cdt

Hiking The CDT- Part 2- The Bob Marshall Wilderness

/ bens game

Back in the Hostel in East Glacier I was having a day 4 off. I was sat around other hikers and being given useful but not useful unconfirmed facts like ‘the Bob’ has the highest population density of Grizzly Bears anywhere in the lower 48 states. But this wasn’t the concern, the concern was that now the easy part was over, the real trail begins, the reason the CDT had its reputation. The Bob Marshall Wilderness section covers approximately 200miles of trail. For hikers that planned it, you can mail a package to a ranch at around mile 160 that will collect if from a town and hold it for a fee, but I hadn’t planned thus didn’t have the luxury. I would have to carry enough food for 200miles. 200miles, over 8 days that would be 25 miles a day. Food for 8 days. in hydrated food around 2kilo a day (the weight of a 4500kcal ration pack, which i wouldn’t be using, but it was a good point of reference) or 16 kilos for the 8 days.  33lbs of food. That didn’t seem reasonable. I needed to do more miles. Having just done that kind of mileage through glacier park at over 30 miles per day, it seemed doable. I would aim for 6 days through ‘The Bob’. 33miles per day.

This seemed like a fun kind of challenge, a bet which had me pitting myself against nature. The weight of my bag when packed was heavy, but I streamlined and scraped away every possible gram. The clothes I arrived with, gone to the hiker box, the extra wrapping from food, gone, and just enough fuel to get to the next town.  Oldschool asked what I planned on doing about resupply and after telling him my plan we agreed to hike together. At this early point I was already thinking beyond the first 800 miles I set myself the challenge of hiking. My intended daily mileage had just doubled from 18 per day to 33. Early in the morning while the others in the hostel slept we crept out the door and headed for the trail. Inside the National park the trails are well marked and mostly maintained. Outside, the maintenance drops. It gets wilder.

The day off allowed my feet to recover fully and we were motoring along at a steady pace, we picked a crossing over the highway as our place to have a break, 15 to 20 miles down the way. Marked with a large spire memorial to Theodore Roosevelt. Here we met a small group of hikers already having lunch that set off the evening prior. We hiked together a few miles before one in their numbers decided she wanted to cross the bob faster and so joined us. 185 miles to go. Hotsprings, our new hiker called herself, was also aiming to hike the divide and liked the slightly faster pace we were at. The first few miles were pleasant, after which, for maybe 10 miles we crossed the same river maybe 20-30 times. Each time the shock of icey water stabbing into our feet. The crossings were  interspersed with meadows that were alive with birds and fresh air. Towards the end of the first day we chanced upon a cabin, a trail worker had taken up residence in ready to start clearing downed trees from the winter. I enjoyed chatting with him but as the sun began to fade we headed off to find a camp of our own. When travelling in bear country there are three options for camping and food storage. First is a bear canister, a great way to store food, screw the lid on, place it a small way from your tent and your done. Simple, but it takes up space and adds a kilo or two to your pack. Second is a bear bag and cord for hanging it in a tree, my chosen method. Its light, cheap, sometimes easy. What they don’t mention is when it is darkening, and you try to find a tree high enough and with a limb wide enough to be out of reach of a bear, your options are not plentiful and often non existent, taking precious time you wish you were off your feet. Time after time I chucked a small stick with my cord attached high into the tree, only for it not to clear the branch. Or get nervous about how close to the tree the bag was, or worry about the bear knocking the cord from the small tree it was tied off to. After what felt like an hour of attempted hanging, I crawled into my sleeping bag and started dreaming of a bear running off with my food.

We woke in the morning and hiked on, miles and miles up and down valleys twisting and winding, clambering over downed trees, deciding which route to take. We started hiking through an area of burned forest, which is pretty at first, but gets tiring and provides little shade from a burning sun. I still had my ice axe and crampons in pack just in case but in the baking heat it felt ridiculous carrying these useless lumps of metal. This day was mainly uneventful, coffee breaks, hiking, river crossings until I came across a mobile phone off in the grass to the side of the path, still charged but without its owner. Towards the end of the day while still in the burn area, we opted to camp on a small island in the middle of a river crossing giving us a safe distance from potential falling trees. I wonder what could have happened to the owner. Likely being a thru hiker I could post it on a hiker forum when we get out. Tonight we used the third option of food storage and least advised, sleeping with it in the tent.

DCIM100ATC9K

In the morning we carried on through the burn and as the valley narrowed we came to what appeared to be an abandoned ranger station, except, there was a tent on the porch, it wasn’t a reach to imagine this tent with a hiker on the trail in front of us could have lost a mobile being used for navigation. ‘Hello!!’ I shout expectantly, hoping not to startle. The response came back and a minute later there stood Kathleen, I discovered she had entered the wilderness a few days before us hiking with a couple of friends, lost her phone, ran back to find it saying she would catch up in a day and walking miles back and not finding it, and not sure which way her friends went, opted to stay put with an educated guess more people will pass. Extremely happy her phone was back she opted to join us and we shared a little food to help top her supplies up. Not a lot, but a token of help. Now we were four. She packed up and our procession carried on. We climbed up and up to Switchback Pass, legend has it there are 99 switchbacks (zigzags to make the ascent easier). I’ll be honest, some of the switchbacks went uphill on the downhills and were a little infuriating when you hike a half mile and finish 20 yards from where you started. I was hungry by the bottom, the pointless turns ground at me as I imagined how far down the trail I could have been otherwise. Five miles on was a station where we had a small fire and washed in the river. It marked the next camp and the start of a bad habit sleeping with food in the tent. I told myself  it was reasonably safe, with each days food being divided into ziplock bags and then packing into a rolled up drybag it was reasonably odour proof. Maybe the bears will be offended by my smell before they ever smell the food.

I hadn’t been paying any attention to mileage too much, just knowing walking dawn till dusk would be enough to fulfil the feat. I did notice hiking in a bigger crowd of people, the pace slows significantly. I kept walking ahead on my own, then relaxing and waiting for the others to catch up. I enjoyed this and feel it gave a lot more space to enjoy the wilderness at its own level but still be social. The next day we climbed a pass and stopped by a lake for lunch. I went ahead and dropped over to the Chinese Wall, a spectacular 12 mile cliff with lush green meadow at its foot.  Lots of wild cat prints make me keep an eye over my shoulder. I waited for the others at the other end then we dropped down the valley, down and down thousands of feet as we exited the wilderness area. Camping beside the river I stretched out, feeling it a little in my back. We were 10 miles short of the 160mile ranch.

This was day five and right on track we arrived near the ranch mid day. Meaning if we kept pace by tomorrow evening we would be in a town eating good food. The potato, chocolate, and oats diet gets a bit bland, and even the odd bite of beef jerky still leaves me feeling empty. The small forest carpark we spilled out onto would be the end of the hike for many, but we start climbing the next valley up and up. We also left behind Hotsprings, who was having foot problems and I would bet was relieved to be somewhere she could stop. Wishing I had something tasty to eat consumed a lot of my thought process as the climb carried on. This section I didn’t take too many photos, but I had fun, As the light dulled we pitched up and were done, safe in the knowledge the next day would have less than 25miles. By mid afternoon my shoulders could take off the pack.

Day Six- the heat, Oh the unrelenting heat, and the pointless ups and downs, who made this trail? Why are we going over every single bump?  This time Oldschool was ahead after getting up earlier, leaving me and Kathleen to catch up the rest of the day, we felt sure he would be around the next corner at every bend but somehow was burning the miles quicker than we could. We arrived at the pass and stuck our thumbs out. Within a few minutes a ride drove past, then on noting us drove past again, then finally on the return stopped. ‘I was trying to decide if I should or not?’ we hopped in. It was a student who was pretty high and proudly blasting Pulp through the stereo when he realised I was British. Down we sped in the town. Oldschool was already waiting and relaxing. I went into the gas station and bought a large Cola, drinking it in seconds. For some reason the water had started tasting bland in the mountains. Every sip I had was sucked through a micro filter screwed onto the water bottle, and it was effort. But the CocaCola flowed free! I was keen to get resupplied and going back to the pass, but Oldschool was pretty burned. We sorted a motel room between the three of us for around 30 dollars, I took the floor. I hadn’t planned on any town stops after East Glacier, my budget was a shoe string. It felt good knowing the longest section of hiking was over though. No other section was 200 miles.

Could I hike this whole trail?

Hiking The CDT – Part 1 – Glacier Park

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I was looking for something to do once upon a time and pulled out a book called the ‘Worlds Greatest Adventure Treks’. In it a large series of treks around the world for those who’s minds would wander.  I learned within a hour or so of reading that hiking has a season in most places, dictated by cold, heat and rain. In the time slot coming up for me was the CDT, most hikers were already on trail walking North from the Mexican border, but the book hinted that at the start of June, one or two battle hardened warriors with nothing to live for have the gall to hike South. I could be that guy!

For those unaware, the Continental Divide Trail is a trail that runs from the Mexican Border approximately 3000 miles to Canada, following the water divide of the Rockies. In many places, one side of the path drains to the Pacific, the other side to the Atlantic. It is recommended for hardened vets of the hiking world. I remember being told a comparison to the other USA long trails while on it. The Appalachian trail is like a kitten, gentle, places you can order fast food to the trail and a good many people to hike with. The Pacific Crest trail like a grown cat, fun to pet but can bite and scratch once in a while. But ‘the Divide’, it’s a raging mountain lion you’re holding by the ears’. I do wonder how hard it really is in comparison to the others, having no time on them. But my experience was the best of my life

It started a month or so before, reading up on this trail, there were things called resupply packages people would prepare months in advance, I didn’t have time to sort these. My food preparations were made in Seattle to cover me for the first 4 days mainly consisting of powdered potato and M&Ms. The maps, I was too late to order good ones. I printed off 800 miles of trail on my computer on letter sized paper that seemed to make the bulk of my hiking pack. The low print quality wasn’t great, but I knew there had to be real maps out around the national parks so I wasn’t too concerned.

  I bought a two season sleeping bag with the thought I can wear extra clothes if I am cold. A pair of Merrell Moab Ventilator shoes, reputedly great for hiking but the bane of my life most the time I wore them, a titanium cup and spirit stove for cooking, and a new waterproof top. The pack all in weighed non too much. I had a spare pair of socks, a warm top, and lots of micropore tape to fix myself. I also had an adventure time hat that looked befitting for any budding angler.

I arrived in Glacier Park Ready but feeling kind of stupid. I booked into a hostel for a few days to get used to the area and get my bearings. I didn’t want to push to hard in these first days, a few months before I had a herniated disc in my back so painful I couldn’t take one step forwards without pain shooting through my butt and down my leg. I accepted coming out here was a risk and if on day one I had to abandon the trip, at least it would have been a scenic break. I met a guy called Axle, who had just ran a half marathon nearby and we decided to do a few hikes together. It was nice and chilled hiking in the overpowering pine forests. It felt high on the resin smell. After a few days I decided it was time to start. I picked up a permit and stuck my thumb out at the roadside to hitch to the trailhead. Committed, hiked in.

The first day was 20miles. Not a big target, but a good first day. I passed most of it clapping my hands and shouting ‘Hey Bear’ to ward away fear until the sun began to set. Climbing over a pass as the sun began to set I raced down thinking of making camp before nightfall. Then, it happened… what my parents told me would be the death of me weeks before, the fear I said would not happen. In a clearing, on the middle of the trail Beelzebub incarnate, a monstrous Grizzly Bear. I felt feeble and small. The canister of bear spray i bought in the town seemed pointless. I wondered how quickly it would charge through the red mist. How quickly it would tear though my skin to the bone and chuck me about. How my family would read the headline the next day, that was it over. Gone.

The bear did not charge, but after a few seconds or minutes, he turned and walked off into the forest and quiet filled the air. Just like that, most the fear I had felt vanished. I was buzzing. A grizzly bear! I jogged along silent but ecstatic. The last mile to camp passed fast, arriving at the camp there were others. I told them of the Grizzly bear encounter. ‘Your first one hey?’ came the response.

I woke the next morning in the dark, made a coffee then rushed to catch up with a hiker called Oldschool. A precise man with  a love of the outdoors. He was also hiking the Divide and we agreed to hike together the next days, I was feeling relieved to have someone to hike with while in grizzly country.  We hiked into St Marys and grabbed a hot drink from the hotel before heading out into the rain and thunder. Call it reckless, most hikers will stay indoors for lighting, but to hike thousands of miles in the same season, the safety margin is cut. We gained elevation, up into a whiteout into the freezing cold, and away from comfort. Early in the season snow still covers the trails and as we came up through the alpine flowers it soon became hard to navigate. On a steep hillside, the path disappeared into white hardened snow. A quick check of our general direction on the map,  We put on crampons, brought out the ice axes and started across.  It felt like hours and thunder rumbled overhead. I remembered reading once upon a time snow is a poor conductor of lighting and I kept telling myself this. We climbed quickly to the top of the pass and descended just as quick away from the rumbling monsters. The walk down was long but at the end of this day camp would be welcome and the sooner the better. We arrived at camp in the dark. Pitched up on Oldschools pitch (I was ahead of my permit) and slept. We agreed it would be good to have another early start. Each days rations I packed into individual ziplock bags, trying to vary the chocolate, potato and what ever treats I had for the day to keep it exciting. I liked this system of organisation. the food lived in a dry sack i would hang up the trees at night.

The next day was wet. The paths overgrown, fresh green vegetation soaking me, like walking through a river of ice. It was painful, but liberating to be out. The miles ground by with the underside of my feet aching. Each stop I would take off the shoes and socks and let them breathe. Full well knowing the depression of putting back on wet sock in ten minutes would be miserable. For lunch the small stove would come out and into the cup would go powdered potato and a few sprinkles of bacon bits for flavour. Another pass to climb, followed by a long descent, a short break then another climb, almost hypnotic, all thoughts leave and I keep walking. Towards the evening we come across a Moose, I had never really considered what to do if there was a Moose, so I stood bemused. Like most wildlife, it weighed me and Oldschool up, paused, and walked away. It seemed to move the whole forest around it as it forced with ease through the trees. We reached camp, pitched up and went to sleep.

I woke in the night to the sound of crushing and thumping, what could be making this sound? The nylon skin keeping me from the outside felt thin. I slept uneasy. I asked Oldschool in the morning if he heard it. To which he replied it is probably a bear, they sound like a drunk man stumbling about when they forage. We packed  up our small camp and carried on upwards. Today there would be two passes. Walking over compacted snow we gained height in a large bowl aiming for where we knew our pass was. I was loving the alpine trees and spaces. I raced ahead and waited at the top of the pass for my friend to catch up. We knew in the next valley was a small store next to Two Medicine lake. A few hours hiking brought us to a welcoming owner who was in awe of what we were attempting, we received free breakfast wraps, as many as we could eat, and free coffee. I wasn’t expecting this but was told it’s know as trail magic. People who see what you’re attempting and want to help. We set off replenished with a final short pass to climb and from the top could almost see the hostel a few miles off. This was the end of the first leg. Glacier complete. It felt easy. Three days and the first hundred miles in. I was sore but happy, my back was holding up and I would have a beer to celebrate at the hostel. I booked in, did my laundry the next day and studied the next section of hiking so I knew how much food to buy from the small store in town.

Colorado Trail Section

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Fearing I would be trapped in the hostel till the cogs in my mind fuse into a solid state I decided to take a friend up on an offer and go for a hike for a day or two and make a decision on where to go next. In the car as we drew closer to the pass and starting point speckles of rain began to accumulate on the windscreen.  At the top of the pass we picked our packs out the trunk and set out up the hill. 6pm. The clouds were low and a cool breeze swept around the hill. Walking this part of the colorado/continental trail is refreshing, staying high on easy trail in and out of trees. I knew from 2 years previous of a 3 sided wooden shelter with metal roof 8 miles away. This was the target, we drew towards the shelter at around half 8 as darkness was setting in and rain becoming heavy. To my surprise there were tents pitched around but nobody in the shelter itself. Saving a tent from becoming heavy and wet and having space to move and think it was the only logical place to unroll a sleeping bag and heat some noodles. It rained the whole night. I tried catching rain dripping off the roof but every time i placed my pot the drips seemed to change landing patterns.

In the morning the tenters joined us for breakfast. The day continued much the same as the evening before, in a semi-concious zombie state soaked to the bone and hands numbed enough to move slowly when trying to use them. I was calm and composed, trying to be at one with the rain and embrace the cold, not entirely believing myself it was worth coming out.  I fashioned what I would call a pumpkin prom jacket out of an orange coated survival bivi bag, this added a small amount of warmth at the expense of my dignity and of Sabrinas’ who hiked with me. Towards the middle of the day we arrived at the summit of Sgt. Mesa. A beautiful high hill with meadows and trees and fluffy black storm clouds a mile or two off to the side.

Sabrina said “As least the storm cloud is over there”.

Moments later lightning forked across the sky close above out heads with a tremendous crack like a wagon plowing into a concrete bunker. Where most people would stop and sit or panic the thru hiker mentality of ‘stay calm and carry on’ shone through boldly and we kept hiking along the ridge line like a couple of idiots. The addiction to hiking building, adrenaline growing, and tree cover getting thinner. The ridge line narrowed slightly and the rumbles became bombs detonating very close. Another hiker called Steven was heading the opposite direction towards the Mesa summit. I wouldn’t want to be him.

a break in the clouds
the only shelter i know of on the entire cdt
islands in a sea of cloud

We pitched tent about half way along the 6 mile ridge close to where a tree had been previously struck by lightning. They say lighting doesn’t strike the same place twice, a myth I was willing to believe for the evening with impending rain seconds away. Pitching early did not save us from rain splashing up between the fly sheet and inner tent. This did not put me in the mood to attempt to cook noodles alfresco so we went to sleep hungry questioning why it was so. I dreamt about bears savaging the tent and other wonderful things. My sleeping pad still deflates every couple of hours waking me to the real horror of trail life, the sound of everything becoming wet. This morning was glorious, not sunny, but not raining. It was nice being high up early and having a vile concoction of triple herbal tea with extra sugar from my unofficial trip sponsor ‘the hiker box’. Three miles down the path in fairer condition was where my and Sabrinas’ path would split. I turned north and down hill back towards the road and pass. Deep house tunes blasting out (a one hour kygo mix) I ran the next 6 miles. I felt alive, this is what outdoors was meant to be.

At the roadside I stuck my thumb out and the first truck pulled over.

“Jump in!!! theres a car behind I dont want to get past me” shouted the driver.

I hopped up, “Beer?”

“Yes” I replied. The next half hour back to Salida was nice. I was Acutely aware of how bad my trainers were smelling after fording a stream the colour of cow muck. The driver seemed to understand.

Salida! I’ve wound up back in Salida! Of all the towns in all the states in America, why am I going back to Salida again? With no decision on what I will do next the Vortex has me. The sirens beckon.

‘Wakey, Wakey Rise and Shine! and don’t forget your booties, its cold out there today’

 

Cycling The Great Divide Basin

/ bens game / 3 Comments

 

sunset, no filter

The divide basin is a large flat(ish) area that splits the rockies in wyoming. Its dusty, hot, there are lots of ticks that will try to bite you and its long. (136miles by the official bike route I think).

To get to the basin from Landers first i had to cycle the wrong way up 2300feet into a headwind. I resented this climb. I didn’t really need to cross the basin, I hiked across in 2015 and didn’t expect it to be much different. I could have taken the shorter road route but that wouldn’t be much of an adventure and i considered this a necessary evil on my trip.

I waited around Atlantic City, a small town on the edge of the basin with a few other hikers and bikers till after 4pm when it would start to cool, and set off, the water sources being about 22mile in, then 56mile, then Rawlins at the far side. I have two 1 litre water bottles but bought a couple of extra litres for just in case a flat tyre or something cataclysmic slowed me down, but i soon ditched the extra water with the thought there will be someone else out here if it goes south. I currently have a buckled back wheel and is is very slowly getting worse. hopefully it can make an extra 140miles to Steamboat springs where bike shops are plentiful.   I was very fortunate to have a tailwind for the first time and this was great motivation to keep going till after dark, knowing the next day it might be gone. I followed the tail of a storm, the clouds just keeping me in shade. The wildlife was brilliant, I had mule deer running all over, horses, cows, hares and after sundown, a coyote that kept me entertained for a while. The coyote seemed chilled, but always tried to keep behind me, if I turned to it it would back a distance away and circle again. I rode into the dark with a poor headtorch that I love, and nearly wrapped a few times hitting ruts and sand. But progress is progress.

Sunset and sunrise are worth watching, the colours are unreal, like a brilliant filter has been applied. I took an hour out in the morning to play with my camera and see what i can achieve. The night sky was so clear, lighting every inch of ground. The below video is in the divide and I think its mule deer running across my path. This was great fun to see repeatedly over 60miles.

This is the sunrise while i was packing up and getting ready to cycle. All in i wouldn’t recommend cycling the divide or walking it, but it is beautiful and a dirt road runs through it. Worth a trip for the safari.

I am trying to work out how to climb as many 14,000ft+ peaks as possible as I cycle through Colorado, maybe one a day southbound? I’m gonna finish this beer and hit the road.

Love ya’ll. Benjamin

 

 

Falling into the dream with Montana

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So, today I cycled 83 miles on dirt road, I would have stopped earlier, but I really despise flies and knew from the 47th mile at the 83rd mile there would be a pint of refreshing ale and a swimming pool as a reward. 4 pints later and I’m still telling myself there is time for the pool. I have pitched my tarp sheet in a nice rv/motel park borrowing a towel as I carry non.  Tomorrow will descend on Yellowstone. Hoping to get in early to beat the park entrance fee. I am really settling into this trip now.

The days riding was shear joy, open dirt roads, few climbs and great views (i do enjoy climbs but not at 32c (90f). Playing my repeated playlist again and again I felt like a Don singing out loud with no one to complain. One 4×4 vehicle on the road did pull over to talk, the couple inside had been to my home Lake District and talked of the great beer and a lovely 3 weeks there. I do believe Montana is getting close to brilliant beer, or maybe I am just enjoying drinking more of it.  I covered today’s distance in around 6 hours including stops where I attempted to take timed photos with no luck, I spent much time running back and forward and I have lots of ridiculous photos of my back running from the camera, there seems to be an auto motion sensor fighting me; I will sus this sometime soon. I am just over the border in Idaho and don’t think I will be back in Montana again in the near future, quite a sad thought, its been brilliant, the snow, the river crossing, the downed trees, the heat, the views, the cycling, the humbling experience and the friendliest people you could meet in the world who invited me to drink beer with them, introduced me to their families and opened their homes to me.  Sky, Sarah, Josh, Gov, Aram, and the many I knew only for a few hours. thank you all.

I will miss you Montana, goodnight.

long easy gravel road smooth as a highway
backdrop of the continental divide at red rock lake
I planned on stopping here but the fly situation was devestating
classic montana
my office for the eve
open road
my pitch for the night

Trail Life mosquitoes and Lightning

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For those that question why i bother travelling, hopefully these first person views will help. I’m now a stones throw from Yellowstone where I will start making side tracks from the official Great divide MB route and CDT, and doing the things I missed on this trip last time and really making this my trip. I’ve cycled into what will be the first of many lightning storms yesterday evening, it really makes the trail come alive. I tell myself the chances of being stuck is one in a million, even though i know 999,999 of those people will be no where near a storm. There is a reason they call Montana ‘Big Sky Country’. The vistas are awesome and natures display doesn’t disappoint.

I was also harassed by many thousands of mosquitoes. I presume these ones were working as a squadron/unit. It started with the little scouts coming ahead, flying around, sizing me up, working out which items of clothing they could bite through, then came the first wave, I swung violently in every direction, I turned my gas stove up full and ran, hoping this distraction of burning vapours would camouflage me, but in vein, their numbers were too great. And my noodles were ready, i had to return.  I then proceeded to do what I would call Ross Geller dance karate (friends if your too your to understand the reference, I really hope not though) while walking and eating, to any onlookers, I must have looked like a mad man. I then dived into my inner tent i set up under the table shelter, they had me pinned. I don’t know how many hours I was stuck there, hundreds of them walking around the outside looking for a way in, with me cocooned in my nylon mesh prison. I knew of a hole near the end that made me vunerable, i held a top in place with my foot, an eternity passed……….. It turned dark, the wind picked up, Zephyrus was on my side, they were blown away. In the dark and aftermath, I regrouped; gathered my thing together, and finally rested.

The next morning I broke camp fast and without food. My quads are burning from cycling and im itching all over from the previous nights attack. I got lucky this time, next time, they might get all my blood. On route to Lima i had a third flat tyre, Im certain the blood suckers were following me, I have never changed a tyre as fast. I’m considering beefing up my cycle reserve supplies and upping my tyres to something with a bit more traction.

Viva la Vida. Lots of love,

Benjamin

 

view towards Lima from Railroad Crossing
3rd flat tyre
sunset over reservoir
my camp for the night
my view on trails
2nd trail view
3rd trail view
4th trail view
5th trail view
view leaving helena
lightning where im heading
more lightning

 

 

wise river -polaris- clark canyon res distance approx 78mile

reservoir to lima distance approx 30mile

Cycling on the 4th July

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My 4th July started like you are aware, with McDonalds. I have to say im begining to detest the Mcmuffin but it fuelled me up. I hung about in the town till the parade, the one big surprise at the start of the parade being everyone lining the sides of the road standing to attention with hand over heart as the American flag and servicemen led the way. This was followed by ex service men charities and support groups, then the fire services, with firemen dancing behind the wagon. It was pretty hot and I wondered how enthusiastic the dancing would be by the far end of the parade. There were plenty of entertaining floats and youth clubs, cheer leaders, boxing clubs and more. One thing that stood out was the amount of advertising with dates for events displayed on the side of the wagons. Then the beer companies getting their adverts in, even some mining companies. While the parade was entertaining, it did feel like watching a commercial, all be it a very colourful one.  At 1pm I set off. It was hot, with a gentle headwind drying my skin and mouth and causing frustration. It was a long climb up a mundane gravel road mile after mile. Once I reached the divide crossing it felt easier, probably because it was downhill. when I reached the bottom of the next valley i sat under the highway in the shade. It was 5pm, I promised myself I wouldn’t ride through the mid day but its all I seem to end up doing of recent. I decided to take the easy alternate instead of an infamous steep ridgeline. An evening of 18 mile road cycling with a river lunch half way was nice. I rolled into Wise River and grabbed a beer. Then a second beer, then a third beer. At which point it started getting dark. I rolled out to find somewhere to camp.

In the middle of the main road in the town a group of adults and kids were setting off fireworks. They invited me to join them and handed me a beer. This seems to be becoming a theme along the route and one I am getting used too,  by nearly midnight the fireworks were over and a lovely old lady who seemed to be grandmother to many of the kid offered the back porch to sleep on, which i gladly took.

5th July- 6am- I woke dehydrated, I said the previous night I would be up and gone early to get some miles in and as promised woke early. As I went around the front of the cabin I realised about 15 yards from where the fireworks were being set off was a fuel pump, it made me laugh a little. Todays ride has been glorious, climbing a pass to 2360m (7740ft) before descending to Elkhorn Hot Springs and covering around 30 mile by lunch. Now I am deciding if I should stop the night. After glancing at the map i have realised Yellowstone is within striking distance. Finally feels like I’m getting some miles in.

cabin in the woods
lovely cabin that let me sleep on their back porch
awesome road cycle
awesome gravel road cycle from butte to wise river
dancing firemen in parade

Helena to Butte – Lava Mountain

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The Boring Bits-     Distances , So……. from Ovander to Lincoln was 27miles by road, followed by 54miles offroad/gravel to get me to the pass at Helena leaving a downhill into town in the morning. I started this day at 9.30am. In Lincoln I caught the parade for a hour or so. I was finished by around 8-8.30pm. 81miles without pushing myself too hard, nice breaks through the day

Helena To Butte

54 off road with some rough terrain after Park Lake going up Lava Mountain followed by 30miles on an Interstate sprinting to Butte for fireworks, this did miss a section of trail by taking the Inter Alternate but C’mon!!! Fireworks!!!!. I started this day at about noon or just after (i was waiting for route maps to download, as good as the maps are, they require a odometer for getting the right turnings, which upto Helena, i did not have). By 4pm and through baking 90 degree heat i reached Park lake and chucked myself straight in. I am currently sat in Starbucks probably smelling like bad lake water, can’t smell how bad i smell so not too concerned. lol. Lava mountain was hard , steep and rocky, a couple of northbound cyclists I met at the lake said it was the hardest section for them. My skimpy 40mm gravel tyres were skittering about, struggling for traction, but it was brilliant fun. I did have to push the bike up a few gruelling sections towards the top which reminded me just how heavy the loaded panniers are. The reward of the downhill was immense though, all fear of buckling the wheels out the window, this was too much fun; it seemed to last hours, I passed a few more divide riders heading north, with proper mountain bikes. Pfffff, I though; who needs that setup, then I came across a 50meter steep rock garden; this humbled me, I got off the bike and wimped my way around this before remounting. It was hard enough walking down, never mind riding. The single track widened and soon became a gravel road, which i hurtled down  . At 7 pm I emerged at the interstate. 30 miles to cover by 9 pm when it would start to get dark, I have no bike lights so it was kind of a make or break thing, I plunged onto the interstate boldly; to be greeted with a head wind and a gentle but punishing climb.  Reaching a sign saying ‘snow chain area 1/2 mile ahead’ the road kept climbing. I was committed, pushing as hard as I could, my legs building lactic fast. The sun disappeared behind the ridge to my right, I was running out of time and staring at the map couldn’t work out how far i had come but felt there were about 6miles to go. Time was up. I came to the continental divide crossing and the view over the other side was glorious, Butte still shining in the sun. I flew downhill to a layby I could see cars backing up into; I realised they were setting up for the fire work display. I made it. Being the showboating idiot I sometimes am I locked the back wheel and skidded to a halt. I felt like Lance armstrong for a second (before we all found out he cheated).

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The view from the layby just over the Divide, Butte in the foreground too dark to see

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Interstate riding

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the slow climb up that was killing me

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Lava Mountain, this steep continuous climb also killed me

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My bath for the day, Park Lake, a relief after the heat of the afternoon

 

 

 

 

helena to butte

127-171 44mile

30 by road

A change of Direction going the right way

/ bens game / 2 Comments

crosses that line the road at the scene of accidents, a reminder of how dangerous roads can be
camp out just before helena
4th july parade, with free beer, beef jerky, and lots of red white and blue
lovely family that gave me lemonade from a home made stand
choice of teepee or wagon to stop in in ovander for the night
1st flat
leading the parade
my home, office, transport and leisure for the next months
resupply-the food of a hiker biker
the 2nd flat

So, I was heading back to the trail Via Amtrak when i bumped into an old friend Lucky Larry; and was inspired. Instead of hiking the whole divide, Why not cycle the great divide and climb the interesting parts? With the increased daily mileage so fewer days= less food, a bicycle would pay for itself by Mexico (Is what i have told myself)

This idea was in the back of my mind as i hitched from East Glacier to Browning towards where i left off. At Browning after a couple hours waiting, with not many cars passing, a young guy pulled over called Skyler. He agreed to driver me and after a small diversion I decided to stop the night in Lincoln. On route Sky said he wanted to hike up a pass we were going over. We pulled in at the top of the pass, he goes to the boot and pulls out some trainers.

‘I found these at the hostel, can you believe someone would chuck them away’.

I was surprises to be staring at the trainers i chucked away in East Glacier which caused my feet so much grief through the snow and subsequently a week off trail.  This was a entertaining twist. After the climb it was pretty much settled I might as well go back to Missoula to buy a bicycle. Sky gave me a lift in and breakfast in his awesome self built trailer house. At 9am I started searching the town for a bike, and towards the end of the day was getting desperate to find the spec i wanted at an affordable price, everywhere I went had just sold out, or had the wrong frame size. Sarah and Josh put me up again for the night and the next morning I met a guy from a bike shop to buy a used bike that was perfect. My steel framed machine of speed, mechanical discs, 40mm tyres(with space for a little more), wide drop bars. I set off around lunchtime and cycled around 50mile to Ovander, stopped briefly by a flat tyre from a piece of hard wire. In Ovander they welcome cyclists with open arms and contribution based accommodation($5), I opted to spent the night in a trailer with a comfortable mattress and grab a burger in the bar.

Saturday morning i cycled into Lincoln to join the great divide mountain bike trail, as I arrived in the town the street were lined with people, I presumed they were all there to greet me and send me on my way, but to my disappointment found they were actually getting ready for the 4th July parade in a few minuted time. So i took my place among the ranks and waited. The parade started and within a minute was handed free beer and beef jerky. Sweets were chucked to the children and the streets lined with red white and blue, cowboy hats and solid boots. I talked with the locals for a while then tried to set off. Across the road a family stopped me and ensured i had at least a cup of fresh lemonade. The children were using the money made to buy candy.

I set off at 1pm hoping to go a few miles, but the route drew me in and I was soon slaughtering myself, mile by mile up and up. The first descent was described as steep, and yes it was, half way down i pinched my second tube. The trail is easy but this was worrying in the first 15 mile off road as I had one more tube in reserve having spent 2 already. There was a camp area in the next valley, but I was flying on adrenaline. So climbed the second pass , this descend was smooth but with large washed out sections running and weaving down the trail, making me nervous on my 40mm gravel tyres. Lower where it was slightly rockier i started chucking the bike about; But the steel machine kept going, the wheels staying unbuckled to my relief. By half 7 I thought there is no point in stopping this close to the pass, so pushed and camped then night just off the road down to Helena. I planned on spending a day gettin to Lincoln and two days getting to Helena but had made it all on one day. Yusss!!!!!. The night was spent with what i presume was a pack of coyotes howling a couple hundred yards away. I was downwind and glad to be receiving no attention, with only an inner tent between me and them.

Sunday morning I have rolled downhill into town and am now sat back drinking a beer waiting for my luxury 2* motel room to be made ready. Ahhh hot shower, clothes washing and A/C (I hope).

In summary, the plan has changed, by covering the boring sections of trail 2-3 times faster, the bike will pay for itself and i will cover ground quicker. I shall climb peaks on the way down to Mexico as I choose, hopefully a good few 14ers (no fixed plan but maybe one per day) and a bit of time in the wind river range prior.

I need a name for my bike, any suggestions???? The name i like will be painted or at least marker penned onto the frame forever more.

Hitching A Ride

/ bens game / Leave a comment

So, After getting out of The Bob, I sat at the side of the gravel road waiting for a car to pass. and there I waited………

It took around 6hour for one vehicle to pass. This is a dead end road, just a small carpark at the end of a 30mile stretch of gravel more likely to be used on weekends, and today was Tuesday. I was beginning to think no one would be leaving that day (there were 3 cars parked up, likely on camping trips for multiple days) when a lovely couple pulled out the car park, offered me a beer and let me join them to Augusta, they were in their 40’s and had given up the desk jobs to tour the country. I stopped the night in a RV park, got breakfast in a small cheap cafe for a few dollars, and decided to hitch to Missoula then Spokane as there would be more to do while my feet heel and I could have a proper catch up with Tribhu. I walked to the roadside at the end of the town and before I had even turned around an old F150 pickup pulls over, and a nice old man says ‘hop in’, he was a carpenter on the way to finish a house. He agrees to take me to the crossroad 20 miles further down where I would continue my hitch in a different direction. The second hitch took about 10 minutes. A shiny new 4×4 drove past before swinging onto a dirty side road and coming back for me, the driver was an ex-police chief, on his way to a wedding. He dropped me in Lincoln 30 miles further down. From Lincoln I had one small ride of about 10 miles west followed by the rest of the way to Missoula with a guy going to see a music act that night, I honesty wasn’t going to consider the car for a lift, I could see in the distance the front wing had been ripped off in an accident and I slowly lowered my hand trying to make myself less noticeable, but he pulled in and asked ‘Missoula?’. Taking that as a good sign I took the ride. Before letting me leave he insisted I take a 4 pack of beers for the road and wished me well, as he passed me the pack of beers he hesitantly asked ‘actually, would you mind if I took one for the road?’. Safely presuming due to the conversation we previously had he was high and myself not really interesting in the beers anyway i happily obliged. Oh America you never surprise.

The satisfaction of covering a decent amount of miles from the generosity of others is one everybody should experience, a great way to see the states and meet the locals.

In Missoula I would relax for the day and look around before heading to Spokane to see a good friend. I asked around for a good coffee/pastry shop and planned on sitting down with a little food and finding accommodation. When I arrived at the coffee shop, the staff enquired if I was on holiday. I said I’m hiking the CDT and taking a couple of days off. After buying a pastry the girl behind the counter said ‘take a seat and relax here for a while’. So I did, minutes later for her to come over and introduce herself. She was called Sarah and had cycled the CDT two years previous with her husband Josh, she said they received a lot of generosity from people along the way and they would like to return the favor. So arranged for me to come down after the coffee shop closed and I could have a lift to their house. I met the husband Josh who had just got back from a mountain bike competition finishing quite well. The thing that always surprises me in life is just how much other people want to help.  After a nice evening and a good breakfast of pastry and coffee the next morning Josh gave me a ride to the Greyhound Station to catch my Spokane bus.

I have been in Spokane for most the past week now stopping at my friends. My mangled up feet nearly good to go apart from one scabbed up blister that has decided to remain. So tonight I will head back to trail by catching the Amtrak back to Glacier and hitching back to where i left off. I have adjusted my pack to be as light as possible to accommodate better digital equipment for better photos, footage, and blogs. Here’s hoping i don’t need an umbrella, bear spray, ice axe, crampons, spare socks, wood burning stove, spare boxers or more than a 2 season sleeping bag.

On this trip so far I can count 9 hitches, 3 offers of accommodation overnight, free beer during the hitch, a nice pack of beers after another hitch, new friends to hike with, 2 grizzly bears, 3 black bears, moose, lots of deer, prairie dogs, mice, marmots, chipmunks, snow bridges, many river crossings, and probably a lot I have forgotten already. All good things. While this has been a slow trip to start I am looking forward to the next couple of months.