Coffee.  Scrambled eggs with peppers and spinach.  Sausage.  Cinnamon rolls.  CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES.  Mark and Mary sure know how to take care of us.  :)

With only around 8 miles to hike today (it turned out to be a little more as the site is off-trail) we weren’t in any rush whatsoever.  It was a delight to relax and enjoy our time with Mark and Mary.   

We hung around the campground until 11:30.  I hoped that the guy we sent our resupply to (and who should also have a card my mom sent us) would get in contact, but no such luck.  Since Mark and Mary will be there for a few more days, hopefully he’ll be able to give them the package and the card.  (It’s certainly not the end of the world if he doesn’t, but it would be nice.) Mary still had plenty of bars and snacks, and she even stopped at an outfitter in Helena to look for my favorite meal, the Peak Refuel biscuits and gravy I had requested to be my last on-trail meal.  She didn’t find it, but I appreciate her efforts (because she’s incredibly thoughtful, she had saved all of our favorite things for the last box, including Mark’s jerky. It’s a shame we didn’t get it).  

Mark and Mary hiked with us to the trailhead, and then we were off.  Our schedule has been so cushy the past few days that I almost forgot we still have hiking to do.  

The hike up and over Swiftcurrent Pass was gorgeous and fun and over before I knew it.  Along the way we bumped into Jules, who we last saw in The Winds.  He has an innocent, good natured soul and was a lot of fun to chat with for the first few miles.  When he found out Nick and I will be celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary, he was floored - I could tell he was doing the math to see how old we might be.  “You don’t seem that old!” he exclaimed. 

Just before the climb up the pass, I hugged Jules goodbye and waited for Nick so we could eat lunch together.  Lunch was great (Mary gave me a fresh pear) and the views were beautiful.

Going up the pass was fun in an “I’m going to miss hiking” sort of way.  It wasn’t easy but there were so many twists and turns that I was always excited about the view I’d have next.  I think it would be so much fun to find and make new hiking routes.  

On the other side of the pass, Jules passed me while I was waiting for Nick.  After I airdropped the picture I took of him, he asked my age (obviously he was still curious).  When I told him 43, he couldn’t believe it, which was flattering.  You’re older than my parents are!”, he exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.  Hahaha

There are a lot of people here at the campsite - so many, in fact, that I had to walk away just to find some semblance of quiet.  I managed to find a quiet place AND some huckleberry bushes, so it was a win.  

After about 30 minutes of enjoying the semi-quiet, the group of guys staying here, who had walked recently walked by where I was sitting, yelled “Bear!”.  I thought they were just joking with each other until one of them called out, “Hey, did you hear us?”.  It seemed like they were yelling to me, so I yelled back, “did you really see a bear?”  They informed me they did indeed see a bear and that it was running through the woods towards where I was sitting.  “Black bear?” I asked hopefully.  Nope.  Grizzly.  

Neat.

I heard something rustling through the trees and decided my quiet time all alone next to the huckleberry bush was over and made my way back to camp.  It was time to eat dinner anyway.  

I didn’t see the grizzly although I’m sure he saw me.  

Along the trail:

Camp: