Rain for that last few hours of my tent time. Rain means it’s warmer at least…

Things get wet, mainly because I’m careless and it doesn’t matter. I’ll be warm and dry tonight, soaking in a hot tub and eating pizza. Yes, I do have a post hike routine, and it most definitely involves a pepperoni and mushroom pizza.

It’s hard to hike the last day and not be completely consumed with thoughts of not walking. I could have walked more miles yesterday to give me a short day to the car, but with my goal to head to Cold Springs Winery, which opens at noon, I wanted to give myself something to do this morning. I would not have the patience to get there before noon with the level of funk I was emmenating. I was greasy and foul. Visions of a shower and soak danced around in my head all morning.

The rest of the Birds of Prey Area was lovely. I didn’t see any birds, but then again…rain. the drips had dried up during the first hour of my hike, and it turned out to be a lovely day. I stripped off some layers, and for the first time since day 1, wore only my baselayer. #winning

Then the farm roads….long miles of farm roads. A momma and baby cow had gotten out of their pasture somehow, and I inadvertently forced them farther and farther from home. Fences on both sides kept them pinned in the road, and they just wouldn’t listen to me when I tried to clearly explain that I wasn’t going to hurt them, that they could wait for me to pass and then turn around and go home. Finally, some heavy machinery made them pause, and they did pass me and high tailed it towards their sweet bails of breakfast hay.

Blossoms were suddenly everywhere! Blossoms in people’s yards, that is….I didn’t take any observations for iNaturalist here, all in all, my contributions were almost nill, but it did get the idea of it rolling around in my head. I can research projects any place I plan to be hiking, and hopefully, over time, I’ll have some worthy things to contribute, and maybe I’ll even learn the names of some of these things.

The pavement is some of the hardest walking. It really feels like a trudge. I step off the road for the numerous trucks that swing around these corners and cross over the Snake River. I wonder what Idaho’s commitment to white pickup trucks is? 🤔 That’s about all I see out here.

On the outskirts of Hammett, a white pickup pulls over and says I’m the first Idaho Centennial Trail hiker they have seen this year. This lovely couple lives in town and has hiked the section I just completed a few times. How lovely to be acknowledged! No one else this morning has so much as given me a sideways glance!

I trudge on, crossing over the interstate and finally to my car, parked at the BLM Guard Station. I made a few phone calls to get allowance to park there, and was grateful for the permission even though the station was empty this time of year.

I wet wipe myself a bit to knock the funk down, then put on jeans and a sweatshirt. Bliss!!! I head up the road to the winery, and even though it’s after noon, the door is locked. A UPS driver says the owner should be back soon, and I sit in my car and make a hotel reservation for Boise. Half an hour later, and no one has shown up. I want nothing more than to stay and toast the hike with a lovely glass of wine, but the two granola bars I’ve eaten for the 15-mile hike burned off long ago, and I’m getting hangery

I start the car and head to a shower, hot tub, and pizza.

Thank you for the week, Idaho Centennial Trail! You were a bit of a crabby beast, but I really needed this week of walking, no matter the temps. Even though I didn’t get to do much basking (other than those four minutes at break the other day), my grumbling was overwhelmed by my need to be alone in nature. In fact, the first four days I didn’t have cell reception were blissful. I could have gone longer, and think I will next time. Being disconnected is a real luxury these days. I want more of it. Overall, I’ve been taking fewer photos and posting much less on social media. The writing, well I do that for me, and if you are all reading it, find it interesting, great! But the need to be seen all the time is waining…probably because so much of what I’m doing in my businesses now involves heavy self-promotion…so I want to hide out more. Find the balance!

For now, I’ll close the chapter on this ICT hike, although I see myself getting more involved in the trail, too. My friend Clay Jacobson is Mr. ICT and I want to touch base with him and see if there are things I can do to help out. I am thinking about making the map set and data I made available to other hikers…so stay tuned for more deets on that, and for all of you who want to get involved, check out the Idaho Trails Association for a ton of trail work and other opportunities to give back. I have a lot of miles left to hike in Idaho, and those miles need some love!