Sometimes I finish the day and wonder where my mind was.  It’s not like the day seemed short or that I didn’t feel the aches and pains of hiking, but it’s all a blur of trail and trees.  Time really slipped away from me out there.

We spent the morning hiking on BLM roads that we shared with quite a few people on 4-wheelers and dirt bikes; this meant we got dusted a lot.  However, most of them were nice and did their best to slow down when they went by in an attempt to keep the dust level down.  

We stopped for water at Halfway Creek about 5 miles into the already hot day (we’re not used to being this low in elevation) - Nick heroically bushwhacked down to get the water and we took a longer than usual break while gravity filtered it for us.   While we waited, we looked at the map and tried to decide if we thought we could get to Butte tonight.  We decided it was too early to determine, particularly since we struggle with distances in CalTopo - who knows how far we really have to go.

After 7 more miles of mindless hiking surrounded by trees (and periodically yelling out so we didn’t surprise any bear families), we made it to a trail that used to be the CDT back in the day.  It was a very nice trail (it even had bridges!) and it made me sad that it no longer gets hiked as much as it used to.  I walked on the former CDT until I crossed a stream, at which point I stopped for more water and to wait for Nick (it had been all uphill to get there).  We ate a late lunch together and again looked at the map to see if we could make it to Butte - it seemed like a strong possibility, but I didn’t want to commit.

We made it back to the official CDT before 4 pm with only 8 miles to I-15 - at this point we knew we could make it there before dark so decided to go to it.  As we made our way downhill to the interstate, Nick called the hotel where Mary sent our resupply to make a reservation.  The thought of sleeping in a bed, showering, and washing our sweaty, dusty clothes kept me from getting too frustrated at the motorbike-ruined trail.  The rainbow helped, too.

Despite there not being much traffic on the road leading to I-15, we managed to get a hitch within 5 minutes.  A guy in a truck (Mike), who had passed us by a little earlier, came back and offered us a ride.  Mike works for an explosives company and is here on business for a few weeks. He apologetically told us he passed us by the first time because he wanted to stop at a client’s house to ask permission to fish on their land, but they weren’t home.  Most of Mike’s family lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota, where they have a Bison ranch.  Mike was fascinating.  Fun fact for Yellowstone tourists:  Bison stick their tails up in the air when they are mad; when they are at their breaking point their upright tail twitches, at which point you are in big trouble.  

It’s a good thing Nick called to make a reservation because the hotel was completely booked by the time we got there (several disappointed travelers were turned away).  While this place could definitely use a renovation (the hallway carpet in particular desperately needs to go), I’m just stoked to shower and sleep on a bed with pillows.  

Along the trail: