Category: Continental Divide Trail

June 29th, 2019 East Glacier mm 99.5 to South Fork Two Medicine River mm 125.5 Distance in miles: 26 I sleep in until almost 6 am! Then Relentless made us all his signature omelet with the leftover veggies from the night before. It was so good. We took it easy and finally hit the trail by 9 a.m. I was in no rush but we had a pretty long 120 plus mile section ahead of us, mostly through the Bob Marshall wilderness. It’s said to be rough, especially compared to the cruisey trails in GNP. I was carrying a lot food, some to last me all 7 days to Lincoln and the rest for 5 days to Benchmark, a resort[…]

June 28th, 2019 Two Medicine Campground mm 89.2 to East Glacier mm 99.5 Distance in miles: 10.3 Our final day in the park included a nice climb over a smaller pass and an easy glide into town for a nero. We got an early start but took it kind of relaxed. The pass was very exposed and cold but good for spotting animals. On the way up we walked right past a mountain goat and then a herd of 30+ bighorn sheep on the way down. We also got cell phone reception for the first time, so my focus shifted towards town early. The park is one the most spectacular places I have hiked and I hope to go back[…]

June 27th, 2019 Red Eagle Lake mm 63.4 to Two Medicine Campground mm 89.2 Distance in miles: 25.8 We survived a wet night, with a little more rain. I didn’t sleep as well as the first night but I did feel refreshed after the previous big day. We only had less than 26 miles to do today but had to go up and over 2 passes. Plus, the partly cloudy morning had already turned gloomy and misty by the time we were hiking. At 9 am, it started to drizzle and then we heard thunder too. Not good. We began passing hail that hadn’t melted from the night before. And some big moose tracks. Then we came upon said moose,[…]

June 26th, 2019 Many Glacier campground, 1 mile from CDT mm 35 to Red Eagle Lake mm 63.4 Distance in miles: 29 I woke on my own 5 minutes before 5 am. It was the first time I had woken all night, I was so out of it. It was already light, which is great since I had no headlamp (left it with a bag in East Glacier by accident). I got up to grab my food bag from the bear box and was shocked to find the door to the box laying wide open. Someone had come overnight and placed a box of food inside, then I guess didn’t bother with the obvious step of shutting and locking the[…]

June 25th, 2019 Chief Mountain, Canadian Border mm 0 to Many Glacier campground, 1 mile from CDT mm 35 Distance in miles: 28 0800-1900 What a journey it has been. Due to my long hiatus, I don’t know what to call this start? Re-start? Day 1? I’m going with that. It was a fantastic start, perhaps the best first day ever. I’ve loved every first day though and it’s hard to compare them. Today saw us getting up at 5:30 am after a rather restless night. I was too excited to sleep, plus it was light out until 11 pm, then light again by 4:30 am. It had been a long day of travel the day before, first to Kalispell[…]

So, it’s been some time, hasn’t it? The roller-coaster of life manifested in a way other than the ups and downs of the trail. It happens. Be forewarned, this is a long one! When last I posted, I’d been having a rough go of the trail, at least weather-wise. It had rained steady all night and Relentless and I woke to a sodden, cold day. We hiked out through the lovely field from the day before, only it had since turned into a mud pit…the kind that balls up on your shoes and even trekking pole tips, making everything it touches instantly weigh 10 lbs more. I’d already had it with this day by the time we got back to[…]

Friends, it is with a heavy heart that I had to suspend my journey along the CDT, as well as daily blogs. I have been called home to Colorado to face one of life’s more difficult eventualities. My dad is ill and may not have much time left. I made it 376 miles along the various routes, just 35 miles short of Grants, NM. I was doing well and feeling great. The CDT threw some curveballs but other than being cold and a bit wet, I was surviving. I definitely needed a warmer sleeping pad and maybe a few more layers. Plus, I was nearing the snow line and would have had to soon flip or wait for a lot[…]

May 9th, 2019 TLC Ranch mm 440.5 to mm 452.5, then to Cebolla Canyon Alt mm 17.5 Distance in miles: 29.5 0700-1800 I woke up to everything covered in frost, including the inside and outside of my tent. There was nothing to do but to pack it up, stiff and frozen. We said our goodbyes to everyone and hit the road, the first hikers of the day. The landscape was so extraordinary with all the frost and dew. The sun came up and started drying everything. Twelve miles went by like nothing and then we had to decide on a route. The main CDT goes in a big horseshoe to encompass the chain of craters, a series of old cinder[…]

May 8th, 2019 Pie Town CDT mm 424.5 – TLC Ranch mm 440.5 Distance in miles: 16 0900-1400 I slept amazingly well considering that there were 7 of us sleeping in the loft. No one snored and I didn’t need my earplugs. We all slept in a bit…well, it was at least sleeping in for me. I wasn’t in a hurry to leave since the weather looked absolutely crappy outside. I had also planned to wait for Relentless. He ordered a new tarp that was supposed to arrive mid-day. But then he cooked up an idea of walking to the next guest ranch, 16 miles up the road, and hitching back to get his tarp. There was a lot of[…]

May 7th, 2019 Davila Ranch Rest Stop Pie Town alt mm 26.2 – Pie Town CDT mm 424.5 Distance in miles: 14 0830-1330 For the first time this trip, I wake in the night and can see no stars. It’s an overcast day. Later it becomes partly cloudy. Relentless makes an awesome breakfast of eggs and potatoes from all the goodies in the fridge. I post blogs and am amazed to find that my app is finally working! The wifi at this remote place is great…what wonders! Relentless and I leave leave the stop rather late in the morning but it’s only a 14 mile walk on the road to Pie Town. Along the way, I of course find some[…]