500 Mile Update. Glacier, The Bob, Big Sky Alt

As predicted I haven’t been able to keep up with this blog as much as I would have liked to, trail just keeps calling to me and I have miles to hike. I’m currently in Big Sky, just over 580 miles into my hike. I’m absolutely loving it, and I’ll do my best to fill you all in on what the last three weeks has looked like. Or at least the highlights.

Glacier

I’ve probably said it a million times, but the backcountry permit system used by the National Park Service is absolutely terrible. It’s far from intuitive, and most of the Park Rangers themselves don’t understand it. Still, I don’t have any better solutions so it is what it is. 

Glacier was breathtaking. I was lucky enough to be able to start at Waterton (as opposed to Chief Mountain) and got to take the Highline through the park. There was significantly more snow travel than I had been expecting even with my 10 day delay, and my movement over the passes was painfully slow. For the most part the snow travel was easy, but there was one 50m traverse where I desperately wished I had my ice axe. My buddy flood and I took a moment and looked at each other and agreed that there was zero margin for error. We also agreed there really wasn’t another way around, so fuck it. I volunteered to go first and kick steps for him, it felt like an appropriate way to thank him for driving us up from Denver.

Still I was able to make pretty good mileage in the park and kept to the aggressive pace laid out by my permit and clearing the park in 4 days. 8 miles, 22 miles, 38 miles, 35 miles. Tough first week. It rained every day.

In the park I saw two moose and my first Grizzly, thankfully from a safe distance. Very cool. 

The Bob

The rain continued into the Bob and the trail became a bit of a mud pit. Very Vermont(Vermud)-esque. As I trudged along in the overgrowth I thought about something my friend Big Spoon had said about little leafies touching his little leggies. A saying I hated in the moment, and continue to hate everytime I think about it, which is everytime a little leafy touches my little leggy. It’s why I wear long pants.

The weather finally changed for the better around the Chinese Wall, and with the sun came some a massive improvement in my mood. I suddenly remembered why I liked hiking so much.

I sailed through the southern half of the Bob, and spirits were high as I hitched into Lincoln. Turns out in that part of the country they celebrate July 4th on July 6th, and my hitch into town was the last car in before the highway closed for the parade. I happily waved to the crowds from the back of the pickup truck I was in, feeling very much like a dirtbag celebrity. 

As soon as the road opened back up I stuck out my thumb, and was immediately accosted by a Sheriff’s Deputy who yelled “absolutely fucking not young man”. I quickly apologized and explained my situation to which he interrupted and told me he knew all about hikers, and that I better get myself out of his town. Uh yeah man I’m trying.

Lincoln to Butte

Not much to talk about here! Lots of hot days and not much water. The distances between sources wasn’t absurd, but was much further than I would have liked in the midst of a heat wave. Although the ridge lines in this section were nice, it felt incredibly monotonous. I was ready for a change. 

Big Sky Alt (Super Butte)

The part of trail I was most looking forward to after the Bob was Yellowstone, so (for a variety of reasons) I opted to take a more direct route south via Big Sky rather than push west into Idaho. 

In Butte I met up with Blaze and Hop, and we caught an Uber back to trail after a lazy morning in town. We didn’t start walking until noon. I knew Blaze was also taking the Big Sky Alt, and I floated the idea to her of doing the 38 miles to Whitehall in a single push. She was game and we made it to town just before 11pm that night, camping behind the town hall. The road walk in really sucked so I was thrilled to have some company.

Blaze and I split ways after that so she could tend to some personal stuff, and I pushed on alone into the tobacco roots and Spanish Peaks alone. 

The Spanish Peaks have been the absolute highlight of the trail thus far. I found total solitude and enjoyed the challenge of  route finding. It’s a very rugged range, and I was happy to be up at altitude with some cooler temperatures.

Mirror Lake, right before the pass into Bear Basin, was the home of two of the coolest wildlife encounters I’ve ever had. I had just set up camp in the tree line and went down to the water when I noticed three wolves on the opposite shore. Completely magical moment, and when one saw me and howled before headed back into the woods, I howled right back.

The next morning I watched a Bald Eagle teaching its offspring how to fish, and when the young eagle finally succeeded was amazed to watch the adult spread its wings and screech in joy. Nature is beautiful.

Up Next

Im currently couch surfing with some good friends in Big Sky and looking forward to rejoining the red line in Yellowstone. I love a good national park, and I’m excited to hit the winds right after. Hell I’m even excited for the Basin, if only to crush some miles.

I’ve been impressed with myself with the pace I’ve set out on. Since day 1 I’ve averaged just over a marathon everyday, with plenty of days in the 30-35 mile range. I’m liking pushing myself in this way and I’m excited to see what comes next for me.