Day 147: Waterton Town Site to the Monument, ~8 miles, total miles-gotta add that up It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters in the end. - Ursula K. LeGuin  Most days, hiking a long distance trail is not about the monuments on either end of the … Continue reading A few moments at the Monument

Day 140: Two Medicine Ranger Station to East Glacier, MT, ~12 miles, ~2,612+ miles total In 2011, we hiked some 900 miles of the PCT as "SOBOing NOBOs". That is, we hiked a good chunk of the trail traveling southbound, but overall hiked most of the trail walking north. We had a couple of reasons … Continue reading SOBOing NOBOs with a dusting of snow

Day 139: East Glacier Park, MT, 0 miles, ~2,600+ miles total We are so darn close. But still 110 miles or so from Waterton Lakes and the northern terminus of the CDT. When we look at the trail on our GPS apps, we can see the rest of our route as a single screen shot. … Continue reading Patiently chomping at the bit

Day 128: Point 8,350 ~1 mile west of Leadville to 3 miles south of MacDonald Pass, ~29 miles, ~2,350+ miles total A day of brushy trail, tangled alternates, and meeting good people along the Divide. When I daydreamed of hiking long distance trails it was for the appreciation of vistas, wildlife, plant communities, wilderness; to … Continue reading People along the Divide

Day 126: ~1.5 miles north of Pipestone Pass to I-15 North Exit 138, Butte, MT, ~35 miles, ~2,300+ miles total The CDT is not a trail of precision. With so many route variations and data sources, it's not a trail to measure by tenths of miles or kilometers. Most of the time knowing the approximate … Continue reading Mileage math = Butte

Day 123: Lower Seymour Lake Campground to a few miles up Hwy 569 and Anaconda, MT, ~10 miles, nearing 2,300 miles total Today we "celebrated" four months on trail. By getting up and walking. We sponged off the condensation inside our tent. Huddled under the roof of the Forest Service pit toilet to finish packing … Continue reading Living the dream

Day 118: Along the Divide above Twin Lakes to Lost Trail Pass, ~36+ miles, ~2140+ miles total We made it... to Darby, Montana!...  around 9:00 pm. After four days and 120+ miles of leg burning hills. The trail stays close to the Divide proper in these parts. Beautiful country with views of the Bitterroots and steep, … Continue reading A challenge day

Day 115: Bannock Pass to Lemhi Pass, ~25 miles, ~2,032+ miles Morning in Leadore, Idaho. Two hours to pack our resupply. Mail things home. Eat gigantic cinnamon rolls. Drink coffee. Hang out with hikers. And enjoy town. Then it was back to the Divide and a roller coaster of golden hills and ridges to Lemhi … Continue reading Morning in Leadore

Day 113: Deadman Lake to half mile before Morrison Lake, ~25 miles, ~1950+ miles total From Lima to Leadore the trail stays close to the Divide. Following the ridges as they roll. Steeply. Gently. A sinusoidal walk that keeps us up high overlooking the steep valleys to the west and sagebrush and desert to the … Continue reading Cloud watching along the Divide

Finishing up a great zero in Lima, Montana.