I’m in Montana! Bye Wyoming!
Debris flow cutting through the forest.
From Dubois I walk through the hills leading up to Yellowstone. I’m now deep in Grizzly country. Not all thru hikers decide to carry bear spray, but I’m carrying it for a few reasons:
1. The Revenant
2. The Revenant
3. That scene from the Revenant
Thanks a LOT, Leo…
I encounter a southbound Spaniard who quickly asks me, “Any Federales ahead?” the topic of discussion of late has centered around ranger danger… I have a permit but my itinerary makes no sense. A 35 mile day followed by an 18 mile day. I get to my campsite at 11 am on the second day… I decide to push onward to Old Faithful.
I hit Old Faithful Village and go to the all you can eat buffet. I realize that since I’m here I probably have to see the geyser thing. So did 2000 other. I delay my hike out to witness… It goes off… It’s um… As expected. I did get the photo…
The other geysers aren’t bad!
The CDT follows pretty dense forest through Yellowstone. The outer lands of the park are desolate. There have been many fires in the last few decades and there’s absolutely no one out here – in stark comparison to the day before in the village. I have cold misty mornings walking through the park alone, the sun dark orange through the smoke and haze.
It’s now fire season up here and the sky has a perpetual glow. Makes for eery mornings.
I crossed another state line. 3 down and I’ve got 700-800 miles left. I’m at the point where I can reminisce fondly of my days down in New Mexico. Starting to forget how brutal hiking 30 mile days in the desert was. Soon the memories of tribulation will fade and I’ll be left with a different perspective on this adventure.
The variety of landscape in Wyoming was stunning. I criss cross the Idaho/Montana border frequently in the next couple days.
There are a bunch of sheep in the area, some of the sheep dogs are good at their jobs running at me barking and growling… This guy was just chillin though. Havin a good day.
I get to I-15 at 6 pm on Friday the 11th. An interstate hitch. It’s cold and windy and night is quickly approaching… Not only is it an interstate hitch but the trail crosses under at a seemingly random point on the road, no exit, no sign, nothing. So I’m just a guy standing in the middle of nowhere on the freeway. I don’t blame em all for not picking me up. What the hell is that guy doing there on the interstate – and how did he even get there in the first place?
This is one of those… What am I doing out here moments.. A brand new Buick will never stop. This road is all Buicks.
BUT after an hour in the cold wind, the trusty beat up mini van pulls over! Ahhhhh! Lima, Montana here we come!
There are probably 15-20 hikers in this town. I haven’t seen this many hikers since Pie Town. I’ve been going for almost 100 days and I’m still meeting new people.
There’s talk and excitement about finishing the trail. We’ll be up there in about a month. We’re close and people are starting to feel it.
Talk of going to Mexico and sitting on a beach. We just want to sit for a day, two days… a week. Sitting is so nice. But for now we push hard hitting 30+ mile days to each town stop. I’m looking at a late Sept, early October finish. The miles now are an insurance against cold/bad weather over those last couple weeks. Delays now may put us in a bad weather window. I’m not too worried but I might start packing a down jacket again.
The trail has been quite pleasant these past few days. The prospect of finishing is bittersweet. I have a bunch of fun stuff coming up in the next few weeks, Caitlin is visiting in a week!! I’ll have a few days for some much needed recovery time. We’re staying at some hot springs resorts/campgrounds. This is so good.
We’ll try to navigate the hordes of people for the eclipse. The locals are prepping for the end of the world.
