Heat Stroke Road Walks into Town

This morning I got up around 6am. Then I packed up camp and sat around for a little bit. I made some oatmeal while I waited for everyone else to get ready. I had some of the cinnamon and spice oatmeal, which was absolutely horrendous. Yesterday I had the maple kind and it was fantastic. 

Today we’re only planning on hiking about 22 miles. That would put us within range to get to Anaconda first thing tomorrow morning. We left camp right around 7am and began walking. For the first couple of miles of the day we continue along the dirt road which was nice. Then we got back into the woods once again. This morning we had very little climbing to do which was great. At one point there was a small hill, but the grade was so gradual that you could barely tell that you were climbing.

High Profile up ahead along a dirt road.

Our first water source of the day was an incredibly clear cow trough!

About 7-8 miles into the day we got to the Anaconda cut off. This is an optional alternate along the CDT which takes you right through the town of Anaconda. If you don’t take the anaconda off then you go out towards Butte. The red line is about 80 miles longer and you have to hitch once or twice to get into town along the way. Many hikers go to Butte though so that they can do the 300+ mile Big Sky cut off, which we are absolutely not going to be doing. I decided to do this anaconda cut off because it seems like a really nice easy option to take an alternate, which brought us directly through town.

The sky this morning was unbelievably beautiful.

Once we got on the anaconda cut off we were on the road for the rest of the day. It was incredibly hot out and exposed as we walked along the road. By the afternoon the temperature was up to 91 degrees which was brutal. Even with my sun umbrella I was baking in the heat.

About 13 miles into the day we passed by a water source and just had to stop off there. At this point we did the math and realized that we would get to our 22 mile campsite around 2pm. It was so incredibly hot and there probably wasn’t going to be much shade at camp. So we decided that rather than having a short day today we were just going to do a big day and push all the way to Anaconda tonight. After deciding that we sat briefly and enjoyed our break. Then we pushed for another couple of hours nonstop.

The views were gorgeous even as we walked along a road.

At this point in the day we had been walking along a dirt road that had a decent amount of tree cover. It wasn’t completely exposed, but it was pretty hot. But when we left this break spot we got off of the back dirt roads and onto a much more open dirt road. Those next couple of hours were unbelievably hot. It was pretty disorienting baking in the sun all day long. Luckily we saw an icon on our maps which said there was a Trail Angel only 8 miles ahead off of the dirt road. Apparently they allow people to take a break in their barn and to use their hose to fill up water. Otherwise, it could’ve been a pretty long water carry on a hot day.

Cows in a field just off the trail.

By the time we got to the trail Angel house, everybody was super hot and uncomfortable. It was such a relief to get some shade and cold water. All of the water that I had in my backpack was so hot. It was disgusting to drink. The heat also was impacting my appetite. Over the course of the day today I’d probably eaten 500 or so calories. And we were nearing 20 miles in for the day. At this break spot High Profile gave me some meat sticks and cheese. Everything in my food bag was so unappetizing but for some reason that sounded really good. I ate the whole pack of meat sticks and a couple cheese sticks too. After that, I was feeling a lot better.

The back yard of the trail Angel house where we were able to fill up on water.

A CDT marker along the dirt road. Even though we are on the anaconda alternate, it is still considered the CDT.

When we left that break spot we still had over 10 miles to go for the day. It was very hard to imagine walking for 3-4 more hours in the hot sun. But we really had to get to Anaconda so we could just relax and be comfortable. The forecast is in the high 80s-90s for the next 10 days, so there’s really no avoiding this. This road walk was going to be miserable no matter when we did it. But of course at the hottest time of the day we’re going to be doing the most exposed section, walking along asphalt. Asphalt is always so much hotter than a dirt road.

Which way do you go? Northbound and southbound markers on one tree.

Before we left that final break spot of the day, I took down about 250 mg of caffeine thanks to High Profile. I figured that that might help a little bit with the miserable road walking. I just felt like I was dragging ass all day long because of how incredibly hot and exhausted I was. The next four hours were the most grueling of the day, so I was glad for the extra energy.

High Profile, 9 Lives, and Sidequest up ahead along the road.

Those next few hours were hot and disorienting. I spent most of my time just going around in circles in my brain. Moments like this I usually go to what some hikers call the “pain cave”. I can only explain that as the part of your brain that you go to when the hiking is its most difficult. Those moments when you are too hot, too cold, or in lots of pain. I knew while I was walking today that the temperature wasn’t so hot that I was going to get heat stroke and die. But it was so hot that I was going to be incredibly uncomfortable until we were done walking. There was absolutely no way around it.

Using my gossamer gear sun umbrella along the hot dirt road.

The pain cave is the place that I go to during those hard times on trail. I tried to simply focus on my breathing and being as not present as possible in the moment. It’s a bit hard to explain, but really the only thing I could compare it to is attempting to dissociate from the present moment. That’s particularly hard to do when you’re walking along a tedious and boring road for hours on end. But I managed to do so pretty well.

A cute horse came to say hello as we walked by.

While we hiked those final hours of the day my feet and legs were incredibly sore. I was trying to hike as fast as I possibly could so that the walking could be over. For most of the afternoon I was behind 9 Lives, High Profile, and Sidequest. Every now and then someone would stop briefly for one moment, and I would catch up to them. We would change positions in our walking order and then continue along. We also caught up to Syrup, another hiker who has been in our bubble recently.

A beautiful river just off the road. Everyone wanted to get in so badly! But we also really just wanted to be done for the day.

When we were still a ways out of town we got a message in our group chat from some of the hikers we have been hiking with. Apparently, at some point when they were walking on the road, they decided to just skip the miles and hitch to town. Yesterday they never caught up to us so they were still somewhere behind us on trail. But rather than walking they decided to hitch. And rather than keeping that to themselves, they sent us a photo of themselves at a public pool in Anaconda. Walking on the road in 90 degree weather and seeing a video like that was pretty disheartening. If someone else wants to hitch around or skip while they’re hiking, then that is completely fine. But it’s not right to mess with peoples minds when they’re just trying their best to get through a difficult day on trail, actually hiking.

The seemingly endless road ahead to Anaconda.

On trail in the past, I’ve walked through extreme heat and cold. In the desert on the Pacific Crest Trail I hiked through much warmer temperatures than this. But for some reason, this was one of the hardest days on trail that I’ve ever encountered. Somehow though we all pushed through. And by 6pm we are nearing the edge of Anaconda. When you walk through the town going south the first thing that you hit is a gas station. So all of us headed over there to get something cool to drink.

Just before entering anaconda you walk past the state hospital, which was pretty funny.

When I met back up with everybody at the gas station, it was clear that we had all had an equally difficult day. Everyone was so relieved to be in town to not have to do much more walking on the road today. Days like today definitely test you mentally and physically. But it’s the days like this that are the reason I am out thru hiking. The tough days are what make this journey so rewarding.

Anaconda loves thru hikers!

At the gas station I got a nice cold drink and a popsicle. From there, we only had about a half a mile to go until we got to a motel. High Profile had already booked a room for the night which was perfect. So after we all grabbed something quick at the gas station we headed down to the motel. The first thing we did when we got there was throw our bags inside and then leave to go get something to eat. I definitely didn’t eat enough today and it was a very long day of walking.

Eating a popsicle after a hot day of road walking.

9 Lives and I, red faced and hot after a day of road walking.

We headed across the street to an Italian place called O’Bellas. And as soon as we walked in the door, we knew that we chose the right place. The entire restaurant smelled amazing. Once we sat we ordered a bunch of appetizers. If you’re wondering what hikers get as appetizers before their dinner, let me just tell you. We got a small pepperoni pizza, a Caprese salad, breadsticks, and truffle fries. Surprisingly, we ate basically all of that. Then we all ordered our main course. For my main course I got fettuccine Alfredo, which is possibly the best I’ve ever had anywhere. It had hints of citrus and was incredibly saucy and seasoned. That was the best meal I’ve had on trail so far, hands down.

The caprese salad which was unbelievably fresh and refreshing.

Sidequest, High Profile, and I, waiting to sit at O’Bella’s.

Everyone stuffed their faces and then we headed back to our motel room. Then everyone showered and got comfortable. We’re planning on staying in town tonight and then getting a room for tomorrow night somewhere as well. That way tomorrow we can do a short slack pack through the rest of Anaconda. It’ll be nice to slack pack so that we don’t have to carry our packs while we walk on more hot road.

The fettuccine Alfredo that I got for dinner.

Later on in the evening I headed down the road to a nearby gas station. I got some drinks and snacks for tomorrow from there. Then I headed back to the room and got some work done before calling it a night. It’s such a relief to be in town and be able to relax tonight after such a hard day. Today was challenging, and I’m grateful I was able to do it with such a great group of people. Days like this are what define the trail in my opinion. The easy days don’t retain in your memory like the grueling days. Days like today make you stronger. They make you a better hiker. I wouldn’t have changed today for anything, even after so much suffering. And I certainly wouldn’t have chosen to hitch to avoid the suffering. If I didn’t want to suffer, then I would have just stayed home this summer. But I’m here to hike this trail, whatever it takes.