Journey Day 379 | CDT Day 42

A clearcut in Idaho in 1987.

7/25/87

Our easy walk to Goldstone Pass turned out to be the unpleasant intro to a day of miscues. Up from breakfast (the oatmeal made me sick), we hike up a road to a sign pointing a right turn to the pass. Somehow we miss a road off to the right, hike past a gate and into a closed area where logging reigned.

We came to Bloody Dick Creek in the wrong place, first taking a road to the right that dead-ended in a clearcut. Then we headed back up the road until realizing it was heading in the wrong direction. Much stress later, we walk back and deliberate. Leonard heads back to the sign, Laurie and Carl up the road through the clearcut. I note by map that travel restriction changed at the turn and sure enough, Leonard comes back convinced and we begin a good climb to the pass on an old logging road. Luckily we find a little spring across the road, which we savor awhile before concluding the hot climb at pass two hours late.

Now for the hard part... We bushwhack up to our highest point so far and enjoy views to Salmon, bigger Pioneers, now diminutive Anacondas and ahead to the Lemhis and Big Horn Crags.

After a great break at 9,731 feet, we hike a ridge trail. Great views end up leaving me behind the group. I hike on, somehow get around them and hike to a dome of talus, where I begin my misadventure, dropping straight off a ridge into a steep ravine. After much deadfall hopping, stress and sweat, I decide to go back up. Just as I decide to stop after regaining the talus dome, I spot Carl and the others. We rejoin, they think I erred, but somehow I had passed them.

Back to bushwhack, following blazes and ribbons through deadfall along unremarkable Divide. Many times we lose blazes, regain them, in very tough going. We're stressed out by late start, time lost while separated.

After some struggle, we find our way to the road, after once ruling it out, Leonard bitching and negative.

Down the road, up, then down, I leave others, decide to push to end for camp in daylight. Uneventful roadwalk, but for young buck, one rock, one log. View to Lemhis. Push on dragging to intersection, where I pitch down by creek in sure-fire damp area.

Pitch, boiling when Carl arrives, others soon afterward. They decide on meadows back on trail. I finish cooking, pitching, boiling and crash after a very long day.