It was just past 6am and the sun was already up. With no other plans for the base, I simply took the main road back to I-15 and headed north. The interstate by this point was ten miles of rumble strips, as UDOT is repairing the frostheaves here.
With the Greater Salt Lake City now south of me, the land began to get greener. The valleys opened up even wider, dotted by Black Angus cows. By the time I got into Idaho at 7:47am, I felt like I was driving across southern Germany. It was time to find a hiking trail! I usually just take whatever trailhead I see first and let myself get surprised. I found one such trailhead sign in the small town of Inkom, south of Pocatello. It was six miles off I-15.
The parking lot for the trailhead was rather large and I took the first trail I saw. It turns out that was not the official trail, as this trail was 1057' in elevation in just the first mile to an overlook and then the trail petered out. The steepness kicked my butt! I am still wearing my Keens, which aren't the best shoes to wear on steep terrain, but I don't want to dig out my mountain gear until I hit Canada in a few days. I fell or slid at least three times while the dogs just looked at me with that "Why don't you use all for of your legs instead?" look. The view north was breathtaking both literary and figuratively; I could have looked at the landscape for hours while a redtailed hawk shrieked overhead. On one fall I flew forward and broke my glasses, the second pair to break in three days.
The trail brought us to an overlook studded with glacial erratics. This made hiking more difficult. We stayed on this hill as the only way further was all downhill before going back uphill, but the steep grade prevented me from getting excited about exploring this wilderness. We were also exposed to the sun and the dogs were getting warm. It was time to get back down and find the real trail. Getting back down the steep grade was no fun, either!
The steep hike to the overlook was just under two miles. Back in the parking lot, I quickly discovered the real trail, a trail dedicated to ATVs with its wide path through the cool forest with a creek next to it. Perfect for the dogs! Wanting to explore this a bit more, I took the dogs down the path but it, too, quickly joined multiple unmarked trails. Not wanting to get lost, I simply opted to go back to the van. The grand total was a mere 3.27 miles.
Now I had to get to the nearest store for new glasses. At the rate I keep breaking or losing the glasses I brought on this trip, I'll be buying three new ones a week! I stopped at a Fred Meyer's in Pocatello, where I also picked up a thick, dense camping pad FOR ME since the dogs have taken over the original I brought for me. Now all three of us can sleep in comfort. This store also reminded me of the unique PacNorthwestern thing beer drinkers do here: they buy beer in growlers and there's a section dedicated to that in the store.
Once back on the interstate, I stayed on it all the way into Dillon, MT. The drive was a beautiful drive all the way. This truly is Big Sky and Big Valley land. Not one piece of trash on the highway, either. From more open green valleys to lava rocks north of Idaho Falls, this land has such beauty to it I can understand why even the ranchers here want to preserve it.
I'm now approaching northern temperatures. It stayed in the 70s all day. This is more comforting to me than upper 80s. Even the dogs appreciate it. I put on my orange Marmot windbreaker as protection, but will hold off on socks until I absolutely have to.
I entered Montana just after 4pm as NPR's hourly news began. I was getting both hungry and thirsty. I had been picking on my leftover baked ziti while driving but wanted something more substantial. I stopped in the university town of Dillon to find a fastfood place. I had been through this town back in 2009 as I recognized the historic section, but back then I didn't stop to explore the town. This time there is a new brew pub that wasn't here in '09 so naturally I had to try at least one beer. The Beaverhead Brew Pub serves no food, though, but I did stay long enough to take advantage of the free WiFi since I'm having a hard time downloading the photos I have been taking. It's a quaint brewpub with sitdown coaches and a fireplace. My server just graduated from UMT with a degree in English and secondary education. She's moving back to Kalispell to teach middle schoolers. Ha, she's going to have fun with that!
The next town on my list was Butte, another 60 miles away. Would I make it there before dark? I wanted to do more hiking. The sky was getting overcast and I was feeling chilled. I had been to Butte as well back in '09, my first post-army road trip and Sadie was a skinny 18 months old. In 2009 I drove backways, today I am driving 80mph on the interstate.
Back in 2009 I was not impressed with Butte at all. It was the only town I drove right out of. It was a sickly hillside mountain town stuck in its past. But today I was pleasantly surprised with a new paved path linking the various mine shafts along the hill for 1.5 miles, the Copperway. A young couple I spoke to said the trails were placed the year after I was in Butte. The trails are a combination of mining trails and former railroad lines. I took this trail and some side roads as my evening walk. I got to see Butte at sunset, as the golden hills turned purple and blue.
Tomorrow is the big day. I head to Great Falls/Malmstrom AFB for some last-minute preparations before I head into Canada.
http://www.co.silverbow.mt.us/454/Trails-Outdoor-Recreation
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