Darby, MT















On schedule! I did 122 miles in about 73 hours because the Darby post office isn't open on Saturdays, so all the sudden I'm on schedule, assuming I can get a ride out of town this afternoon. I got a new pair of shoes (I'd had the previous since Steamboat Springs, so they were hating it.) I got a haircut (sorry, no unabomber beard--it's freaking hot out here, and it's kinda nasty to have dead mosquitoes and flies all up in your face). Speaking of flies, I killed either 82 or 84 in a two hour period the day I left Lima, MT (it's on I-15 if you're looking at a map). Usually I'd go at that pace from around 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM, but that day it rained so they went away. They've kind of gotten less bad of late--the trail's new challenge is that it's super PUDy. It doggedly follows the Divide and is full of Pointless Ups and Downs rather than PCT-style contouring from saddle to saddle.

I'm starting to run into southbounders, so that makes the hiking a lot more fun, and a lot more embarrassing when I'm singing off-key at the top of my lungs (OK, that hasn't actually happened yet). I met Foxtrot, Dave from Maine, Wildcat, Groovy, Donna, and the French Couple, and have apparently missed a few others. They left the border in Glacier about 5 weeks ago and had some snow and most had to take the low (Belly River as opposed to Highline) route. Hopefully I'll be catching up to some of these folks again somewhere in WY/CO.

I think I'll be taking the route through Anaconda when I leave here, so if anyone has sent anything to Butte, I probably won't get it until I go through there southbound.

I sent a full memory card home today, so hopefully my mom will post some pictures soon.

Comments

  1. Unknown2:27 PM

    Garret,
    Keep your eyes open for Andrew Skurka. You should cross paths this week.

    Zack

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous9:53 AM

    OK, that alphabet-game sign is just about THE BEST sign I've ever seen! Just e-mailed it to Wendell and Aaron, who kept me awake on the way to CO this summer playing!!

    Sarah

    PS I was actually happy with they came to those four letters - getting stuck on them was the only thing that kept them quiet!

    ReplyDelete

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