To Darby Day 4: Transition zone

I’m starting at mile 590. Ending at mile 614. 24 miles. There are 2 miles left to the highway to Darby. 

The day’s hikes had the feeling of a transition zone. Like how the PCT will have dull stretches in between the more interesting higher places. There wasn’t much to say about it. There were a few spots with nice views but most of it was dry and boring and in various states of regrowth after fires. At least the weather was mild and the grade gentle. I made good time. I saw nobody else for the entire day. 

There was a 17 mile water carry. I took about 4 liters from the last reliable source to last the rest of the way to Chief Joseph Pass. I made some pudding to eat later, which I did at 2:30 while sitting in the shade cooling my feet. 

I had cell service and called Tony. 

I pretty much just put my head down and put in miles until about 6:30 when I stopped at a tent site listed in the app 2.2 miles from the Chief Joseph Pass exit. There was a truck and small RV nearby. I hoped someone would come out and offer me a cold drink but they didn’t. 

To Darby Day 3: Howling wind, crashing trees and forest fires

I’m starting the day at mile 565 and ending it at 590. A grueling 25 mile day. 

I was still exhausted from all the climbing yesterday. There were two more up and down passes to do. I fell in the creek between them and lost the drinking cap to my water bottle. 

Then the hills were less intense but I entered a very long burn zone with many blowdowns. The wind howled and I listened to trees fall. There was a forest fire burning in front of me. I wondered if it was on the trail. A few hours later I could see another forest fire burning on the other side of me. It was like being in hell. 

There was a long water carry through miles of burned forest and blowdowns  because comments in the app said they couldn’t find a spring. A helpful northbound section hiker told everyone how to find it. When I got there the men from last night and the Canadians were there. The Canadian man gave me a liter of water. 

The trail climbed through more burned forest with more blowdowns. As I labored the Canadian woman’s pack appeared on the trail. I assumed she was pooping but I looked up and saw her hiking without it. The trail finally leveled off in unburned forest and the Canadian man appeared without his pack headed back down to retrieve hers. Everyone today had come up to me from behind and essentially blasted me out of their way, including the men and the Canadians. At times I wanted to cry at how rudely I would be forced to jump out of the way. But nobody carried my pack. I was doing all the same miles on my own at my own pace. 

As I crested the summit into reasonably healthy forest it appeared I might make it to the next water source without dry camping. 

I plodded along, passing some nice dry campsites battling in my head which mattered more: to not exhaust myself with too many miles and get adequate rest or to camp among other people? Suddenly the creek appeared and there were no campsites nearby so I grabbed some water and went searching for a place to camp. Soon I was at Surprise lake and there were the German Belgians in their tent. 

I tried to set up my tarp but it was just too windy. I packed up and went further. There were the men from yesterday. It seemed a little calmer on their side of the lake. I found a spot somewhat far from them and managed to set up my tarp partially tied to trees which seemed more secure. The cold wind was still blowing. It didn’t look promising but my tarp held while I made and ate my dinner and wrote in my journal. 

It was such a long and brutal day. This is the Cruelty Delivery Trail. But on the bright side I carried my own weight and did as many miles as anyone else and I even managed to set up a tarp shelter in wind and it did not fall down. 

To Darby Day 2: Lakes and passes

I tried to get an early start. I got up with the first bird I heard. It was still dark enough it was hard to see. I made hot oatmeal and cold coffee mixed up in a breakfast essentials drink. It was too much. I had a hard time hiking at first. 

This mountain lake actually had a dam on it. I walked over the dam to resume the trail. I had about 3 and a half miles to get back on the official CDT, the “red line” for the color of the trail on the FarOut app. 

The trail climbed humanely to Storm Lake Pass. Then it traversed over to a cool alpine area called Goat Flat. That’s where I rejoined the CDT. 

The trail then entered a really beautiful forest of larches. 

All day I climbed passes and then descended into valleys and climbed more passes. I think there were at least four or five. Many of them were very steep. The second to last, the one that went by Warren Lake, was the steepest of all. The downhill on the other side was just as steep. When it was done I had nothing left but I still had 3 and a half more miles. 

The last miles were slow. I felt like every rock and root conspired against me. My goal was Rainbow Lake and when the lake came into view I cried. 

I took a little refreshing skinny dip in the lake. I did not swim, just sat on a submerged rock and washed my skin. I hoped it would help me sleep better. 

I ate mashed potatoes with real butter and real cheese and tuna in sunflower oil for dinner sitting around a campfire ring with no fire with three guys who I had seen a number of times throughout the day. They told me they saw Mowgli when they arrived at the lake and that I arrived not very long after. I would have thought Mowgli would have gotten much further faster than that. 

For as hard as this day felt and for as much as I struggled and rest stepped maybe I’m not in as bad shape as I think.

I pitched my tarp only feet from the lake. That’s not very leave no trace. People in Montana kinda do whatever but the nature doesn’t seem destroyed here at all. Maybe the short summers contain the damage.