Day #29 (86)-Take me to town. Miles hiked: 10ish.

Today was entirely a side quest off the CDT to get to the town of Pinedale, WY. And boy it was a good day to head to town as we woke up to a brief period of sun turned into a cold rain.

After sitting cold on the side of the road, we finally got a ride to Pinedale and a lovely hiker hostel full of warm bunks and hot showers. And there was also food!!!

We also got to visit the visitors center and have a very safe encounter with a grizzly bear.

I accidentally threw up I ate so much food, but otherwise Goodnight from town-back to trail tomorrow! 

Day #28 (85)-Knapsack stole my underpants. Miles hiked: 17ish

Today was an all out adventure as it was dedicated to completing one of the most famous “alternates” on the CDT through the Winds, Knapsack Col. To my surprise and great fortune, I ran across two other SOBO hikers, Smarts and Rattle, right at the start of the climb.

It took an entire 12 hour hiking day to complete 17 miles today because “trail” is a very loose term. The route consisted mainly of tallus, boulder fields, and snow fields as we made our way out of the valley and up to the Col.

The final stretch required hands and legs to climb, but the view at the top of an entirely new valley was so incredibly worth it!

I even got to practice my snow glissade on the downhill side. Unfortunately this resulted in the loss of my favorite pair of underwear off the back of my pack…

The second half of the day was less challenging but equally beautiful with countless alpine lakes and meadows to enjoy.

Goodnight from a dry tent in a thunderstorm. Town tomorrow! 

Day #27 (84)-Dreamy mountains and singing in horizontal rain. Miles hiked: 22.7

Well sportsfans, I made it through the grizzly fence. No scat since then either!

Also, I’m officially in the Winds and they are SPECTACULAR. I snapped a few photos before the clouds bringing today’s rainy surprise rolled in.

Also, for those less familiar with what it’s like to live on a hiking trail, this is the part of my day that happens around 10 am including second breakfast and a hiker yard sale. Even if it doesn’t rain, there is often quite a bit of moisture on my gear so I take the first chance I can get to dry it all out.

Shortly after entering the Bridger Wilderness, I brought my Blueberry rain surprise to the Winds and spent the rest of the day enjoying horizontal rain and wet feet.

Stopped early tonight to find a camp in the trees…some of the most epically challenging and beautiful trail ahead of me for tomorrow! 

Day #26 (83)-Marching towards the grizzly gate. Miles hiked: 29.9

After retrieving my belongings from the luxuriously secure bear box this morning, it was off to finish the “approach” to the Wind River mtns. However, it’s getting harder to get out of my cocoon of a sleeping bag as the first nip of fall is in the air. Check out the frost!

I have zero complaints about the hike today as the terrain was rolling and the views expansive.

Bonus points if you can name this mountain range spotted in the distance: 

Theoretically, the end goal of my day was to reach Gunsight Pass, the unofficial end of grizzly country. It even boasts a gate that hikers joke keeps the bears out south of here. That is absolutely not entirely true, and I will keep my spray and remain vigilant…even found some Grizz tracks right by the gate haha.

However I also found another hiker today! Meet Switchback who comes to the CDT all the way from Israel. So wonderful to have company to moo at cows with. 

More of the Winds tomorrow! 

Day #25 (82)-Peak-a-boo Winds. Miles hiked: 14.3

I woke up feeling much better today and ready to take on the Wind River Mtns, a range that is often a hiker’s favorite part of the entire CDT. But first things first, a trip to another trail library for schoolwork. 

After catching a hitch with a rad guy out fly fishing, i rejoined the official CDT and boy was it a sight for sore eyes after having such a rough time on Big Sky.

The miles weren’t too exciting today, but the anticipation is building for what’s the come as the rock formations of the Winds start to come into view. 

And of course, cows!

Goodnight from a nice little campsite with a real live bear box! 

Day #24-Reset. Miles hiked: 0.0

Today was for taking a breath. It’s been an intense last 24 hours, but thank you from the bottom of my heart again to Molly and Drew, my rescuers.

Now go climb Gannett Peak! 

Not much to report on today other than doing stinky laundry, calling my village, and binging a documentary. There are other SOBO hikers in town! Back on trail tomorrow.

Day #23-Life is an alternate. Miles hiked: 15.5+several hundred

The rain was still lingering this morning, but I grabbed a hitch back to the spot where I stopped hiking yesterday and headed up towards Bear Trap Canyon. 

I can’t tell you exactly what it was as I’ve been hiking in grizzly bear country mostly alone for over 3 weeks, but today my gut told me to turn the heck around. So I did. As much as I despise walking the highway, it felt like the only safe option. On the bright side, baby moose and her mama! 

The road hit different today. I haven’t shed a single tear over the last 500 miles, but today even a 40 mph headwind couldn’t keep back the river. By mile 8 my neck and abs were sore from bracing into the wind and I had gotten hit in the face with plenty of rocks kicked up by semi trucks. This wasn’t the divide (this alternate wouldn’t have been my first choice-it’s all been to save time), and for the first time I started to question if this was worth it. Dozens of cars have stopped to check on me while I’ve walked the road these past few days, but when Molly and Drew pulled over my heart screamed it was time to surrender.

They immediately put an IPA in one hand and homemade zucchini bread in the other and were so gracious while I gathered myself. Turns out they were headed south to Dubois, WY to climb Gannett Peak. Knowing that continuing alone in the state I was in wasn’t a healthy or safe option anymore and knowing that there were likely dozens of SOBO hikers further south in Dubois, I was officially along for the ride.

We passed geysers and thermal pools in Yellowstone, got a speeding ticket in the Tetons, and I got to enjoy camping with other humans for the first time in weeks. 

The trail provides. 

Day #22-Staying mostly dry for once. Miles hiked: 9.7

As an award-winning rain walker after 65 wet days on my last thru hike, of course I have brought a hurricane with me to Montana. However, this time the difference is the timing worked out fairly well to be mostly out of the storm. The crew that took shelter in Isaac’s rented/renovated cowboy bar and garage last night was in no hurry to get moving this morning.

I only had to do 9.7 miles to get to my original goal of Ennis, MT and I eventually drug myself out of the dryness and onto the highway.

Many folks stopped to ask if I was ok, and it took my deep sense of integrity about keeping my footpath continuous to not hop in a car and hitch to my dry cabin reservation. But up and over Norris Pass it was!

Once I got to Ennis, I collapsed in a heap AT-style and thoroughly debrided the road wounds I have accumulated on the bottom of my feet.

I also got to enjoy dinner for one (if you haven’t taken yourself out for dinner recently, I highly recommend it) with the pile of fresh veggies I’ve been dreaming about for several hundred miles. My herbivore heart was so happy.

Goodnight from Ennis where I am enjoying new shoes from Dave and Lala and gearing up for the push to Yellowstone. Happy trails! 

Day #21-Trail angels on highway 287. Miles hiked: 27.3

Today ended up being a lovely day in all the best ways-the unexpected ones. Being Blueberry, the hiker who was able to summon 65 rainy days on her AT thru hike, of course I’ve also summoned a Hurricane to Montana. With this in mind, I opted to drop out of the Tobacco Root Mtns and walk some highway to stay out of the “above treeline” weather. 

Because I had cell service for much of the walk and got a new external power bank in Butte, I got to call and catch up with quite a few folks that I haven’t chatted with in awhile. What a gift! Also-lunch on the side of the road.

About 18 miles into my day, I passed through the small town of Harrison and got to mingle with some locals on the porch of their tiny general store.

It’s times like these to get to truly sit down and listen to the concerns of rural folks that are so special to me. Although some of my views differ in their practical application, the foundation is the same and I am so thankful for their honesty and kindness towards me.

After Harrison, I walked 10 miles through a thunderstorm which was not quite so exciting, but when I rolled into the tiny town of Norris, I saw the unmistakable silhouette of two other hikers trying to hitch out of town.

 When they were unsuccessful, a group of guys who are renovating the old bar in Norris invited us in for a magical night of company, beer, and shelter from the driving rain. 

It takes so very little to make a hiker happy…the piece of plywood I got to sleep on might as well have been the Ritz Carlton. This is the magic of the trail, and these guys are the angels of the trail. For this reason hiking will always be my space to reset and remember that being human is pretty awesome afterall. 

Day #20-The armpit of the alternate. Miles hiked: 29.0

I didn’t sleep too well last night…both because I woke up to rain that wasn’t predicted on my cowboy camp and also to a herd of cows snorting and breaking branches right next to my camp. You can imagine what other creature I might have been worried about: Mr. Bear. 

Nevertheless, I continued down the Nez Perce trail and passed by the spire of spire rock itself. Thank you also to the sweet couple who stopped and gave me some water as all of the listed sources on my map were dry as a bone.

By mid-morning I was on a highway for the rest of the day…which at this point we know how I feel about that. 

On the bright side, passing an E/W interstate does indicate that I’m working my way south! I also got to grab a bite to eat in the town of Whitehall, MT.

Due to whipping winds strong enough to just about knock me over, I settled for a sheltered RV site for camping tonight complete with an IPA that doesn’t usually come out of a spring. Back in the road in search of a dirt path to walk tomorrow! 

Day #19-I promise I’m not lost. Miles hiked: 12.1

This morning was for town chores-SLRTT. Shower was taken, laundry and resupply completed, trash was disposed of and TP was acquired from a public restroom. I also got to take advantage of the Butte free bus system to go pick up a package at the post office and knock out my schoolwork.

Butte is a big enough town thag I took an Uber back to trail! While I’m usually all about sticking out my thumb, towns on a major interstate make me a little more selective in how I acquire a ride. Thanks for the lift, Gary! 

I only spent 7.6 miles on the official CDT today before saying goodbye (for now) to start my adventure on the Big Sky Alternate (also known as “Super-Butte”). Unique to this trail, creating your own routes off the official “redline” is encouraged and part of the culture. Instead of heading west to walk along the ID/MT border, I’m headed due south through Ennis, Big Sky, and to West Yellowstone instead. 

See you later, CDT!