15-08-31 Day 142 Making The Best Of It – Mark Trail CDT
Hiking The Continental Divide Trail.
Mark Trail CDT 2015
I slept in an old international bus converted into a camper. It was one of those special places that was very peaceful. Very restful sleep.
I was at the grocery store when it opened at 7:00 am. Bacon, eggs, and donuts. Autumn cooked breakfast and than packed us BLT’s for lunch. Unbelievable Trail Magic.
Bean and I did the road walk in different directions. We would drop off one of us and drive the car six to seven miles up the road. Then park the car and hike back to where the other person was dropped off. We would pass off the key as we passed each other in the middle. Different but it was our only option to complete the miles due to the fires.
After fourteen miles, Jellybean was ready for Two Medicine Grill and I was too. We booked our same room for two nights at the Whispering Swan, showered, and ate lunch. Echo joined us and we made our plans for tomorrow. I would change my reservations and ride the train through the night to Seattle then fly to Denver on 9/2. Bean would continue road walking south through Montana. Oh boy. … What a day
East Glacier Park. 14 miles
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We arrived at St Mary at 1:30 pm and promptly went to the restaurant for lunch. Storms moved in while we ate so plans to walk on were in question. I was I no hurry and had plenty of time to catch the train, plane ride back to Denver seven days from now.
Bean drove us six miles out of town where we hitched back to St Mary to walk back to the car. Very Crazy…….Very.
As we were hitching, Gary and Autumn stopped and not only offered a ride, they offered a place to sleep and second dinner. Words cannot discribe the joy in me……
Waterton was like a Ghost Town at 6:00 am on a Saturday. We hiked to the campground and took showers to blow some time before Subway opened at 7:00 am. At 9:00 we walked back to the campground to find Todd and Sharon for our ride to Many Glacier. They made room for us in their Prius. Crossing the Canada – US border was uneventful. Yes, No, No, No….OK you may enter. Then I told Todd I had Two Lbs of …….. Just Joking….
rted and had breakfast with the guys at the Fifty Mountain Campsite. There were nine of us. At 7:00 am it was time to walk to Waterton, Alberta, Canada. I was stoked with all kinds of emotions rushing through my head.
Every day was amazing and falling into place with no effort on my part… Well.. maybe a little effort.
It was sixteen miles to the US / Canada border and another 4 miles to Waterton. We rolled in a little after 2:00 pm at the border and took lots of pictures. Most likely I will never be back. As we got closer to Waterton we began to see a lot more day hikers.
As we were walking through the Waterton campground, Rick, sitting by his camper, offered us a beer…”I think I am going to like this town.”
We headed straight to Zums for some fried chicken. Yum…. After dinner,! we walked the town and sampled any food I could shove into my face. I went into Zuma the Taco Bar and ordered two tacos from India and Amanda. Then a box of Chocolate Almond Milk with Oreo Cookies.
Back down the hill to Barbara’s back porch, a resident of Waterton, to sleep on cots she rolled out for us….Amazing
Goodbye to Peaches and Bean drove us from East Glacier Park to Logan Pass in Glacier National Park. There were Big Horned Sheep in the parking lot to welcome us… It was early in the morning so only a few people were there.
Fifty Mountain Campsite was occupied by hikers like any other national park. There were experienced and novice from all over the states. We shared stories and had a great time. Two guys went down for water and saw a huge grizzly bear…. Maybe I will get my chance to see one…..
I wanted to see the East Glacier Lodge so me and Bean went for breakfast. It was like the Old Faithful Inn, all logs, but bigger columns and lots of straight lines….
At 4:00 pm the wheels rolled up and it was just like we left off in Dubois. Jellybean was going to hike Glacier and then hike south back to Dubois, Wy. I am finishing from Rawlins, Wy to Waterton, Canada. I will then Train, Airplane, and Bus back to hike south from Rawlins, Wy to Salida, Co. Hopefully I will be able to finish before October first.
Waking up in the Silver Dome dome was great. There was a strange glow all night. I had two cups of coffee since there was no hurry. East Glacier Park was thirty one miles away and there was no way I was going to hike that after hiking the wild Bob.
My thoughts drifted to “After the hike plans”. Here, there, everywhere. I think a plan of no plans might work out for the best. Focus on East Glacier Park tomorrow. ….
The bright side is that all Outposts have privys….and I was ready for a privy. Sure enough I found the privy and it was a nice one. Someone was at the door so I finished reading the morning paper and said “Good Morning, where can I get some water for coffee?”. Christa said she would be right up for some coffee. “Come on in”. The “Office” looked like a kitchen with a stove for cooking and a wood burning stove for heat…It was still freezing outside and Christa served COFFEE….”Would you like a piece of pie?” REAL HOMEMADE APPLE PIE. One minute my feet are fording and freezing, the next minute I am sitting next to a stove having coffee and HOMEMADE APPLE PIE!!!! WOW. I had to pry myself away and hike on. Thank you Schaffer Outpost…..especially Christa!
I hiked along the Flathead River then switched to the Morrison Creek, and lastly Lodgepole Creek, before turning straight up from 5,200 ft to 6,600 ft. I had to take my shoes off to ford the Morrison and Lodgepole. Gosh, I am determined to keep me feet dry today….for a change….
When I finally got to the top of a no named pass I looked at where I might camp. Badger Outpost was to far away. I hiked mostly downhill and made great time. By the time I got back on the CDT, it was time to get off and hike directly to the Outpost. Maybe I could make it. As I came around the corner to the outpost, a scene from outer space appeared. The whole camp had been wrapped in aluminum foil….. Really… And sprinklers set up all around it…… Fire…..Did they leave me a fire suit? .Nope……. Because I hiked late, I am set up for thirty miles to East Glacier. ..Yea. Home baked COOKIES waiting for me the post office…
Badger Guard Station. 24 Miles
The Zpacks Heximid tent was covered with ice and snow and it was cold so I packed up everything and hiked to Spotted Bear Pass.
As I descended, the bear scat got bigger and more frequent sightings on the trail. Logs and rocks were overturned.
I carried my bear spray in my hand with the safety off. It was a little nerve wracking. I almost made it to Schafer Backcountry out post complete with a runway… But I didn’t, so I found a campsite with a great tree to hang all the smelly things.
We had a snack together and then I ran into, Cody, Justin, and Zane, from Lincoln, who stopped yesterday and gave me a beer. It was just like old home week.
It was after noon when I reached the wall. Unfortunately the sun was past the wall and it was shaded so the pictures I took weren’t the best.
I slept great with a full stomach thanks to the full hiker box. I decided to get on the Benchmark road as soon as possible so 6:00 am I settled into my spot. Around 7:30 am the first car came by and was headed to the trail head so I waved and hoped if they came back I would have a early ride into Augusta. As they came back I got up to talk and they zoomed by. I decided from now on, I would stop all cars regardless of the direction they were going. I needed a ride and a car every 30 to 45 minutes,,, I needed some help. Cody, Justin, and Zane, were driving to the trail head to hike the Chinese Wall. I asked them if they had any extra food. They didn’t but they did give me a beer… Well it looks like it’s going to be an interesting day. The next truck was Rachel and Rose, Forrest service gals doing research. They said they were going to be a while but if I were still there, I would have a ride.
Ron and Steve were going for a horse packing overnight. Again a ride tomorrow. The gave my two beers to keep me busy till tomorrow. At last Ben, Sal, and Anthony, gave my a ride five miles till they reached phone reception. They needed to update their hiking plans due to trail closures due to fires in the area. A Kia full of hikers come by but no room. The car was packed. Medicare Pastor, Rockstar, and CDT section hikers. Pastor gave me her maps of the Bob since they were done and I needed some help with the fire reroutes. Finally Dave and Lynn gave me a ride all the way into town..
Skip and his two grandsons were waiting for his daughter Christina, (their mom), to go up to Woods Lake for the weekend… Trail Magic Strikes.
Darwin and Shelly shuttle resupply boxes for CDT hikers to their ranch that is one and three quarters miles off the CDT. It is 30 long miles on a dirt road to resupply in Augusta MT. There is a bear box that is on their back porch that is full of resupply boxes. Since I messed up and sent my box from Helena and did not call, my box was not in the box. Well surly they just went into town and will be back with my box. By 8:00 pm I realized that wasn’t going to happen and I needed a new plan.
Normal morning, Coffee, Banana, hike. The clouds were pouring over the peaks. Soon I was in the clouds with cold strong winds. The cold wind would cool my glasses and the moisture coming out of the neck of my rain coat fogged my glasses. Between my foggy glasses and being in the clouds, I couldn’t see a thing. Then I lost the trail ….. I rely on Backcountry Navigator to locate myself time and time again. I have no idea how you could hike this trail without it.
I found a flat spot near Green Fork Guard Station and quickly fell asleep……After I blogged this.
Another long Trail Town night. I just can’t get to sleep. I wasn’t till 1:30 am till I fell into deep deep sleep.
We stopped by the forest service office to check on the local and the Bob Marshal wilderness fires. No worries about trail clothes due to fire till after Benchmark.
I met Swan and Sweet Smelling Mama at Flesher Pass. They were hiking from Leadore to Benchmark…..I think.
I would catch up to the speedsters ( Swan , Sweet), and then they would hike ahead. After lunch we only had a few miles to Rogers Pass and Swan had called Bill at the Sportsman Inn for a ride. “Of Course I will tag along”. Sure enough, at three pm Bill showed up and all three of us were headed to Lincoln, MT. 
I sent a food box to Three Bear Motel so I felt bad not staying at the Sportsman Inn. On top of that, there were not any dorm or bunkhouse rooms. .. at Three Bears …..Humm… I got the last room or that’s what she said. . I would room All by myself.
I walked to the sportsman and then we all went to the Bootleggers for dinner. Justa, Swan, Sweet, Grape Nuts, Patches, Lint and me, all at one table. It was the largest group of hikers I had dinner since forever. Very Very Nice. 
We made plans to have breakfast the next morning at 8:00 am at Lumpkin’s , PO at 9:00 Am, and then leave.
The wind was howling. Flash, Crash, and the rain fell. It was the first lightning storm in a long time. It rained off and on all night and stopped when I got up but the wind was still whipping the tent. 
LINT…..
I looked at the map and planned to refill my water at Gold Creek. It looked like there was a new trail that went right by it… Well there was no trail. I hiked down FS 1827 for a half mile and there was water….. Sorry, not that easy.. it was seeping with no dipping puddles. I put on my creative thinking cap and flipped my spoon over and used the handle as a funnel. Slowly the water ran into my squeeze bottle.
Helena has some amazing residents. Marc and Cece …. What can I say? Thanks
I ate second dinner and all three hiked up about twenty minutes later. It was like we were old friends. Joking and snacking.. I drank my beer and it started to rain. Or appeared like it was raining…What ever…. Another wonderful day…. Edit…It was raining….
Marc rapped on the bedroom door at 6:00 am. ” Leaving in twenty”. I had a lot of logistics to accomplish. I ordered a small breakfast at Perkins as I waited for the Post Office to open. Dawn met me there and we talked about life and adventure. I needed transportation to get around Helena and what better way than by bicycle… We got all my packages and went back to drop them off at Marc and Cece’s. Then the “Bike”. Dawn is a bike host and my Bike Angel. She let me use her favorite bike. It was awkward at first then adjusted to being on wheels. THANKS Dawn.
I searched for the closest PO and it was a few blocks away……In the Capital Building… Great. There wasn’t a line and I received Prompt, Personal attention… Nice. While I was packing up the food, Ralph stopped and greeted me. “CDT hiker?”. “How could you tell?” jokingly. He showed me where I could ask for a tour and offered to even store my pack….Great.
I arrived in time to be able to tour the state museum. Very well done covering varied aspects to the states history. Another Great day…
As I was hiking the access road I could see the highway below. I raised my thumb just in case someone was looking my way. The pickup truck’s break lights lit up. It can’t be that easy. Marc and Cece said they live in Helena. Do you need a place to stay? Oh boy. It gets even better. Shower, laundry, and Dinner….. Wow. CDT Trail Magic!
I really dislike setting dates. I set dates/appointments for twenty seven years. I think I broke as many dates as I made. It made me feel terrible..No matter how hard I tried, I was always running behind. Finally I stopped setting dates and time. I would call before I came. I would give a estimate as to a day but not a time. It was liberating. I try to avoid it as best as I can. I will need to set a date to get back to Denver to continue the hike. September 6th Amtrak leaves East Glacier and hopefully I will be on it. Now that I’ve set a date we will see what’s happens.
I cut my water a little to tight and had a couple of scares as I walked by a few dry springs but all in all great hiking.
The goal for today is Eat, Rest, and have FUN. The motel had a breakfast at 6:00am. I slept in till 6:30am once again not being able to get to sleep till 1:30 am. The coffee was hot with strawberries, bananas, and a toasted bagel. I sent out texts as to where I was and read my email. At 9:00 I went to McDees for second breakfast. Gary was there who I met yesterday hiking into town. He invited me to join his friends for Sunday morning coffee. Hiking is great and visiting towns are great also. Sharing a conversation about the history of the town is priceless…..
I set my camera to take pictures every 30 seconds it was a beautiful sunrise. I hiked to Twin Lakes..I should have slept there. I would have slept. Soon I was on a wide trail. Then dirt road to the trail head. Mountain bikers and locals were hiking up to the lakes. It was Saturday…
Anaconda reminded me of where I grew up. Small town with a Movie Theater that was still operating. Maybe I will see a movie….
When I arrived to Storm lake it was 4:30 pm. Planning to arrive in Anaconda Sunday morning I was hiking to fast. Bummer hugh..?
It was Friday night and a mistake to camp near road access. The party boys stayed up all night. All night…..At 4:30 am the talking from the other end of the lake ceased…. Really?
At 6:20 am I was off and running. I should have put on plastic shopping bags into my Topo Trail runners. The grass was wet from either dew or yesterday’s rain. My feet were soaked and cold…..again.
It was a day of ups and downs. I’m hiking the Anaconda – Pintler range..so the terrain change was expected. Up to Pintler Pass, 8,700 ft. Down to Johnson Lake, 7,700. Joan and Jim who were day hiking from somewhere five miles away, stopped by while I was eating lunch by the lake. It was nice to talk to a human since it was day three on the trail with no human interaction. Back on the trail I hiked up to Rainbow Pass, 9,000 ft. Then down to Rainbow Lake 8,300 ft and even farther down to 7,400 ft. Then up to some unnamed pass, 8,600 ft and to Warren Lake, 8,400 ft for the night. Whoa…….
Warren Lake, 20 Miles
By 10:00 am it started raining. As time went on it got colder so I shoved food in my mouth and put on the Outdoor Research full rain suit. I tried to stop for lunch but got cold so I put some snacks (Thanks Smurf and Bront) in my hip belt pocket and hiked on. After four hours it let up and the sun tried to come out without success.
I walked to the store for coffee and two donuts. Stopped by the ranger station museum. Darby was a logging town until they cut all the trees. Now it’s the river for fishing and rafting.
The hike to Gibbons Pass was nice with gentle rolling hills. The pack was heavy with lots of food and lots of water. At 8:00 pm it was time to cowboy camp….
I was so happy for Flop and sad to see him go as they dropped me off at the Travelers Rest Cabins and RV Park. Soon they were gone and another chapter to begin on the CDT adventure.
We hiked the last of the Beaver Head Mountains, Dropping all morning to the South Fork of Sheep Creek. Then over to the North Fork all the way down to 5,800 ft. As we ate lunch, flies landed all over us. I had my trash out and no flies were on the trash, they were all over Flop. Flop was covered….. and I was covered. I wonder if it was because we haven’t had a shower for five days now…. Hummm? After all the descent, we paid for it dearly. All afternoon we climbed….. Steeply then descended …… Steeply. They were old forest roads the where a thrill for ATVers to ride but gaspers for Flop and me.
We made it to the divide and hiked the rolling spine till we reached much needed water at Nez Perce Camp. Derek was there with a slew of hikers hiking three select hikes in the area. It was late so we really didn’t have enough time to share…. Bummer.
We QUICKLY hiked down to 7,800 ft to cross Big Swamp Creek and drank two beers and lunch. Thanks John and Rich. We climbed back up to 8,400 ft passing Lena Lake and Slaga Melt Lakes where we met JoHan with his mountain bike. He had enough of the CDT and was looking for a road to get out. He was biking the Great Divide Trail and parts of the CDT….Lots of up and downs. On the Divide. 20 Miles
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