On 7/23 I did 8.7 miles to Interstate 15 and hitched to Lima, MT. On 7/24 I did 9.8 miles and slept along Long Creek Rd. On 7/25 I did 25.5 just past scalp creek. On 7/26 I did 28 miles and camped below Sawtell Peak. On 7/27 I did 20.4 miles to Fish Creek Rd. On 7/28 I did 18.8 miles to Summit Lake.
Listen to “New Slang” by the Shins. No particular reason for this song other than I have been playing it a lot as I finished out Montanaho
I spent a long time in Lima, MT. I got in around 8am on the 23rd and didn't leave until 5pm on the 24th. This is by far the longest break I have taken on trail. My body needed the rest and I had to take a break somewhere to make my Old Faithful Village logistics work out so I didn't arrive at the post office on a Sunday. I have walked over 1,500 miles so far and this is the first time I've had to make an adjustment to my schedule to get a package which I feel super fortunate. I have a package sent to me in almost everytown I stop in. I do my best to try and find local businesses that will accept a package so I dont have to deal with the hours and days the post offices are open. It's so convenient to just pick up a package that has all of my food and gear I need for the next stretch. Not only does it save money since I bought everything in bulk before the trip, it also saves me a lot of time in town. In town you spend a lot of time doing chores like laundry, resupply, gear repair and logistics. The less chores you have to do the less time you have to spend on your feet in town. Ontop of the ease and cost of packages it's also kind of a necessity since I dont carry a stove when I hike and just cold soak all of my food so trying to find a bunch of food you can cold soak at a gas station (which is often the only resupply in town) can be a bit challenging, but not impossible as I have seen hikers carry out nothing but candy to fuel them to the next stop.
I have seen a ton of wildlife on this stretch. I have seen numerous ospreys and run into several moose each day. I rounded a bend one day and was 20 yards from a mother moose and her calf which was certainly not ideal but luckily they took off running and I didn't have to dive behind a tree for cover. As I was setting up my tent on the 25th I heard a cow bell in the forest. This isn't that odd because some national forest is open to cattle grazing from grandfathered contracts. I was suprised to hear cows because I was in such steep terrain and barely found a flat enough spot for a single tent. The bell got louder and louder and when I looked out of my tent it was actually a herd of about 300 sheep, one of which had a cow bell on it. I got up and kept them away from my tent as they will eat just about anything (including sil-nylon). Once they moved on after clearing the Forrest floor of any vegetation I went to bed. The next day I came across sign stating I was in a sheep experimental zone. Not sure what the experiments are but I'm glad my tent survived the hungry horde.
I have started to run into North Bound thru hikers. They all have different stories to tell about how they made it through Colorado. Some walked roads, some took lower alternates, some flipped and still have some sections to do and one guy actually back country skied the San Juan's which is extremely impressive. It's nice to see a few people on trail; Besides Reltentless and Twig who I met back up with right before crossing into Wyoming I haven't seen a soul. It's nice to exchange trail information with each other and get first hand accounts of what I'm coming into but I need to figure out how to shorten the exchanges. They last anywhere between 20 and 45 minutes and if I run into 2 hikers a day that's a lot of miles I have to make up before the sunnsets.
I walked into Yellowstone and subsequently Wyoming on the 27th. Entering Wyoming is a huge milestone. I completed nearly 900 miles in Montana and Idaho or as we like to call it Montanaho. Entering WY is the start to some epic days. I cannot wait to checkout Yellostone, The Tetons, The Wind River and the Great Basin and see what else WY has in store for me.
*I'll post pictures to this post once I have better signal
Entering Wyoming!
Crossing the state line with Relentless and Twig
Crossing into Yellowstone
Always a good sign to find one of these blazes
It was a hot section, lots of exposed ridge walks
Getting Trail Beta from Northbound Hiker Monster