Journey Day 345 | CDT Day 8
Lewis & Clark Trail.
6/19/87
A restless night on the floor ends with the snorer arising. Pots and pans banging. Soon we're getting up and beginning our repacking for another 10-day carry.
Jerry (the trail boss) Bueno cooks pancakes, Adkinses provide the syrup. Kent picks up his non-stop Norman Bates rap. Doug mellow. We munch excellent cakes, talk, Jessica comes in. We're all milling, four packing "like beavers," according to Carl. Cloudy morning, the trail crew predicts rain. They're to be on same trail we'll be taking out.
Trail crew drives off, I rush about befuddled, admire Jessica. Others head to post office, I write Grama a letter, shave my growth. Finally down to P.O., mail ice axe, recorders, check, driveaway information, etc., to Mom, tent to Augusta as I agree to share Carl's through "The Bob" Marshall Wilderness. Call Mom for long talk. Head back, Jessica and mom gone.
The others return, we hike out of East Glacier on an overgrown trail. A forest walk, lose pack cover. A couple breaks, mucky long quagmire-like walking and one wet stream ford. Rain never comes and we walk in sunny environs. Meet Kent and Alan. Everybody talks. Realize I have no pack cover, yet another setback and go into blue funk. No rain cover for 10 days of wilderness. Come out of quagmire, discuss dilemma, decide to hitch back.
As we talk more, I say," Let's see how long it takes me to get a ride," stick out my thumb to a pick-up going by on the other side of the street and it stops. I jump in, he's a construction supervisor who drives me to the ranger station. I jump out, run in, Kent says he has and gives me pack cover. We deliberate on ride back, Jerry ends up leaving his hot water to drive me.
Back at trail/road, he drives us all to Summit Campsite, where we dine, get water and walk into Lewis and Clark National Forest. Uphill, find a spot, pitch our two-man tents, then Carl demonstrates two-rope bear-bag technique. Second rope breaks under strain, so he fashions two lines from same cord and we're done!
Organize for the night, into tent to escape mosquitoes again. I update and read before going to sleep. Note: My luck with the pack cover was amazing. This sort of fortune has been following us. Hope it continues.
