I connected with Mountain Spice, another thru-hiker who took a zero day in Helena, this morning about getting a ridge back to the trail, we agreed to meet about 12:30, so I had the morning to chill, and chill was all I wanted to do. In fact I was feeling very very tired. Maybe it was the gray day and incessent rain that was falling, maybe the cushions and pillows on the couch, or maybe it was the fact that I just have about 2 weeks left and I’m tired.

Lauren, Shaggy and me

I ate some cookies and finished off the rest of my dinner from last night and put a big dent into my ebook. Did I have to hike today, or tomorrow, or the next day? Yes, I did.

I left the house and went downtown to a coffee shop, and what do you know, I run into another thru-hiker! Sterling was there (one of the Warrior Hike gang) and we chatted over several cups of coffee. We had been in touch over the hike, but had never hiked together. He wasn’t doing a traditional thru hike anymore, but was hoping the Bob Marshall wilderness would open up from the fires so he could hike that section as well as Glacier.

After coffee I headed over to meet Mountain Spice and her friend who was giving us a ride, and before long we were standing at McDonald Pass in the rain.

I guess it was time to hike. And once I was moving I felt a lot better. Probably the fresh air, maybe the cold rain too.

We hiked up a road and then in and out of patchy forest and then into rolling pasture land. Cow dung was everywhere, as well as the dung machines.

A misty day

It rained off and on, a good soaking rain, one that will surely help put out some fires up ahead, who knows, maybe we would be hiking through the Bob afterall!

We set up camp just before it started to sprinkle again, success!!

This was supposed to be a long dry section, but man, we’ve found a ton of water.