ahead and camp. It was apparently the place to cross the mountains back prior to the 1930’s when the new highway was built. Even the Native Americans and the Buffalo used it. Clark had camped there on his way back east. A copy of the journal entry he wrote there was on the sign and he was complaining about the cold nights in July. I felt a kinship with him as I camped in the same spot 213 years 1 month and 11 days later. CDT mile 2396.8 a 7.9 mile day.

When I awoke to the cold on the 18th and quickly donned my jacket and beanie I chuckled thinking about Clark’s journal entry. I broke camp and headed out hoping to make big miles. I was still mostly planning on going to Butte which was 130ish miles away. Anaconda was less than 100 and it was still stirring in the back of my mind.

I was headed towards Johnson lake where I would officially be on my last set of maps for the CDT. The terrain was tough and the puds were reaching a hole new level. It was basically 2-3 miles of tough climbing then 2-3 miles of descent then 2-3 miles of climbing and it repeated all day long. It was hard, and tiring. There were several burned areas to cross but mostly it was beautiful country and despite the difficult terrain I was still ecstatic to be wandering about in the Rockies. Sometimes it’s hard to believe I’ve been out here for nearly 5 months. Despite wanting to finish it’s hard to imagine not waking up in the mountains everyday. I’m not sure if they’ve become a part of me or me a part of them but I know a piece of me will always pine for these wild places and jagged peaks. An old traveler I met long ago told me we leave pieces of ourselves everywhere we travel and replace them with pieces of wherever we’ve gone so in the end we’re a mismatched puzzle of all we’ve seen and done. I always liked that thought.

But hey this journeys not over yet and I hiked on. I climbed the mountains and made it to a high ridge where I set up camp. I was still a ways from Johnson lake but I’d get there. I cooked dinner and slept under the stars. I put up my tent without the rain fly so I could see out through the screen and watched the sun fade and the night wake. Bats flew over my tent and the moon came out. Crickets chirped and I lay awake listening and watching the night until I nodded off. CDT mile 2424.6 a 27.8 mile day.

The next morning on the 19th I was up early and hiking by headlamp again as the sun peaked over the mountain tops. I hiked the 3 miles down to water and then over three miles back up to Bitterroot divide. I was going through my food too quickly and started thinking about Anaconda again since it was at least a day closer than Butte and it was starting to look like I was going to eat all my food. From there it was another 3 miles down and over three back up to Pinter Pass. From Pinter I hiked down to Johnson Lake and finally switched over to my last set of maps. Northern Montana, I was officially out of Idaho. From Johnson Lake it was a little over 3 steep miles up to Rainbow pass and then back down and bake up to Warren Lake.

I had planned on hiking further but the lake was gorgeous nestled in the mountains and there was a great campsite by the shore. I decided I to stay. CDT mile 2448.3 a 22.7 mile day.

The 20th I was up and hiking before 5. I wanted to make as many miles as I could. I had pretty much decided to go ahead and take the Anaconda alternate since I really didn’t want to run out of food again and I really wanted a 10 dollar steak. It was Tuesday and I needed to be there Wednesday. The town was only 41.5 miles away but I knew they wouldn’t be easy miles. I hiked down from Warren Lake and then way back up to Rainbow lake. From there it was 3 miles down and nearly 4 back up to Cutaway Pass. After Cutaway it was back down to and a long climb up to Storm Lake Pass where I turned onto the Anaconda alternate at mile 2463.8. The views were breathtaking with enormous granite mountains on all sides. From Storm Lake Pass it actually got easier as it was mostly downhill down to the town of Anaconda. I was just trying to get to the highway to find a place to camp. I could do the last 11 miles into town the next morning. As I descended down from the mountains I walked through forest and enjoyed the trees as always. I hiked by Storm Lake and eventually made it to the highway. I stumbled on a weird fountain on a side road that had apparently been there since 1930. There was a flat spot across the road from it and I set up my tent. Apparently this was the best water in the west ( as per a local) and a steady stream of cars came by to fill up cups and jugs and coolers. I talked to several of them while eating my dinner. I had set up my tent but didn’t our the rain fly on so I watched the stream of water seekers until it died out a little after dark.

I slept pretty well and was trying to get up early to hike into town on the 21st but was still dozing in and out of sleep at 430. I had my sleeping bag pulled over my head and suddenly realized the strange snuffing noise wasn’t part of a dream but was actually coming from outside my tent. Of course BEAR raced thru my mind as I popped my head out of the sleeping bag. My next thought was of course that I had left my bearspray on my pack which was 30 feet away under a tree. I looked out and sure enough a smallish bear (probably 200, 250 pounds maybe) was visible sniffing my tent in the light of the moon. He was a bit startled as I set up and leaped away from the tent chuffing. I laughed as he did a couple of circles in the dark and then walked off down the road. I got up and started packing. I heard something that sounded like a sneeze in the distance and looked down the road to see the bear standing on the road almost out of sight just a bear shaped patch of darkness. He saw me looking at him and ambled off down the road. I packed up and got to hiking. The 11 mile road walk went by quickly and I was soon in town. I found a diner called Tilley’s and got a breakfast burrito. After I ate I found Washoe park where the hiker hut is located. It’s a free building where hikers can stay with electricity and WiFi. I called the number on the door and got the door code and let myself in. There’s a picnic table and a fridge and microwave and room to sleep on the floor. I walked to a nearby grocery store around lunch and got some drinks. On the way I ran into Rattlebones and Watchman and gave them the door code. I got back to the hut and hung around till, when we all went to Carmel’s for 10 dollar stakes and 2 dollar baked potatoes. It was so good. The steaks come fresh from a nearby ranch and are amazing. I got a 10oz New Yorker that melted in my mouth. After we ate we went to the Washoe theatre which is super cool and set in the balcony to watch The Lion King in 3D. It was cool. We returned to the hut and met another hiker that was heading south. She said she had already done the PCT ( Pacific Crest Trail) this year and was now sibling the CDT. I slept well there in the hiker hut.

On the 22nd I was planning to get up hit the Albertsons for resupply on the way out of town and head north but rain clouds were looming and I worked on my blog while I waited to see what the weather was going to do. The sobo hiker headed out to hitch to Missoula and catch a plane to a wedding she had to attend before returning and finishing the trail. Rattlebones and Watchman decided to take the day off. Around 9 it started raining and kept raining all day so I stayed as well. It’s been a great day to be lazy stay out of the rain and type this blog. The trail is quickly nearing the end. The Anaconda alternate actually cuts off about 90 miles of trail so there’s only about 440 miles to go.