It was tough to get out of town. Ranger and I were in no rush to head out but Guru was fresh from three weeks of rest and was eager to start hiking again. He had decided to hop back on trail and finish the last 350 miles with us. We knew it would be impossible to hitch a ride to the trailhead from the small neighborhood where we had stayed with Guru’s friends, so we ordered up an Uber to the edge of town. From there, we hitched the last miles to the trailhead.
The the trail family back together again, we chatted as the trail followed a wide road up to a summit, then we fell into our own paces.
Unbirthdays were a fun thing to celebrate on trail, and while I had a chance to surprise Ranger with an unbirthday party, we had yet to celebrate Guru's. So Ranger and I reconvened a couple hundred yards from our agreed-upon lunch spot and made a plan. The great thing about unbirthdays is that the chosen person has no idea it is coming; it is always a surprise, guaranteed, and sure to make thier day. As we approached Guru finishing his lunch, I started the music. We danced around and threw confetti made of leaves and flowers and sticks and wished him a happy unbirthday.
Short on miles, I ate my salad as quickly as I could. It was only two days until the next resupply so I had packed out fresh things as a treat. There was supposed to be rain forecasted for the afternoon but clouds came and went with no threat. It was perfect weather for hiking. We studied the map. Up ahead the official CDT followed a mix of roads and trails, climbing and descending a big hill. There was also an option to shortcut the 1500 feet of climbing and four and a half miles of trail. It was all gravel road but saving that much energy seemed nice to me, so I accepted the easy way. Miles passed. My feet started to hurt, as the soles of my shoes had worn smooth and thin and I was feeling the texture of the gravel more than usual.
I found Guru and Ranger at a creek. I still had water enough, so just paused momentarily to get caught up on the plan before Guru and Ranger took off, fresh from their break. I continued trudging up the road behind them, inwardly sighing how demoralizing it was to be hiking with fast people.
I kept an eye on the creek as it paralleled the road. Once it faded to a trickle it would be the last reliable source for 12 miles. I wanted to make sure I collected as far upstream as I could to avoid carrying excess water, as I wasn’t going to make another 12 miles that day. Ranger made it easy for me; he waited by a gate to inform me it was the last place we could get to the water before it petered out. I peered through the fence marking private property at the stream meandering through the meadow, then sat down, exhausted. I hadn’t stopped for a break since lunch and I was very sleepy. I didn't like the idea of trespassing and struggled to accept that I would have to carry water for 12 miles plus dinner that evening. I felt I had no choice but to break onto private property for water. I climbed over the gate and quickly covered ground to the stream. There were no humans in sight, but I couldn’t breathe easy until I had made it back onto the public road with my stolen 5 liters.
Ranger and I followed Guru’s footprints up the road until they faded. It seemed like we were on the obvious path back to the trail but there were dozens of roads that intersected and branched from the one we were on. He must have taken a different route. With a final push up a steep, rutted hill we rejoined the CDT and cruised along a wide easy road. Guru’s footprints reappeared which assured us we would be able to link back up. Sure enough, we soon heard him call. He had been hidden in the bushes, resting. Excited for a break, we joined him, then agreed to call it an early day. We went a mile further to a meadow and set camp. With sore feet and heavy eyes, I was happy to be settled in before sunset.
We gathered away from camp for dinner and continued celebrating the unbirthday with good food and drinks. It was a bit chilly as the sun set and night fell. As tired as I was, I stayed up long enough to admire the pricks of stars sweeping the sky.
The next day was mostly uneventful. I followed the rolling ridge line through the trees and grasses. It was supposed to rain but the skies were clear. There was still a layer of fog and smoke covering the mountains.
The afternoon brought a detour to a spring, where fresh water trickled from a beer can to allow for easy filling. There was an on-trail outfitter with resupply options ahead and I was eager to trade walking for shopping. A few miles to go, I jumped up to the ridge line. Lightning whipped the ground two miles in front of me. I was perplexed at how the clouds were able to produce lightning, thin as they were. I quickened my pace as thunder rumbled above me, careful not to die. The sprinkle of rain turned into a steady fall and I popped up my umbrella as I neared the outfitter.
A side trail led to a small shed. Electricity was out, apparently because of the storm. I dropped my pack with the others and donned my headlamp to explore the outfitter. I was amazed at the amount of stuff the owner had fit into such a small space. Hundreds of brands were represented and thousands of items were crammed together in a surprisingly organized manner. Shoe boxes propped up boxes of food. Macaroni and cheese was slid into cracks between the couscous and thin wire shelving. Things were hanging everywhere up to the ceiling. Not an inch was wasted space, though I had no doubt the owner could have found a way to get more products in. It was a dance to get around people in the aisles, and easier to just turn around.
I looked through the food, trying to decide if I could do a three day resupply with the items available. It would be tough and somewhat pricey but I thought I could pull it off. The alternative option was to go into a town to resupply the next day, but it would be a hard and time-consuming hitch. I pieced together a few meals and carefully chose some snacks, and I ended up buying an extra pair of shoes to trade out my old ones. The soles had been worn so thin that I slipped often and grew footsore quickly. I was thankful for the purchase as Guru, Ranger, and I headed up the trail. I was able to walk swiftly without sliding and my feet were happy. Three of us hiked together until the end of the day, and as the sun set we pushed to get to good campsite.
We gathered for dinner away from camp again. A rare thruhiker we had met at the outfitter joined our tent pod but kept to himself. We had dinner and light conversation as the evening faded into black.
The next morning it was cold, but not unbearably so. The day started with a good climb at a good pace. Mid morning we started down a road on a half-mile detour to a water source until some hunters pulled over and saved us the trip. We emptied their bottles into own for another 12 mile water carry. My pack was heavy with 2.5 liters. It was dumb.
We had been climbing most of the day, the cold wind blasting us as we jumped between saddles. We gathered for lunch tucked into a nook by some trees. I cooked up my ramen, excited for a hot lunch.
The trail continued along the ridgeline as the fog started to lift. It had been hanging over us all morning, obscuring the nearby mountains and turning the woods into an eerie, beautiful PNW feel. It felt like a long six miles until the next water source. My pack was still heavy, and although it was downhill I was tired and my feet hurt.
Ranger joked about taking a break at the trail magic in the parking lot waiting below. It was laughable; trail magic didn't exist on the CDT. Aside from a few coolers left trial-side and visits from family/friends, I hadn't stumbled into any parking lot setups as was so prevalent on the AT. But when we arrived at the trailhead, a car trunk was opened wide with a selection of treats for us. I helped myself to two muffins, some cheetos, and a drink. The angel, Strider, had just finished the AT and was trying to figure out what to do next. With much thanks we departed and started up another massive hill. Switchbacks allowed for easy hiking until we topped out and followed a ridgeline.
Evening came as I cameled up for yet another 12 mile water carry, hauling extra for cooking that night. My bag was heavy but the remaining hill was short; we were already halfway up and had only about 500 feet left of climbing. It got dark by the time I peaked out and started to descend the mountain. We hiked into the night, as flat spaces for camping were few and far between. I withheld getting out a headlamp for as long as I could, straining to see the white rock of trail contrasting with the blackness around it. Realizing how dumb it was to hike blind I covered the last quarter mile with the light of my phone. When I got to camp, Guru had already set up and was heading to bed. Ranger hunched over in the cold cooking dinner. With numbing fingers I pitched my tent and cooked up a quick meal. I noted the beauty of the mountain meadow with stars bright above before crawling into my tent.
My sleeping bag froze to the side of my tent overnight. The down had gotten damp but it was warm inside. A massive climb was on the mornings agenda; rolling hills followed for hours. I didn't have a chance to dry my frozen gear until lunch time when the sun finally beat away the chill.
The landscape had emerged from the cloak of fog and smoke, and incredible layers of mountains were unveiled. Some areas were burned and scarred from beetle kill, and dark remnants of skeletons of trees jutted up from golden grasses. Rock stood tall and proud. The layers of mountains reminded me of the Appalachians... gentle, rounded peaks piling up on each other as far as the eye could see.
One more big climb after lunch and then a long downhill. Pine trees adorned the hills and stripes of white rock offered excitement among the continuity of the green. In the far distance, the foothills rolled onto a flat basin. The sun made its way across the sky as the day grew cold again. We covered the last miles to camp swiftly as the dusk set in.
It was cold again and I buried myself deeper into my sleeping bag. I packed up in the early morning and headed out, finishing a few last big climbs and then cruising alongside a river.
I would have missed it if the others hadn’t pointed it out, but the trail was closed for a fire the last miles to the road. It seemed like the fire was no longer active, but an alternate route was posted which cut out a climb and was two and a half miles shorter. I wasn't sure how old the sign was but it looked relatively recent. I was a 100% okay with this excused shortcut. We had met a few other thruhikers that morning and we all fell into a line for a half mile or so until our paces spread us out along the new, flat reroute.
The gentle trail ran along a river. When I got to the road I knew right away it would be tricky hitch. It was gravel, and really far from town. I didn't see any cars on it for a long time. I met up with two other hikers and we decided to walk up the road a ways to find a spot with more traffic. As we hiked a truck approached. Our first chance of escape. I clasped my hands together pleadingly and then smiled broadly as I put out my thumb. Two friendly men pulled over and got out. "How could we say no to that smile?" he said, and offered us a ride. We hopped into the back so they didn't have to trouble themselves with clearing out the cab. The next 20 minutes were spent bumping along, sitting on top of packs and camping supplies in the bed of a truck. It was an uncomfortable ride; I was careful not to crush the stuff I was perched upon and tried to avoid banging my back against the truck bed with each bounce. But it was 4 wheels all the same, and the road was incredibly beautiful.
Finally they dropped us off at a junction halfway to town and headed down a side road. We sat roadside for maybe 15 minutes. A couple cars passed. Finally an older couple who had been collecting firewood pulled over and we climbed on top of the overloaded bed of logs. I found a nice cozy nook to sit in and pulled out my pad to cushion the hard wood. The landscape continued to impress. Finally we got to town where they dropped us off outside of the general store. We saw other thruhikers, including Guru, sitting outside at a restaurant. I joined the hiker table briefly before making calls to home.
We decided to treat ourselves to breakfast in the morning. With only a few diners in town, it was the place to be, and hikers made up for half of their customers. Service was slow and the food was mediocre but I was happy for a little bit of time as a trail family before we split off again. While Ranger and I wanted to drag the hike out as long as we could, Guru was ready to be done. We didn't expect to be able to stick together much longer.
I resupplied in the surprisingly well-stocked general store and joined the party of other hikers organizing their food. This was the second to last town stop of the trail, and I tried to relish the old feeling of hiker trash taking over towns.
I was topping-off cell battery and downloading some entertainment when a guy approached us asking if we needed a ride back to the trail. He was heading up there anyway to pick up someone and offered for us to ride along. We couldn't say no to such an offer and shared an hour of bumpy road with him. Then he wished us well as we headed off into one of the most wild, remote sections of Montana: the Bob Marshall Wilderness.