Journey Day 366 | CDT Day 29

The Umbrella Lady shields her husband’s foot repair from the rain.

7/10/87

After a night of rain, the drops stop long enough to cook breakfast and pack, the lake a gloomy, foreboding of weather to come. I hike away from the soggy camp headed for anticipated privy at Cattleman's Association cabin down the road. Another wet meadow, rain through the forest until the cabin and privy.

A quick poop later, I emerge to find others outside. Smoke from chimney a false warning of inhabitants. Hike on cold and wet, there's nowhere to stop as rain ebbs and flows, eventually finding its way inside my jacket and chilling my elbows. We all hike to road junction and leave route cutting 200 miles behind for a bushwhack in the rain.

Badly in need of a dry break, we find a private cabin uninhabited and unlocked. We find our way in, settle on floor and cook (except Carl). Revitalized, we push through the bushwhack past wild rocks down International Creek. Soon we're on a road around Delmoe Lake. Rain wears our resolve, Leonard's feet. We hike on with occasional breaks. Few cars (we're ready to hitch). Long push to road. Finally we hitch to interstate.

Amazing!!! About the fifth car picks up our saturated crew. A 70-year-old man from Helena headed home. After insisting his old car won't fit us all, we convince him and jam it all in.

We drive to the vicinity of our connection from Basin. Call blows our hopes, our driver suffers our decision, we end up across the street from first call locale. A cheap room at Eddy's Motel. Showers, dry out gear, over to 4B's for dinner and salad bar pig-out. Back for TV and update. Crash beckons...