Day 34 – 39 Idaho!

This one post has probably half or more of the Idaho mileage.

Day 34 – Leaving Darby

Spent much of the morning being pretty lazy.  It was hot pretty early which made lazing about and eating town food more appealing and, supposedly, waiting out the heat.

Though I did get itchy feet and wanted to get onto the trail.  Finally, I acquired a milkshake, had a final town meal, and then stuck out my thumb. 

Forty-five minutes and many cars later, a truck stopped, but he was only going to Sula.  This was about 2/3 of the way back and I accepted.  Theory being fewer cars all of which are going to my destination.   Very nice guy – he was headed out to work on renovating his cabin in Sula.

Unfortunately, I realized as soon as I got to Sula that there were fewer cars.  All of which were going over the pass.  All of which were going ~80 mph.  Oops.  A few hours later a nice couple and dog who were headed the opposite way took pity on me and gave me a ride to the trailhead.

As I was getting settled, Trash popped out of the woods heading to Darby.   He found some trail magic beers, and we chatted in the woods for a while.  Only planning on going six miles; I had planned on 16 out of town but with how the hitch went I wanted a short day.

Long day tomorrow, though.

Day 35

Hit the trail at 6:00 or a tad earlier trying to beat the heat.  Mostly succeeded.   Or at least I got a fair number of miles in before it was too hot.

Had a two hour siesta at a creepy old cabin that, importantly, had a shaded porch.  Also importantly, the porch didn’t collapse under my weight, which seemed like a possibility. It did provide shade, rest, and horseflies. Just prior to launching into a climb up to camp.

Pretty easily the biggest single climb thus far at 3,500′ over eight miles. The most difficult part of it was a short descent that was steep enough that I’m happy to not have fallen down it.

Hard end to the day. Back up near 9,000 ft, though, so hopefully tomorrow will be cooler. As I was writing this, Pierre showed up to camp. Presumably, Hannah and Brock aren’t far behind.

Anyhow, easier day tomorrow. I’m beat.

Day 36

Woke up under siege from mosquitoes. I packed everything in my tent. Hopped out, took down the tent, scarfed a couple packs of pop tarts, and took off.

Much easier day. Fewer miles, less elevation, cooler temps, and more smoke. The last bit didn’t actually help. Though after the morning it was clear. Also it drizzled for a few hours. Hopefully it was raining over by the fires as well.

Pretty good day. Tomorrow will be harder; on paper (pixel?) it’s similar to Saturday. Slightly easier looking final climb, though. And not 90 some odd degrees, one can hope.

Day 37

Decent, if tiring, day. Though I could’ve done without faceplanting and breaking one of my poles in the morning. Sent some GPS texts to Hot Tub to get a replacement section sent to Lima where I’ll be next week. Thanks again, Hot Tub! Felt a bit silly because it was an easy section of trail. Pole aside, I was fine, so just a lesson learned.

Had a bit of an off trail alternate that bushwhacked along a ridge to avoid dropping down into and climbing out of the valley. That was fun.

Hiked with Brock, Hannah, and Pierre again today. Debating going into a town, Tendoy, with them tomorrow. I’ll see how I feel tomorrow at the trailhead. It’d be an opportunity for some extra food.

Day 38

So I went into town. And by town, I mean Tendoy, which is… a small general store, a gas pump, and an attached post office.

The other notable event for the day was walking right past the road to the one water source on the way to Lemhi pass. By the time I realized the mistake, I was far enough that I opted to press on to Lemhi pass and ration water. Though with a few miles to go, Hannah and Brock caught me and had some spare water, which made the last bit more pleasant.

At Lemhi Pass, Pierre and I immediately had a hitch. Hannah and Brock were going to wait for the next hitch. This made sense at the time but took much longer than expected. Eventually, we contacted a woman in Leadore who runs shuttles, and she went up to the pass to pick them up. Lesson learned, remote passes are… remote.

Excited to sleep in tomorrow. Even if that means still waking up at 6:00 and reading ‘A wise man’s fears’ for hours.

Day 39 Pt 1

Slept OK, though the smoke rolled in overnight and the road next to the store / campground is pretty busy.

Leaving here this afternoon for the short 26-mile hop to Leadore.   Relatively close to the fire(s) right now.  Looking forward to getting past Leadore and hiking away from the fires instead of toward them.