CDT Montana 2016
Day 35, August 9, Tuesday
Start 25-072XL Elbow Creek Junction
Stop Summit Campground 25-356WT near Marias Pass
Miles walked: 28.6
The goal today to make long miles, so tomorrow can arrive at East Glacier in good time.
Blah trail for a few miles, thickly overgrown, wet plants from rain in the middle of the night, until it opens up to view of ridges to be walked in the distance
Some quick views while on the ridge.
A storm cloud races towards me from the next ridge over.
Rain hits on the way down from my ridge.
Rain starts near the top of the ridge, but with little wind. Is the CDT being too easy on me?
From past days experience I am determined to walk through the storm, not wait for a pause in rain. More wet tall plants along the path drench my clothes.
The path down is not steep, so I do not slip and fall in muddy trail. Is the CDT being too easy on me?
Walking along Two Medicine River Trail, an old road, I make good time. Then on Trail 137, craziness.
A large burn and beetle-kill area had dropped trees aplenty across the trail, and saws had not cleared deadfalls as in most of northern Montana. DNA mentioned this stretch, and was amazed to learn it had still not been fixed. Progress climbing over downed trees is agonizingly slow– the seven to ten mile section might take double or more the normal time to hike.
A southbound hiker had also mentioned this trail, and said Ley showed an alternate on his maps. He did not explain WHY the alternate, but now I know why. I took the alternate route, continuing on Two Medicine and doing plenty of wet-foot crossings.
Soon it starts to rain again, for hours.
I could have persisted on trying Trail 137, and been stuck scambling over logs in the rain. Is the CDT being too easy on me?
Paused to eat first-dinner under a tree.
Joined back to regular CDT around 8PM from my detour around Trail 137.
The sun shown through just as it was setting.
I had not planned to get as far as Summit Campground, but I am so close, so hike quickly on. A sign says to see the camp host, so I knock on the RV, and a nice lady gives me a G2 drink, lets me set up my tent on her campsite, and lets me run an extension cord to the tent so I can recharge electronics overnight.
