Friday, July 26, 2013

July 23, 2013
Bannock Pass to Saddle Above Coyote Creek
33.3 miles

Getting a hitch into or out of town can be tricky, especially in a small town early in the morning. After granola for breakfast (the restaurant wasn't open yet) I stood by the road and tried to hitch a ride for a little over an hour before heading back to the motel to ask the proprietors if they would be willing to give me a ride and lo and behold they said yes. 

I got started hiking at 9:15, which isn't too bad out of a town stop, but it would have been nice to start a little earlier in the day for two reasons: road walking and sun. Both of which were in bountiful supply today. 

During the first few miles I got the idea in my head to make it a personal challenge to get to I-15 and into Lima, MT by Thursday evening. That means 104 miles in 3 days, today being the first day. As such, and with all the road walking, I didn't stop to take many breaks in an effort to get in as many miles as possible before 8:30 or 9:00pm. I took a couple very short snack breaks and water refill breaks, and one 45 minute dinner break to cook dinner. 

The after dinner hiking when I got to trail once more was actually pretty cool. Less direct sun, sensational views of the surrounding area, and a variety of cloud shapes to add character to the sky depending on which direction I looked. 

All in all it was a pretty tiring day, but tomorrow I can get an earlier start so getting in big miles shouldn't be as much of a challenge. 

I should also mention that I am hiking solo for a while to see how it goes this time around. It seems to me that hiking alone all the time is what most people initially imagine when hearing of a long distance trek, so I might as well give it a go and see what it's all about. 

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