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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The Bob

Martha here. Wolverine will be out of touch for a while as he negotiates the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. Here are some recent pics from his hike.

This is No One Knows. He passed me just south of Highway 12. Very cool/generous guy.  

Cowboy camping in Helena National Forest.  

Rinsing off in the Little Blackfoot River. 

Astro is always with me. 

Guess which boot has 2,000 miles on it? Thanks again to Dianne Foster, Jeff Kindy and Moosejaw Mountaineering.

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Hail Hurts!

The skies all around me were dark. Thunder and lightning in the distance. I hike in the rain all the time so it's no problem but when the hail starting coming down, it hurt! I've hiked in hail storms before, too, but this stuff was the the diameter of a dime! The closest cover was 30 miles back in Butte so I just had to be glad for what the trail gives me.

I'm sure that a long list of 'thank you's' isn't much fun to read but I am filled with such gratitude that I fear that if I don't express it, I will burst. So please, indulge me.

Want to learn to live outdoors for six months at a time like I do? Then visit GreatLakesBushcraft.com. I've hiked with Jeff Kindy and he is a true outdoorsman and a great teacher. Check him out.

I buy all my gear from Perry and the crew at Moosejaw in Ann Arbor, Birmingham and Detroit (yes, a real gear store in downtown Detroit). These guys use the gear they sell and they know what they're talking about. Catch them online at MoosejawMountaineering.com. 

Kellie, Steve and all my friends at the Burning Boots Trail Club.  I plan to join them for the March For The Fallen on September 13th in Spokane, WA.

The backpack made for me by Honor Point has been solid as a rock. Visit HonorPointUSA.com to see all their made in the USA products. Good people.

Thanks to Libby Shaw for connecting me with Fitbit. Really cool technology available at Fitbit.com. 

Randy Step and his crew at the Ann Arbor Running Fit turned me on to Montrail trail shoes. Randy runs more miles in a year than I drive.

The Wolverine Lake Crew includes my oldest and dearest friend, Suzanne Hollyer, her husband Drew Chinarian, Susie's mom Marlyss Hollyer and her friend Jim Bozzi and even Drew's brother Jim and his wife Gina have all been super-supportive of all my crazy hikes.

All my old high school buddies (including the aforementioned Susie and Libby) George Hughes, Jeff Weiner, Ellen Paynter, and Linda Ferrante have all been more than kind to me.

Gary and Bethany Zaborowski and Gary's mom, Pam White have been helping me since the planning stages of this hike.

Trish Drent good care of me at Yellowstone and has been helping me ever since.

Bob 'Beaker' and Chris 'Dragonfly' Turner are my hiking buddies and Trail Angels.

Sabine 'Foureyes' Pelton prepared and dehydrated a month's worth of food for me. I miss her terribly.

Traci Rink, Ron Foon and Katie Rink

Jason 'Hee Haw' Phelps is my brother. He gives me advice and sent me two SWEET care packages.

Other hikers Lisa 'Kaboom' Karst and Josh 'Kitten' Gann.

Tim and Ellen Haas

My Ironwood friends Lee-Ann Garski and Denise Stephens. 

Dianne Foster, Hal Foster and Bill Harmon

The entire Downriver and Friends FB group

My niece Chelsea Hillier, her parents Jim and Patti Hillier, my dear sister Carol Machak and my brother Rob Hillier

My old coworkers Ian Cvancara and Nicole and Dave Smith

Nancy Krupiarz and the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance. Please visit MichiganTrails.org

Betsy and Michael Gosselin and Andy "Astro" Lyons


The good folks at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Dearborn, Michigan

As always, my housemates and re-supply team Martha Rogers and Sandra Lowe

My sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped me with this hike. Only about 400 trail miles to go. We can do it!

I hike with all of you in spirit

Bears

Before I go on a rant about bears, I need some help. I need people to click on that 'donate' button! I've got about 900 miles left on this crazy hike and no cash to mail food and gear. Any help, even a few bucks, is much appreciated.

Now, about those bears: Haven't seen ANY this whole hike. No black bears, no grizzlies. This reinforces my belief that the only thing worse than bears is bear-a-noia. One of the most common topics among CDT hikers seems to center around wether or not to carry bear spray. I carried a small pepper spray on the AT but never used it. I've gone without this whole hike until my dear friend Trish Drent forced me to carry a can of spray. I'm surprised that even some of the truly ultra-light guys are 'spending' 10 ounces or more on a can of bear spray. I'm just not convinced that it's worth it. There are signs that claim there are now 500 grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Think about how big an area that actually is and it becomes clear why I haven't seen one. Yet. 

I spent last night cowboy camping (no tent) on the bank of a river in an area supposedly populated by grizzly bears. Slept like a rock. I noticed this morning that people had been fishing and cleaning fish nearby. Still didn't bother me. Until I see some statistics or some solid data that convinces me otherwise, I'll continue to disregard warnings about bears. 

Disagree with me? Want to warn me about bears? Leave me a comment below!

The beard is getting out of control. 

Osprey are everywhere! This nest had two young birds just learning to fly. 

I'm scheduled to speak again at the Dearborn Heights Library. Details soon.

Cowboy camping in bear country. Doesn't bother me. 

My super moon rising above the Madison Range. 

Hiking With Others

I've been hiking alone since Chama, New Mexico but I recently hiked a little bit with some other guys. I'll tell you about them but first, a couple shout outs:

Gary and Bethany Zaborowski and Pam White: You guys have been great. I really miss hiking with Gary.

Trish Drent: You made Yellowstone a highlight of my hike. Thanks for being such a kind hostess. 

Dianne Foster, Bill Harmon and Hal Foster: Good folks, all of them. 

So, in the past, I've hiked with and learned much from Sabine 'Foureyes' Pelton, Jason 'Hee Haw' Phelps and Bob 'Beaker' Turner. But more recently I decided that I only have one speed and that's Wolverine Speed and I was reluctant to adjust to anyone else's pace. That, coupled with the fact that there are so few other hikers out here, means that I do much of the trail by myself. That has some advantages when it comes to stealth camping and enjoying peaceful evenings but it makes navigation and picture taking more difficult. 

On this trail, I sometimes see other hikers in towns but rarely out on the trail. Leaving Dubois, WY, I hiked for a bit with the Viking. Thirty-four year old Juri Christian was born in East Germany but lives in Iceland. Of course, he hasn't been home in 2 1/2 years - he's been hiking in South America, New Zealand and these United States. He's fast. I have to work hard and stay focused to keep up with him but the conversation alone is worth it. In between puffs of his hand-rolled cigarettes he'll tell you about climbing the Dolomites in Italy or traipsing around Laos. If he's not speaking directly to you, he is intensely studying maps of the trail ahead. He was the first to make it through the high route in Colorado this season and he has a plan to do something only a couple other people in the world have done: hike the Triple Crown in one year. I believe he can do it. 

Once I lost Viking (he sped on ahead), I was passed by Ben and Dash but not before I spent a couple days hiking with them. Ben is from Maine and first hiked half the AT at age 19. He's quiet (at first) and humble (always). I have to be careful with him - if he says a particular section of trail is 'sketchy', that translates to 'impassable' for me. He still chooses risky, high elevation routes even though there are perfectly hikable trails down here. By me. 

Then there's Dash. Also young, also fast. He's a NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) grad and he's got his shit together. He hikes at my fastest pace possible while looking down at his Garmin GPS or aligning his map and compass. He's a little aloof but I'm too out of breath to call him out on it. 

Here's what all these guys have in common that I can apply to my own hiking style: All three wear shorts, trail shoes and short gaitors. They don't slow for ANY obstacle. They splash across rivers, they bound over blowdowns and they ignore the views. They eat while they hike, they drink while they hike. I think they even sneak in naps all while hiking at 3.5 mph. Then, they cowboy camp at night rather than set up a tent. 

Me? I'm still in long pants and over-the-ankle boots. I stop to figure out the easiest and safest way to cross a river. I carefully step over snags because I don't want to fall or tear my backpack. I stop to listen to the waddle of a sandhill crane or apply a thick layer of sunscreen. The ONLY way I'm at the same place on the trail is because I take fewer zeros and more direct routes. 

Let me add to my comment above regarding the advantages of hiking with others: camaraderie, speed and insight. THOSE are the advantages to hiking with others. 

From whom have you learned a thing or two about hiking? Leave me a comment and give them some props!

The Viking holds up his shirt. It may be falling apart but it has more miles than I do.  

I love that this sign is shot up. That's Wyoming. 

My heart is filled by the beauty that surrounds me.  

You think I'm losing weight? Look at Ben. It's just part of long distance hiking. 

Wasabi almonds? Who knew there WAS such a thing? My brother Hee Haw sent me this and more in a care package. 

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