Day 131 - Canyon Creek to East Fork Falls Creek

Day: 131

Date: Saturday, 14 September 2024

Start:  Canyon Creek

Finish:  East Fork Falls Creek

Daily Kilometres:  35.5

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3836.8

Weather:  Cold all day with a strong wind and partly sunny.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Muesli 

  Lunch:  Snacks/Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals 

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported 

Highlight:  About when we wanted to have a lunch break, after labouring in the very cold wind all morning (see below), we reached a yurt (hut) that was open for hikers and provided excellent shelter, complete with chairs and a table.  Ideal for lunch.  It was set up with stretchers, solar power, a gas stove and fire, so would have been good for camping.

Lowlight:  The wind today was relentless, strong and cold from about an hour after we started hiking until the evening.  Since, for much of the day, we were on treeless ridges and mountains, we were very exposed.  The constant roar in our ears and buffeting as it caught our packs and clothing was very tedious.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We woke at 5:30am to find out tent very wet with condensation from a cold damp night.  The surrounding vegetation was covered in frost.  Maybe for that reason, we were slower to get going and didn't start hiking until 6:45am under cloudy skies.  Before long a cold strong wind arrived and stayed with us for most of the day.  We were wearing many layers to keep warm.

Last evening we had worked out that, because our roadwalk yesterday to get around the CDT wildfire closure had shaved some distance from the kilometres to our next resupply at Augusta, we might actually be able to get there in three more days rather than the planned four.  It would mean three long days, but would give us two days off in Augusta instead of one.

At our breakfast break, where we had internet reception, Dave lined up the extra night in the motel (got the last room), and arranged a shuttle pickup from the remote Benchmark trailhead.  It's a long story but finding a shuttle driver was not easy and the latest they can pick us up on Monday is 5pm.  This means that Monday will have to be a shorter hiking day and, therefore, today and Sunday would have to be big days.

This seemed like a good plan at the time but, as the day passed with us being buffeted by the wind (see above) and the ascents becoming more challenging, we began to second-guess our decision.

Despite the wind and climbs, it was actually a great day scenery-wise.  The smoke haze was gone and we were above the treeline most of the time following the spine of the Continental Divide, giving us superb views of mountain ranges and valleys and far distant plains.  We could see far behind from whence we had come and far ahead to where we were going.

However, the steep ascents and descents, more than +/- 5000’ in total, kept our (Dave's) pace slow and we didn't get as far as we would have liked.

Around 8pm, as it got dark, we found a partly protected sloping tent site in a saddle and set up camp.  Looks like being an early start tomorrow if we are to do the necessary kilometres to meet our shuttle on Monday.

Day 130 - Continental Divide Trail - Marysville to Canyon Creek

Day: 130

Date: Friday, 13 September 2024

Start: Marysville 

Finish:  Canyon Creek

Daily Kilometres:  41.0

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3801.3

Weather:  Cold and overcast most of the day with a strong cold wind.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Microwaved fruit pies & pop tarts/Muesli

  Lunch:  Snacks/Trail mix

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Nothing in particular.

Lowlight:  In the early afternoon, one of several dogs on a farm that came out to bark at us, jumped the fence, struck up an instant rapport with Julie, and followed us for the next 10km of our road walk.  No amount of threats and yelling would make it turn back and it had several close calls with passing cars.  Eventually, a driver who must live locally, stopped and got the dog into his car.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We delayed getting up until 6am and started hiking at 7am, with the intention of arriving at a country store we could see on Google, close to our planned route, at 9am when it opened.  We didn't know what food would be available there, but figured they would have something different to our usual on-trail fare.

The two-hour walk to the store was quite pleasant, following a traffic-free dirt road mostly downhill through attractive partly-forested grazing land.  Towards the end of this walk we reached the valley floor where there were farms and also a compound with multiple small dwellings and RVs and various flags flying, including the Confederate flag.

The store turned out to be very small, so we bought a few things then sat on the rocking chair on their porch while we had our breakfast.  It was a very cold morning with a cold wind blowing, but at least the porch offered a little protection.  The store also had a trash can and pit toilet, both bonuses for thru-hikers.

From the store, we had a 26km road walk along Hwy 279 up to Flesher Pass (6150’).  The road initially passed through farmland, irrigated by huge sprinkler systems, then climbed through a picturesque ravine carved by Canyon Creek before reaching a narrow valley with more farms and cabins.  After a lunch stop we passed a farm where there were dogs and one of them decided to join us on our hike for 10km (see above).

Eventually, we reached Flesher Pass around 4:30pm where we rejoined the official CDT, north of the wildfire closure, which we had skirted.

It was nice to get back onto single-track trail, even if it did climb steeply away from the pass.  Our last 5km for the day was quite hilly with good views, enhanced by the emergence of the setting sun, illuminating the clouds, and a bright moon rising on the east.

Around 7:50pm, we found a protected tent site on a cold windy ridge and set up camp.  It was good to get in our cosy tent and sleeping bags.

Day 129 - Continental Divide Trail - Hwy 12 to Marysville

Day: 129

Date: Thursday, 12 September 2024

Start:  Hwy 12 (but staying in Helena MT)

Finish:  Marysville

Daily Kilometres:  35.4

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3760.3

Weather:  Steady rain early then mostly overcast and cold, but very cold when exposed to the wind.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Microwaved breakfast plate

  Lunch:  Ham, cheese & salad wraps

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Around 6:30pm, we had passed by the pub in the tiny hamlet of Marysville, when were called back by a local who insisted he buy us a drink.  We accepted the offer and spent a very convivial 45 minutes in the small bar chatting with drink-buyer and his wife along with a few other patrons at the bar.

Lowlight:  When exposed to the wind today, which was often, it was very cold.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

The cold front that had brought the thunderstorm and heavy rain last evening also brought much lower temperatures and it was raining steadily when our Uber arrived at the motel soon after 8am.  It promised to be a miserable day for hiking, with more rain forecast but, by the time the driver dropped us back where we were to resume hiking, the rain has stopped.  It seemed miraculous and, in fact, it did not really rain again until we were halfway through setting up camp after 8pm.  We have been fortunate with the weather for this trip (so far!).

We were still following the alternate route we had been on before our day off in Helena, and our first couple of hours hiking today was following a little-used forest road back up to the CDT at Priest Pass (6000’), a climb of 1500’ which Dave found very taxing with a fully-loaded pack (5-6 days of food).

It was much colder at the Pass and for the next 16km as we followed the Continental Divide northwards.  Although there were small patches of pine forest here and there, we mostly hiked through very exposed grassland and the wind was bitterly cold.

After the 16km along the CDT, at around 5pm, we detoured off the trail to follow the route we had worked out to get around the next wildfire trail closure about 15km ahead.  Our detour took us down the east side of the mountain on forest roads and through the tiny hamlet of Marysville.

We knew there was a bar/restaurant there from Google, but hadn't planned to stop because it was pricey, according to Google.  Instead, we had stopped by the trail earlier and had our dinner.  However, as we passed by we were called in for a drink (see above) and realised it would have been a good place to stop in for dinner.  Next time!

By the time we left the bar, it was nearly 7:30pm and starting to get dark.  We walked for another 30 minutes up out of the valley and found ourselves a place to camp beside the forest road.  It began raining lightly while we set up camp.

Day 128 - Continental Divide Trail - Helena

Day: 128

Date: Wednesday, 11 September 2024

Start:  Hwy 12 (but staying in Helena MT

Finish:  Hwy 12 (but staying in Helena MT

Daily Kilometres:  0.0

GPX Track:  Click here and here for Julie’s Strava & Photos from her run this morning and later walk.

Total Kilometres:  3724.9

Weather:  Cold early then mild and partly sunny with a thunderstorm and some heavy rain in the evening.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Huevos Rancheros, toast & jam/Breakfast burrito 

  Lunch: Mexicali subs

  Dinner:  Pizza, icecream

Aches:  Nothing reported

Highlight:  Nothing in particular 

Lowlight:  Nothing in particular 

Pictures: No pictures today

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

Julie went for a run before breakfast which we had at a nearby cafe.  The morning was then devoted to shopping.  After Helena, we have two more resupply stops, both in very small towns - Augusta and East Glacier Park - before we reach the Canadian border and the finish of our hike in just under three weeks.  Given the small towns have very limited resupply options, we decided to mail ahead our food to post offices at both places.  This meant buying food for 15-17 days today and the nearest supermarket was 1.5km away while Walmart was 3km away.

We divided the shopping list and Julie went to Walmart while Dave went to the supermarket with both of us carrying large loads back to our motel.

In the afternoon, we sorted out all the food and mailed off two food packages from the post office which was conveniently next door to our motel (unlike the supermarkets!).

Helena seems a very pleasant small town and we did get to see a bit of it as we walked around.  A nice pedestrian mall in downtown and attractive wooden houses in the suburbs nearby.

We had other chores and planning to do today at this, our last major stop, so it turned out to be quite a busy day.  Some of the planning related to mapping a way around yet another wildfire trail closure about 80km ahead.  It looks like we will be doing some more road walking.

Other planning related to getting from the Canadian border back to Australia and we think we now have that sorted.

Poor Julie got caught in torrential rain and hail while running her last errand for the day (cancelling her phone plan).  Later we got takeout for dinner then packed for a moderately early departure back to the trail tomorrow morning.

Day 127 - Continental Divide Trail - Bison Blackfoot Trail Jct to Hwy 12

Day: 127

Date: Tuesday, 10 September 2024

Start:  Bison Blackfoot Trail Jct

Finish:  Hwy 12 (but staying in Helena)

Daily Kilometres:  44.3

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3724.9

Weather:  Very cold early, then warm with hazy sunshine.

Accommodation:  Motel

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Muesli

  Lunch:  Snacks/Trail mix

  Dinner:  Cheeseburgers & fries potatoes, icecream.

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  During the afternoon, our route took us through the historic mining village of Rimini.  There were many old wooden buildings and, as we passed by, a local working in his garden gave us a brief history of the area and town.  His own house dated back to 19th century.

Lowlight:  The last 10km today, which involved walking along a flat sealed road after many kilometres, and a very early start, seemed to go on forever, made worse by having prominent mile markers counting down our progress to the end.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We decided to get up at 4am to give us more time to hike the 40km+ to Highway 12, and our hitch to Helena, We were on the trail before 5am, hiking by headlamp through quiet pine forest until dawn at 6:30am.

At 7am, we had a decision to make.  We already knew the CDT was closed 15km ahead for the summer because of a prescribed burn and there was a suggested alternate which we planned to take.  However, we had learned during the last few days through our crowd-sourced navigation app that the alternate was no longer viable because the forest road was closed to all comers.  Instead, there were now a number of suggested alternates from hikers ahead of us, some ambiguous and others confusing.

We chose a suggested alternate that claimed to be easy to follow and shorter.  It turned out to be easier to follow, but was actually longer.  It started with a long forest road walk, during the first part of which the temperature dropped markedly.  It was freezing.  The road passed near some old mines that were being environmentally cleaned up and we were passed by some early morning dump trucks.  Later, we learned that the original alternate route road was closed for the same reason.

We tried to maintain a good pace through mostly pine forest, some of which had been logged, as the road climbed over the shoulder (8000’) of Old Baldy Mt.  Near the crest, we met a southbound CDT thru-hiker, the first we had seen for more than a week.  He was a nice guy and keen for a chat, but the encounter left us feeling sorry for him.  He was finding it hard, he was lonely, and he knew he was a long way behind most other southbound hikers and unlikely to catch them.

From the crest,.which we reached around 10am, the rest of our day was spent descending or on the flat.  Along the way we passed through the atmospheric old mining town of Rimini (see above), though there were now quite a few vacation cabins along the road as well.

Finally, soon after 5pm, we reached Hwy 12 and booked an Uber to come.and collect us and.take us to our booked motel in the centre of the large town of Helena, the capital of Montana, where we arrived around 6pm.  Julie quickly showered and went out to buy some takeout dinner and we ate while watching the Trump-Harris debate.  Perfect timing!

Day 126 - Continental Divide Trail - Champion Pass to Bison Blackfoot Trail Jct

Day: 126

Date: Monday, 09 September 2024

Start:  Champion Pass

Finish:  Bison Blackfoot Trail Jct

Daily Kilometres:  40.3

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3680.6

Weather:  Cool early, then mild with hazy sunshine.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  Pop tarts/Muesli

  Lunch:  Snacks/Trail mix 

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals

Aches:  Dave - the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Nothing in particular.

Lowlight:  The wildfire smoke haze came back overnight.  It wasn't as bad as a week ago, but it spoiled what views we had today, though made for a spectacular orange sunrise and sunset.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

There had been a strong wind overnight and with that came the unwelcome return of wildfire smoke which spoiled our day a little (see above).

Conscious that we needed to record a high mileage today if we were to reach Helena tomorrow night, we were hiking by 6:30am in good conditions apart from the smoke haze, and trying to maintain a good pace.

We were following the crest of the Continental Divide and initially hiked through attractive partly forested country where small groups of cattle were grazing.  After a couple of hours, we left the cattle behind and the trail spent more time in the pine forest.  Generally the trail was good walking, but there were sections that were rocky and technical that slowed us down, as did the sporadic blowdowns.

Apart from the climb up onto the shoulder (8400’) of Thunderbolt Mountain, the hiking was more undulating than mountainous and we maintained an altitude of between 7500’ and 8500’ for most of the day.

Around 2pm, while we were stopped for lunch, we were caught by two northbound CDT thruhikers, one of whom we had met a couple of times in New Mexico, which seems a very long time ago.  We didn't see anyone else all day.

Some blowdowns in the last 5km of the day slowed us down and we didn't quite get as far as hoped before deciding to camp around 8pm, as it got dark.  But, we are within striking distance of Highway 12 and a hitch into Helena tomorrow.  To give us the best chance of doing it on daylight, we will make a very early start tomorrow.

Day 125 - Continental Divide Trail - Anaconda to Champion Pass

Day: 125

Date: Sunday, 08 September 2024

Start:  Anaconda MT

Finish:  Champion Pass

Daily Kilometres:  42.7

GPX Track:  Click here for Julie’s Strava & Photos

Total Kilometres:  3640.3

Weather:  Cool early then warm with hazy sunshine.

Accommodation:  Tent

Nutrition:

  Breakfast:  McDonalds big breakfast

  Lunch:  Turkey, avocado & bacon wraps

  Dinner:  Rehydrated meals.

Aches:  Dave - very tired and the usual niggles; Julie - nothing reported.

Highlight:  Nothing in particular.

Lowlight:  Nothing in particular.

Pictures: Click here

Map and Position: Click here for Google Map

Journal:

We were a bit later leaving the motel (7am) than hoped but, beforehand, enjoyed our takeout McDonalds big breakfast from their restaurant across the road, which only opened at 6am.

Our first 12km for the day was mostly a flat roadwalk through farmland and public land along reasonably busy sealed roads with little shoulder to separate us from the fast-moving traffic.  It was tedious and Dave found it tiring, but we made reasonable time.  We hoped to walk more than 40km today, and each of the next two days, so that we reach our next resupply stop, Helena, in three days, saving us a day overall on our original plan.

After crossing under the I-90 freeway, we joined a very quiet gravel road through more farmland for another 12km which was still tedious, but less so.

We had a lunch break at a road junction leaning against a farm fence in the shade of some trees around 1pm on a day that had become quite warm.  Then we followed a forest road up into the mountains alongside the picturesque Cottonwood Creek, climbing 2000’ up to 6800’ to rejoin the official CDT at around 6pm.  The country was hilly and partly forested grazing land and quite attractive.  It was nice to be amongst some trees again after the morning’s roadwalk.  Along the way we saw some bow hunters in their vehicles, dressed in their camo outfits.  We had already seen some closer to Anaconda in the morning.  It must be bow-hunting season in Momtana.

The CDT was single-track when we rejoined it and we followed it further upwards through pine forest getting some occasional views of the bright orange setting sun.  Around 7:40pm, on the crest of a ridge at 7500’, we found a nice tent site amongst some young pines and camped, happy with our day.