Days 32-38: Idaho/Montana/Idaho/Montana

HD: Looking back, I think this was my most enjoyable section of trail thus far. It was difficult, hot, and challenging – but it was beautiful. There were fewer burn areas, more ridgeline walking, and an alpine section that was almost indescribable. We crossed the border between Montana and Idaho at least a dozen times on the trail.

The trees here are so much different than out East. Almost all evergreens; some standing alone and ancient, others all of the same age and uniformity. I have stared up at the largest of them and tripped as a result multiple times over the past few days. Pines, spruce, firs – all different and unique, shaped by harsh winters and fighting for water and nutrients. 

We hiked as a group for the first time during this section. These things are seldomly planned on the trail, but often hikers of similar speed and distance seem to end up near each other. Topo and Choo Choo (from France and Germany, respectively) and Flamingo (from California) moved with us – sometimes starting earlier or later, sometimes taking breaks together, but ending up at the same place to camp every night. It was neat and different to interact with others in this manner, especially since these folks are all more experienced thru hikers than us. I’ve promised Topo (Matthieu) that we will host him in Louisiana as long as my mom can bring him to her French club as a guest of honor.

We have a 5 day stretch coming up between here and a resupply in Lima, Montana, as the trail begins to curve back towards the southeast along the Idaho/Montana border. The trees become more sporadic and there are some giant climbs with mostly exposed ridgeline. Fortunately, the heat wave should end tomorrow, and more acceptable temperatures will hopefully make this steep section manageable. We inch closer to Yellowstone and the promise of some rest, a change of scenery, and some family resupply!

MC: I finally felt a little more comfortable leaving town for the start of this section. Usually the day we leave town feels a little like a Monday before work. I get depressed, probably because the thrill of town day has come and gone, and now I’m forced to “go back to work.” It didn’t feel as bad this time though. I think the reality of long term hiking was finally setting in, and work didn’t feel so much like work anymore.

Our first day back on the trail was about 6 miles of dirt road walking, which is actually quite comfortable on the feet and also allows for you to crush some miles in a quicker manner than the trail normally provides. However, it wasn’t the start of the hike that made the day memorable, it was the finish. We were headed towards an abandoned cabin in the woods that had flat ground around it, which would allow us to tent outside of it; while we were a quarter mile away from the cabin, we heard an ATV come up behind us. It was an older gentlemen by the name of Mike who is a gold miner. Mike and his buddy Glenn were staying at the cabin because their permits to mine the land around the area had finally been approved after four years of going through the government process. Mike was one of the most hospitable men we’ve met on the trail. He shared his space, lent us his portable shower to wash our legs, cooked us moose burgers and fried potatoes, and then the cherry on top for the evening, shared his Crown Royal Peach Whiskey. Crazy how kind, random strangers can be towards each other, and the trail is beginning to grow our faith in humans.

We are starting to make friends as well. Topo, Choo Choo, Flamingo, Engine, and Humbled are now our little trail family. We aren’t always hiking together, but we look forward to hearing each other’s stories at the next town, and are starting to plan around each other because of the friendship we have formed. Now we are all in Leadore, staying at the Mustang Inn, owned and operated by a retired CW4 Army Blackhawk pilot – which is hilarious given Hannon’s profession. We have eaten well at the only restaurant in town, and have had too many drinks around the campfire, which none of us regret. It’s been a good time, but we will start our journey again tomorrow at 0800 and proceed towards Lima, MT for a five day four night stretch that will end on 31 July. This is Hannon’s last day in the Army, and we intend to throw an impromptu retirement party at the steak house in town. Other hikers are hearing of this and are starting to plan their hike around the “event”. We will pay for everyone’s meal, and some of these hikers are a little thrifty with their pocketbooks, so it’s cute to see them excited about the possibility of steak on the trail.

Here’s to colder weather and no fires, no negative interactions with wildlife, and fewer bugs.