Hiker Hoopla

So after finishing the trail and hitching back to East Glacier, MT, I had some time to kill before the 2nd Annual Hiker Hoopla being held just a few miles away. I simply hiked a mile out of town and found a sweet spot to stealth camp. I had a clear running river near by, I was still close enough to town to go in once in a while to charge up the phone and get a cup of coffee and I was truly stealth. No one was gonna bother me here. I did have a persistent problem with a black bear but I dealt with him. I'll tell you that story in person in exchange for a cold beer.

I spent the time going for day hikes, reading, reuniting with other hikers and reflecting back on my own hike. It was fantastic. I somehow caught a long streak of beautiful sunny weather. I swear I'd live out there forever if I could.

Finally, it was time for the Hiker Hoopla. I really had no idea what to expect but it turned out to be a fine time. It was held at the Summit Mountain Lodge and featured live music, tons of great food, kegs of cold beer and they raffled off some really nice gear.  I got to reunite with the Warrior Hike guys (only Greyhound and Jabba made it from the original team of six) and meet Sean Gobin - the mastermind who was able to coordinate a group of veterans on each of the big trails (the AT, the PCT and the CDT). I met Jester, the filmmaker behind the popular movie Embrace The Brutality and I met some hikers that I had always heard about but had never met like Helicopter and Pounce.  The attendance was lower than I would have liked but I think that's because they held it on the same weekend as the American Long Distance Hiking Association's meeting. They probably should hold it about a week earlier next year to maximize the number of hikers that can attend.

Early (too early) the next morning, I hopped on the Amtrak train bound for Chicago. In about a day and a half, I'll be hanging out with my nephew, Brian and exploring the Windy City.  My brother Rob is going to pick me up from there

and take me home to Taylor, MI where I'll begin planning for my next big hike.  

Also - if any of you are free on Monday, October 27th at 7pm, I'll be back at the Caroline Kennedy Library in Dearborn Heights, MI for another Long Distance Hiking lecture. If you read this blog, I want to meet you!

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East Glacier is home to the Rock N  Roll Bakery. Pick up some cinnamon rolls and an ice axe. 

Amtrak required me to purchase a separate ticket for the beard.

This was the view from my stealth campsite. 

Dash and Jester hit the keg at the Hiker Hoopla. 

One of my all time favorite hikers, Sunset. He's working on his Double Triple. 

The Big Finish

When last I posted, Beaker, Strider, Snowplow and I were stuck at a motel in Many Glacier, MT, inside Glacier National Park. We were only about 40 miles from the finish but the snow was relentless. 

We finally set out to clearing skies on the morning of September 11th. We had a 28.5 mile day ahead of us with difficult topography and deep snow. Snowplow lead the way and truly lived up to his trail name. I swear, nothing slows him down. Even with footsteps to follow, I struggled in thigh-deep drifts as we climbed higher and higher. Truth is, the snow made it difficult but not necessarily more dangerous and it added a layer of beauty that I could not have anticipated. The temps were perfect, the sun was shining, I was with friends and hiking on the most spectacular trail the CDT has to offer. We hiked above the last of the clouds. We hiked within feet of mountain goats. We stopped constantly to take pictures (none of which did justice to the stunning vistas all around us). Finally, soaking wet and out of strength, we made it to our campsite. It was well after sunset and I didn't have one step left in me. 

Monument day! We got up early and hit the trail right away. I had planned to savor these last few miles but I was so excited, I couldn't slow down. We hiked up the east side of Waterton Lake to the border with Canada. There, in a small clearing, was a stone monument that marked the official end of this trail. We congratulated each other and took tons of pictures. The tour boat passed by and we actually tried to hitch a ride on it but they ignored us. That's okay, my spirits were so high that nothing could bring me down. 

The trail continued north for a few more miles to tiny Waterton Township where we were obligated to call Canadian Immigrations and ask permission to be in their country. They were very welcoming. 

Now, Beaker, Snowplow and I had to figure out how to get back into America and down to East Glacier. Strider was going up to Calgary and home to Montreal. There was a shuttle but they charged $75 per person and that was not in the budget. We set out to hitch hike, like we'd been doing to get in and out of resupply towns since this hike began. Beaker went ahead thinking few cars had room for three. Snowplow and I held up a sign that said 'East Glacier, Montana' and stood at a three-way intersection for hours with no luck. I excused myself for a few minutes to go dig a cat hole in the woods and, upon returning, found Snowplow gone and the sign on the side of the road. That Swiss bastard got a ride without me! Must be the accent. 

It ended up taking me two whole days and four separate rides to get back to East Glacier. Not sure if it's because people don't like to pick up hitch hikers near international borders or because Canadians are skiddish about giving rides but I'm going to write a whole 'nother post about hitch hiking in Canada.  

So now I'm back in East Glacier. I'm going to hang around for a while and attend the Second Annual Hiker Hoopla being held nearby on September 26th. Then I'll board a train for Chicago to visit my nephew, Brian, and ride home from there with my brother, Rob. That puts me back in Michigan on or about October 1st. 

Even with those things to look forward to, I can feel the 'post hike blues' coming for me. I'll write about that in my next post but if you have any advice on how to deal with them,

please leave a comment.  

The snow made it extra special.

Snowplow blazed a trail for us 

Beaker heading up to the Highline Trail

Louis Prevost aka Northern Strider. A genuine badass, he represented Canada in the '76 Olympics 

It's one thing to see mountain goats through binoculars, it's another to hike with them.

Starting to get sunburn here. The snow reflected the sun right onto my face.

Beaker takes a break 

Beaker and I holding up the CDT bandana

After Snowplow finished, he hopped on a bike and rode to Seattle. 

Back at Brownies. I love this place.

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And Then It Started Snowing...

 I'm sitting in a basic but very comfortable motel room. No TV in here but it's warm and dry. It even has running water and a fancy flush toilet! Far from the cold, wet, caveman-style existence that I've been living while hiking this trail. The snow is STILL coming down. Big, wet flakes that build and build. Early tomorrow morning, three other hikers and I will stomp through this snow and climb thousands of feet up to the Highline Trail that will take us to the goal we've been working toward for five months: the small monument that lies just over the border into Canada and marks the northern terminus of the Continental Divide Trail. 

Reaching that monument means so many things to me. It will mean the end of this long hike. It will mean that I've earned the Triple Crown of long distance hiking. It means saying goodbye to dear friends. It means I need to figure out a way to get home. It's all I can think about and it's SO CLOSE. I just need to get there without getting injured or dying. 

There are a myriad of risks: hypothermia, frostbite or just feet so cold that I can't walk on them, dehydration because all the little streams that I take for granted will be frozen solid and, of course, falling hundreds of feet to my death. I always try to assess risk by asking myself two questions: Is it possible? and is it probable?  Take bears for example. Is it possible that I could be attacked by a bear? Yes. Is it probable? No. It's just not statistically likely to happen so why worry about it? Now take the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Is it possible that I will die of a heart attack or stroke someday? Yes. Is it probable? Well... Actually... YES! Most Americans die from cardiovascular disease. That tells me I need to worry about obesity, hypertension and diabetes, not bears. Now look at the risk of suffering from hypothermia. I'll be up at 8,000 feet, soaking wet from the snow while the temperature hovers around 23 degrees. Is it possible? Yes. Is it probable? Hmmm... Just not sure. It happens to hikers every year. Will it happen to me?

Despite these risks, I'm going. There is no stopping me from at least trying. If we can't get through, we'll fall back and try some lower elevation routes. As a last resort, we'll just road walk up there but we WILL get to that monument. 

I've got a couple more blog posts spinning around in my head. One about all the amazing wildlife I've seen, another one about bears and one about my next big hike. I'll save those for later. For now, I'm solely focused on finishing my hike and earning my Triple Crown. 

If you, the reader, have anything specific you'd like me to write about, please leave me a comment below. In the meantime, I HIKE NORTH!

Beaker looks out over Old Man Lake. 

Me squinting into the sun on Triple Divide Pass. 

And then there's this guy...

I hiked for a (very) short time with this rookie from Chicago. Look at the size of his pack!

(L to R): Me, Beaker, Northern Strider (from Montreal, Quebec) and Snowplow (from Bern, Switzerland) as we toast the final push to the border. 

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